Live in Atlantic City
Cover of Life Is But A Dream / Live In Atlantic City
Video by
Beyoncé
ReleasedNovember 22, 2013
RecordedMay 25–28, 2012
(during Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live)
VenueRevel Casino Hotel Atlantic City
(Atlantic City, New Jersey)
Genre
Length75:09
Label
Director
Beyoncé chronology
Live at Roseland: Elements of 4
(2011)		 Live in Atlantic City
(2013)		 Beyoncé
(2013)

Live in Atlantic City is a live video album by American recording artist Beyoncé. It was released on November 22, 2013 through Columbia Records and Parkwood Entertainment as a part of the home video release of her autobiographical television film Life Is But a Dream. The concert film contains footage from Beyoncé's four-night residency show at Revel Casino Hotel Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey, titled Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live between May 25–28, 2012, and was directed by Ed Burke and Beyoncé herself. It encompasses live performances of twenty-one songs, in addition to Beyoncé's then-new song "God Made You Beautiful".

After the film was released, videos of three performances from the concert were released online on Beyoncé's YouTube channel—"Schoolin' Life", "Dance for You" and "Party". Live in Atlantic City was commercially successful, peaking within the top ten on various DVD charts worldwide. The two-disc set of Life Is But a Dream/Live in Atlantic City peaked atop the US Top Music Videos and the UK Music Video Chart, becoming Beyoncé's fourth and first chart-topper in the countries, respectively. It was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).

Background

On February 16, 2013, Beyoncé released Life Is But a Dream, an autobiographical television film. It premiered on HBO, garnering 1.8 million viewers for the initial broadcast, becoming the largest audience for a documentary since Nielsen Media Research revised its method of measuring viewership in 2004.[1] However, critical commentary towards Life Is But a Dream was mixed with divided opinions by critics.[2]

Film synopsis

Australian singer-songwriter Sia (pictured) wrote "God Made You Beautiful"

Live in Atlantic City contains live performances of twenty-one songs along with a new song "God Made You Beautiful", written by Australian singer-songwriter Sia.[3] Several short excerpts of the performances found on the film are also featured in Life Is But a Dream itself.[4] The film opens with Beyoncé appearing in front of a large screen with her silhouette being seen. As the music of "End of Time" starts, she performs a choreography with her female dancers and French duo Les Twins on stage further singing the song's lyrics. "Get Me Bodied" follows with a similarly choreographed performance and for the third song "Baby Boy", the singer dances with her background dancers in front of a holographic background performing a Dutty Wine dance at the end. "Crazy in Love" and "Diva" are featured as the fourth and fifth song, respectively. "Naughty Girl" is preceded by a video projection with a voice-over by Beyoncé talking about female sexuality. A snippet of Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby" is interpolated within it and the singer performs the song with her female dancers. She continues with "Party" for which a prominent Las Vegas showgirl theme is featured.

Prior to starting "Dance for You", Beyoncé announces to the audience that she is going to dance to the song without singing it. "Freakum Dress" opens with a short interlude during which several dancers appear onstage dancing with long dresses. Beyoncé appears and performs the song, interacting with her guitarist towards the end. "I Care" is performed by the singer alone on stage and during "Schoolin' Life" a laser show is displayed for a choreographed dance. "1+1" sees Beyoncé singing the song atop a piano and "Flaws and All" follows. "Run the World (Girls)" is preceded by a video interlude set to the music of "Countdown", shown on the screen onstage. A video featuring various footage from Beyoncé's life follows as she recites the lyrics from her song "I Was Here". After that, she performs the opening lines of "I Will Always Love You" a cappella as a tribute to Whitney Houston and continues with her own song "Halo". "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) is performed afterwards with the same choreography from its music video and "Green Light" is used as the encore. "Love on Top" is the last song on Live in Atlantic City, performed by Beyoncé and her dancers as the credits for the concert film are shown.[5]

"God Made You Beautiful" is featured as a bonus audio song on the album and it premiered online on November 22, 2013. It is a down-tempo ballad, with a staccato beat and a gospel-tinged chorus.[6] Instrumentally, it consists of drums, strings, pianos, runs and hand claps.[7][8] It opens with an "echoey" a cappella choir and it lyrically talks about Beyoncé and Jay-Z's daughter Blue Ivy as the singer tells that she "brought me back to life/you bring me back to life."[9]

