The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is annual tradition of crass commercialism and letting Jimmy Fallon pretend he’s a rockstar, but this year, Beyoncé graced the parade with her presence, instantly elevating the parade for forty seconds.

 
 

I mean, it’s still a commercial, she appeared via video to introduce a new trailer for RENAISSANCE: A Film by Beyoncé. But the new trailer, besides giving a glimpse of the Renaissance tour, also shows us Beyoncé at work, which is my favorite Beyoncé. She works like no one else works. (It’s the same fascination Taylor Swift holds for me, she’s so good at working it’s entertaining unto itself.) And she knows we like watching her work because that is the substance of the trailer. RENAISSANCE is a concert film, but it’s also about Beyoncé at work, building her legacy and enjoying the fruits of her labor.

I know there is a cottage industry in comparing Taylor and Beyoncé, and while I’m not here to do that—they can both excel without diminishing each other, in fact, they DO—it is interesting how they’ve chosen to advertise their respective concert films. The trailer for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is all about the actual show, as if to say, “Didn’t get tickets? It’s okay, we can still experience this together,” which is what the film delivers, a (condensed) experience of the Eras Tour. 

 

The trailer for RENAISSANCE, though, balances performance footage with behind-the-scenes footage, and Bey talking about her work. I now have an expectation of not only seeing Renaissance, but also a documentary about Beyoncé and her team creating the tour. RENAISSANCE is Beyoncé showing her work. I can’t wait to watch.