When people at work were talking about an upcoming Beyoncé concert, the name sounded familiar. It didn’t take me long to put the pieces together, Beyoncé is the actress most known for starring alongside Mike Myers in Austin Powers in Goldmember.
“Good for her!” I thought, “Putting yourself out there and doing something new takes bravery and bravado!” I thought it would be good to go and support her since I hadn’t seen her in many movies recently.
The size of the venue and crowd was shocking. I knew the Austin Powers trilogy was beloved but I never knew this many people particularly liked the third one. It felt great to be a part of a community. We were all gold members of this group.
“She was amazing as Foxy Cleopatra, right?” I told a woman next to me, decked out in a silver cowboy costume. Gold would have been more appropriate given the film’s title, but I wasn’t here to judge. “Do you think Mike Myers will show up?” I said to the group of young ladies on my other side. “Who?” They said (clearly joking). I got excited thinking about Mike or Michael Caine doing a similar event, and how big their crowds must be if their supporting star could get this many people to attend a show. When I tried to start a “GOLD! MEMBER!” chant, no one joined in, so much for that community feeling.
Man, this crowd went WILD when the show started, even though she didn’t play her big hit, “Hey Goldmember.” I love when artists try out new music and don’t just rely on the classics! The disco era of the film still seemed to be a huge influence on her.
The back of her stage featured an enormous screen which would have been perfect for showing clips of her battling Fat Bastard, Dr. Evil, or Goldmember, really giving the audience what they came for! Imagine an arena of thousands all saying, in unison, those classic Foxxy Cleopatra lines like, “I’m Foxxy Cleopatra,” or “You have the right to remain sexy, sugar.” You could imagine my surprise when after over an hour not one clip of Seth Green or the gang appeared on the giant screen. There were some stunning visuals but they didn’t really relate to the storyline of Goldmember at all. I hate to critique but this seemed like a missed opportunity.
By the concert’s end, I was disappointed at the lack of Austin Powers recognition but it looked like she had won the crowd over. I surveyed the merch hoping for a Blu-ray or DVD of the film, but it only further proved that she seemed to be leaning into this whole singer, dancer thing. But then it hit me and I felt like a complete idiot. She’s not just the co-star of the 2002 spy-spoof Goldmember, she’s also the co-star of the 2006 spy-spoof, The Pink Panther!
Imagine leaving behind that legacy and reinventing yourself in the competitive world of live music. Beyoncé clearly took a lesson from her time in Goldmember and like Foxxy Cleopatra has decided to fight for what she believes in, and what better tribute to the legacy of Austin Powers than keeping your mojo alive? Sure, I loved Beyoncé's notable past but I’ll be rooting for her in the future.
I hope she makes it big one day!