Release

Live in Atlantic City's home video release for DVD and Blu-ray formats was announced on October 30, 2013 along with a trailer.[10] During the video, it was revealed that the release included a two-disc set, with the second part, Live in Atlantic City, being bonus concert footage filmed during Beyoncé's four-night residency show Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live at Revel Atlantic City between May 25–28, 2012. A new song, titled "God Made You Beautiful", was also featured on the concert film and heard as the background music in the trailer. The home media release was made available for pre-order on November 1, 2013.[11][12][13] Live in Atlantic City was first released in Germany and the Netherlands on November 22, 2013 as part of the two-disc set of Life Is But a Dream.[14] Three days later, the DVD was also released in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and the Blu-ray edition was released in the latter country the same day.[3] In the United States, the Blu-ray edition was released on December 17, 2013.[15]

After the film was released, videos of the performances of three songs were released online. The performance of "Schoolin' Life" from the film was previewed on Beyoncé's official YouTube channel on November 25, 2013.[16] A writer of Vibe magazine felt that the laser light show from the performance "brighten[ed] up Atlantic City".[17] The performance of "Dance for You" was also uploaded to the singer's channel two days later.[18] The live rendition of "Party" was the final uploaded video from the concert film on December 2.[19] John Walker of MTV reviewed it positively writing: "The sparkling, goddess-like centerpiece in a swirling sea of pink feathers, Beyoncé shines like a true showgirl on stage. Thankfully, unlike the 1995 camp classic, none of her backup dancers look nefarious enough to try anything funny".[20] Walker further praised Beyoncé's vocals and dance moves as "on point as always" and the "flawlessly areolicious bustier" she wore.[20]

Commercial performance

On November 30, 2013, Live in Atlantic City debuted at number four on the Dutch Music DVD Chart and later peaked at number two.[21][nb 1] The same week it also debuted at number ten on the Belgian Music DVD Chart in Flanders and at number thirty on the French Music DVD Chart.[22][23] The next week, the album moved to number nine on the French Music DVD Chart, setting a new peak position in that country.[24] On the Spanish Music DVD Chart it peaked at number eleven on November 25, 2013, which became its only placement outside of the top ten on a DVD chart.[25]

The album debuted at number one in the United Kingdom on December 7, 2013, becoming Beyoncé's first UK Music Video Chart number-one.[26] It remained at the top in its second week, before falling to number two by One Night at the Palladium (2013) by Robbie Williams the following week.[27][28] It spent six more weeks within the top five on the chart and it was seen for the last time on May 31, 2014 at number forty, having spent a total of twenty-six weeks on the chart.[29] On December 27, 2013 the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified the album platinum for shipments of 50,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[30] In the United States, Live in Atlantic City became Beyoncé's fourth number-one album on the Top Music Videos chart, debuting on top for the week of December 14, 2013.[31] In Australia, the album peaked at number two on the chart and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 7,500 copies.[32]

Track listing

Live in Atlantic City – Standard edition
No.TitleLength
1."End of Time" 
2."Get Me Bodied" 
3."Baby Boy" 
4."Crazy in Love" 
5."Diva" 
6."Naughty Girl" 
7."Party" 
8."Dance for You" 
9."Freakum Dress" 
10."I Care" 
11."Schoolin' Life" 
12."1+1" 
13."Flaws and All" 
14."Countdown" 
15."Run the World (Girls)" 
16."I Was Here" 
17."I Will Always Love You" 
18."Halo" 
19."Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" 
20."Green Light" 
21."Love on Top" (End credits) 
Live in Atlantic City – Bonus song download
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."God Made You Beautiful"
4:41

Personnel

Credits for Live in Atlantic City taken from the album's liner notes and Beyoncé's official website.[33]

