Beyonce struts back onto world stage with tour, film

LOS ANGELES: Hot on the heels of her praised Super Bowl performance, US singer Beyonce on Monday announced a world tour starting in April, the latest move in her carefully choreographed return to music.

The singer, who was watched by more than 100 million people as she performed at half-time in New Orleans on Sunday, is making a comeback after taking a year off following the birth of her first child with rapper husband Jay-Z in January 2012.

The Super Bowl was her second major public appearance this year after she performed at President Barack Obama's inauguration, and she is also presenting at the Grammy awards on Sunday and releasing a documentary about her life.

Her return to the world stage was temporarily derailed when she admitted that she sang with a pre-recorded track of the national anthem at Obama's inauguration, but on Sunday there was no questioning her vocal skills and her live performance.

She called out to the crowd mid-song during a string of hits in her 12-minute set and reunited on stage with former Destiny's Child band members, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, for their hits "Bootylicious" and "Independent Woman."

"Beyonce creates these moments, these unforgettable cultural snapshots ... This is going to be a musical snapshot to remind everyone why she's here, and it's all about that voice," Tamar Anitai, MTV Buzzworthy's editor, told Reuters.

 Reviews of her performance were largely positive, with hashtags :#SuperBeyonce" and "#BeyonceBowl" becoming top trending topics on Twitter.

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David Rooney at The Hollywood Reporter said it was tough for Beyonce to follow Madonna's 2012 Super Bowl performance.  "(But) she pulled together a slick, hits-laden performance that combined the tightly choreographed spectacle of Madge's show with her own thoroughbred vocal pyrotechnics," he said.

A power outage at the stadium following her performance, which led to a half-hour delay in the game, prompted her husband of five years to tweet: "Lights out!!! Any questions??"

Music's power couple, Beyonce and Jay-Z, were ranked No. 18 and No. 20 respectively in Forbes' list of the highest-earning musicians in 2012, earning $40 million and $38 million.

On the back of the praise, Beyonce, 31, wasted no time in announcing her world tour.

"The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour," which starts in Belgrade on April 15, includes 20 European cities and more than 20 North American venues. Slated to run for almost one year, a second wave is planned for Latin America, Australia and Asia.

The North America leg starts at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on June 28 and ends in New York on Aug. 3.

But before the tour starts, the singer has a busy schedule, presenting at the Grammy awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday where she is also a nominee.

The notoriously private singer will also open up about her life in a new documentary, "Life is But a Dream," which she directed, that is set to air on HBO on Feb. 16.

The documentary addresses her relationship with her father after he stepped down as her manager, her miscarriage before she had daughter Blue Ivy, and her work in the studio.  "It was really interesting directing and editing myself, seeing all the mistakes that I made and still putting it in the film," the singer told reporters last week.

The documentary also features rare footage of her 1-year-old daughter who has been shielded from the public.

"My daughter has changed me and changed my life, and has given me so much purpose. I feel like this movie .. it's very necessary and I think it shows a human side," she said.