Just like everything you could hope or dream. And somehow more.

I honestly was worried that Queen Bey wouldn’t live up to how she was in my mind: a perfect, hair flowing, big vocal range goddess. And somehow she was better? Which is odd, because it’s not easy for anyone to surpass your personal expectation of them, or for them to be better than the version that lives in your head.

But in live performance, Beyoncé becomes more human than in her brilliant music videos, or hour long visual album masterpieces. She becomes more real than her televised performances or her few interviews. And she is so beautiful. To me, her realness was more awesome than the mythical, legendary figure I had created. Because Beyoncé is (probably) human (maybe. Still not 100% sure. She could just be really good at faking it) seeing her humanity was amazing.

Another amazing thing was even though I was in a nosebleed seat and she looked centimeters tall to me, I still felt like I could see her sing all my favorite songs. I still felt connected despite the distance, even without the massive screens projecting her dancing larger than a billboard. Which is absolutely incredible. It takes so much energy and passion in order to make that many people feel connected to you.

After seeing her live, I firmly believe Beyoncé is the greatest performing artist of our generation. What makes her stand out, though, isn’t her voice or her dancing or her presence. It’s her ability to tell a narrative and give an audience her complete artistic vision. Her costumes and video and lights aren’t just chosen because they look good, they’re chosen because they help her tell the story she needs to tell. I’ve seen a lot of live music, dance, and theater performances, but never one that had such intensity, inspiration, or passion. Beyoncé has clarity in her purpose, and it shows.

So long story short: it's worth it. Even if you're like me and can only afford to sit in the way-way back, you will feel her love and will treasure every moment. I was seriously afraid I wouldn't be able to. But instead, I was #blessed by our queen.