  • Creative director – Beyoncé
  • Director of choreography – Frank D. Gatson Jr.
  • Musical director – Kim Burse, Derek Dixie
  • Visual content directors – Beyoncé, Ed Burke
  • Lighting designer – LeRoy Bennett
  • Band – Rebecca Buxton, Cora Coleman-Dunham, Kiku Collins, Bibi McGill, Katty Rodríguez-Harrold, Lauren Taneil Robinson, Rie Tsuji, Britanni Washington
  • Background vocals – Crystal Collins, Montina Donnell, Tiffany Riddick
  • Dance captain – Ashley Everett
  • Dancers – Larry Bourgeois, Laurent Bourgeois, Sarah Burns, Anthony Burrell, Tanesha Cason, Olivia Cipolla, Hannah Douglas, Amandy Fernández, Kimmie Gipson, Christina Owens, Ryan Ramírez
  • Co-choreographers – Chris Grant, JaQuel Knight
  • Assistant choreographer – Danielle Polanco
  • Contributing choreographers – Beyoncé, James Aslop, Larry Bourgeois, Laurent Bourgeois, Anthony Burrell, Rhapsody James, Jonte Moaning, Sheryl Murakami, Christian Owens, Michelle Robinson, Ebony Williams
  • Assistant to choreographers – Kristopher Mohfanz
  • Director of wardrobe – Tina Knowles
  • Head stylist – Ty Hunter
  • Stylist – Raquel Smith
  • Wardrobe assistants – Enid Gayle, Amber Glaspie, Taneka McLeod, Kwasi Fordjour
  • Designers – Swarovski Crystals provided by Ralph & Russo, Dolce & Gabbana, David Koma, The Blonds, Stuart Weitzman and Scott Nylund, Timothy White and Enid Gayle for Tina Knowles
  • Make-up artist – Francesca Tolot
  • Hair stylist – Neal Farinah
  • Nail stylist – Lisa Logan
  • Band/dancers make-up – Crissy Gómez, Erica Martínez, Rashad Taylor, Yuki Ara
  • Band/dancers hair – Yolanda Ward, Nikki Nelms, Eric Williams
  • Additional show content – Alexander Hammer, Melina Matsoukas
  • Show content writer – Angela Beyincé
  • Additional content assistant – William Boisture
  • Light board operator – Cory Fitzgerald
  • Image director – Kevin Carswell
  • Video server operation – Marc Andre Tremblay
  • Digital media operator – Kevin Ryan
  • Guitar tech – Sean O'Brian
  • Keyboard tech – Cody Orell
  • Drum tech – Marco Zambrano
  • Crew chief/FOH cam – John Dennis Bedell
  • LED tech/FOD cam – Russell Wingfield
  • LED tech/dolly cam – Jeffrey Michael Gainer
  • LED tech – Chad McClymonds
  • Projectionist – Craig Leibowitz
  • Projectionist/handheld cam – Christopher Alan Campbell
  • LED/KI pro recording tech – Tyler Munson
  • Engineer – Randall Schaffer
  • LED engineer – Dustin King
  • Project manager video – Barry Claxton
  • FOH engineer – Christopher Rabold
  • Band monitor engineer – Chauncey Burney
  • Beyoncé monitor engineer – James Berry
  • System engineer – Christopher Berry
  • Monitor tech – John Switzer
  • RF/P.A. – Victor Arko
  • Head electric – David Bergeron
  • Electricians – Antoine Malette, Scott Allan Walsh, Jean Francois Malette, Alex Boldue, Eric Cere
  • Automation operator – Eric Pelletier
  • Head rigger – Pat Ryan
  • Head carpenter – William Shewmaker
  • Project manager set & props – Tim Fallon
  • Sets – Bryan Alexander Schluntz, Kevin William Levasseur, Bobby Lee Marshall
  • Production assistant – Ashlee Senser
  • Venue security – Pete Beattle
  • Tour manager – Alan Floyd
  • Visual content – Breathe Editing Inc.
  • Show production manager – Alex Miasnikof
  • Assistant show production manager – Shari Weber
  • Set designer – Florian Weider
  • Supervising art director – Talyn Wright
  • Stage manager – Terry Cooley
  • Theatrical director – Jennita Russo

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Life Is But a Dream
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[49] Gold 7,500^
France (SNEP)[50] Gold 7,500*
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Platinum 50,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

List of release dates, showing region, format(s), label(s) and reference(s)
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Netherlands November 22, 2013 DVD Sony Music [14]
Germany [51]
Canada November 25, 2013 [52]
United Kingdom
RCA [13][53][54]
United States DVD
[55]
Poland November 26, 2013 Sony Music [56]
Australia November 29, 2013 [57][58]
Turkey December 5, 2013 [59]
United States December 17, 2013 Blu-ray
  • Columbia
  • Parkwood
 [15]

Notes

  1. ↑ The positions and sales of Live in Atlantic City are of Life Is But a Dream because the concert film is a part of it.

References

  1. ↑ O'Connell, Michael (February 19, 2013). "TV Ratings: Dueling Beyonce Specials Bring Big Numbers to HBO and OWN". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Beyonce: Life Is But a Dream: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Beyoncé – Life is But a Dream [DVD + UV Copy]". Amazon UK. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  4. ↑ Jeffery, Morgan (March 13, 2013). "Beyoncé's 'Life Is But A Dream' documentary to air on BBC One". Digital Spy. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  5. ↑ Beyoncé, Ed Burke (2013). Live in Atlantic City. Columbia Records/Sony Music Entertainment. Event occurs at 0:00:00 to 1:15:09.
  6. ↑ Wass, Mike (November 22, 2013). "Beyonce's "God Made You Beautiful" Arrives: Listen To The Uplifting Ballad In Full". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  7. ↑ Coleman, Miriam (November 23, 2013). "Beyonce Gets Tender on 'God Made You Beautiful'". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  8. ↑ "New Music: Beyoncé – 'God Made You Beautiful'". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. November 22, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  9. ↑ Newman, Melinda (November 22, 2013). "Beyonce waxes rhapsodic about daughter Blue Ivy on new song, 'God Made You Beautiful'". HitFix. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  10. ↑ Ehrlich, Brenna (October 30, 2013). "Beyoncé's 'God Made You Beautiful': Get A Taste Of Her Latest Track!". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  11. ↑ ""Life Is But A Dream" To Be Released On DVD On November 25 Worldwide" (Press release). PR Newswire/Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. November 1, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Life is But A Dream DVD". Beyonce.com. Parkwood Entertainment. October 28, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  13. 1 2 "Beyonce: Life Is But a Dream (2013)". Amazon.com. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  14. 1 2 "Life Is But A Dream / Live In Atlantic City" (in Dutch). Bol.com. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  15. 1 2 "Beyoncé: Life Is But a Dream [Blu-ray] (2013)". Amazon. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Beyoncé Performs 'Schoolin' Life' for 'Life Is But a Dream'". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. November 25, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Watch: Beyonce's 'Schoolin' Life' Performance In Atlantic City From Her 'Life Is But A Dream' DVD". Vibe. Vibe Media. November 25, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Live in Atlantic City "Dance for You"". YouTube. November 27, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Live in Atlantic City "Party"". YouTube. December 2, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  20. 1 2 Walker, Jogn (December 3, 2013). "Beyonce Gets Her Showgirl On In This Live Atlantic City Performance Of 'Party' (VIDEO)". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Dutch DVD Music Top 30 – 01/03/2014" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Ultratop 10 Muziek-DVD Chart – 30/11/2013" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Classement officiel des ventes de DVD Musicaux du 18 novembre au 24 novembre 2013" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on August 21, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  24. 1 2 "Classement officiel des ventes de DVD Musicaux 25 novembre au 01 décembre 2013" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  25. 1 2 "Top 20 DVD Musical – Semana 48: del 25.11.2013 al 01.12.2013" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  26. ↑ "2013 Top 40 Music Video Archive – 7th December 2013". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  27. ↑ "2013 Top 40 Music Video Archive – 14th December 2013". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  28. ↑ "2013 Top 40 Music Video Archive – 21st December 2013". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  29. ↑ "2013 Top 40 Music Video Archive – May 31st 2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  30. 1 2 "British video certifications – Beyoncé – Life Is But a Dream". British Phonographic Industry.
  31. ↑ "Music Video Sales – December 14, 2013". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  32. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 DVD". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
  33. ↑ "Life Is But a Dream (2013) Credits". Beyonce.com. Parkwood Entertainment. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  34. ↑ "ARIA Music DVDs Chart". ARIA Charts. January 13, 2014. Archived from the original on January 13, 2014.
  35. ↑ "Beyoncé – Live in Atlantic City [DVD]" (in Dutch). Ultratop.be. Hung Medien.
  36. ↑ "Brazil Top CD & DVD". Portal Sucesso. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  37. ↑ "Beyoncé – Live in Atlantic City [DVD]" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien.
  38. ↑ "Musik-DVD Charts – aktuelle Musik-DVDs". Mix1.de. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  39. ↑ ライフ・イズ・バット・ア・ドリーム (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  40. ↑ "Official Music Video Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
  41. ↑ "Beyoncé Chart History (Music Video Sales)". Billboard.
  42. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Music DVDs 2013". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  43. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2013" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  44. ↑ De Toledo, Giuliana (March 19, 2014). "Disco de Padre Marcello Rossi foi o mas". Folha de S. Paulo (in Portuguese). Grupo Folha. Archived from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  45. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2014" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  46. ↑ "Rapports Annuels 2014" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  47. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – DVD 2014" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  48. ↑ "Music Video Sales – Year-end chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  49. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 DVDs" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  50. ↑ "French video certifications – Beyoncé – Life Is But a Dream" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  51. ↑ "Beyonce' – Life Is But A Dream [2 DVDs]" (in German). Amazon.de. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  52. ↑ "Life Is But A Dream: Beyoncé: DVD". Amazon.ca. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  53. ↑ "Beyoncé – Life is But a Dream [Blu-ray + UV Copy] [Region Free]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  54. ↑ "Beyoncé: Life is But a Dream / Live in Atlantic City Blu-rayUnited Kingdom". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  55. ↑ "Amazon.com: Life Is But A Dream: Beyonce, Ed Burke, Beyoncé Knowles: Movies & TV". Amazon.com. November 25, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  56. ↑ "Life Is But A Dream / Live In Atlantic City" (in Polish). Empik.com. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  57. ↑ "Life Is But A Dream – Beyonce". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  58. ↑ "Buy Life Is But A Dream, Beyonce, DVD, DVD". Sanity. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  59. ↑ "Life Is But A Dream (2xDVD)" (in Turkish). Dr.com. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
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