Formation Tour in Toronto: Queen Beyoncé commands her fans to slay

"Ladies, you are strong. There is not a woman alive who is not strong."

It was after a solid 45 minutes worth of high-octane, pyrotechnic-fuelled dance numbers that Beyoncé delivered those words to her fans in Toronto on Wednesday night.

The BeyHive, as it's called, had swarmed the Rogers Centre completely for the Formation World Tour's second (and last) Canadian stop, bringing more than 53,000 people together under one pulsing, scream-filled roof.

And yet, despite all the excitement, Beyoncé's fans were quiet during this interlude before the artist sang her 2003 hit Me, Myself, and I.

"No matter how hard life gets, no matter who breaks your heart," she continued, "you are never alone …."

"Because we have you!" a fan could be heard shouting as others erupted with similar messages of praise for Queen Bey.

Beyoncé's next sentence revealed that she was talking about God — not herself. It could be argued though, based on the intensity of their worship, that Beyoncé has more presence in the hearts of some fans than any deity.

They bow down at her request and command that others do the same. They get in formation. And when Beyoncé tells an entire stadium to slay, as she did in Toronto on Wednesday, they slay.

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, 34, has received more Grammy Award nominations than any other woman in history. She's sold over 100 million records worldwide as a solo artist, holds the record for the most simultaneously charting Billboard hits, and is the highest paid black actress on record to date.

When Time Magazine put her atop its list of the world's most influential people in 2014, few could argue with the choice. Mathematically speaking, Beyoncé is a powerhouse — but numbers alone can't explain her appeal.

"I just love who she is, as a person," said 30-year-old Sanifa H. outside of Rogers Centre while waiting to see the Beyoncé show. 

"I've followed her since I was like, a young'un …. She is definitely a person who inspires a lot of young women, and it's really cool to me that she's inspiring women to be feminist, especially young black women."

Her friend Jarelle Johnson, also 30, agreed:

"Beyoncé made it cool again to be black in this industry, and I think that it's amazing. I remember 12 years ago going to the last Destiny's Child concert. It was definitely a very different feel. Now, I see girls with their afros, rocking everything natural, and they are really proud to do so. So kudos to Beyoncé."

Indeed, Beyoncé has been powerfully outspoken on the importance of women placing value in themselves. 

Her almost 20-year career as a professional recording artist has seen her champion everything from independence and career success to body positivity and female friendship. 

More recently, however, shes's been making headlines for music that's as politically charged as it is emotionally revealing. 

"With Lemonade, she basically gave a gateway for a lot of people to declare themselves as what they were — whatever that label is: a feminist, a black woman, somebody with lots of complex issues …," said 27-year-old fan Viviane Rutabingwa before the show. 

"And because Beyoncé appeals to the masses, she just gave that ability for us to just say who we are, own it, and be who we are."

Toronto gets in formation

The crowd assembled for Beyoncé's Formation Tour show on Wednesday was a living testament to the performer's cross-generational appeal.

Women, men and children from backgrounds as varied as those that make up the city itself went nuts when the first image of Queen Bey popped up on a 60-foot-tall, rotating LED box and continued to do so for the full two-hour show.

They cheered as fire shot out from the stage while Beyoncé and 20 backup dancers performed Run The World (Girls). They cheered when an image of Beyoncé's daughter, Blu Ivy, appeared on the LED box and when Bey herself appeared to punch through it, breaking the glass. 

They cheered as Beyoncé sang about her husband Jay in the home of the Jays and when Purple Rain played in tribute to Prince against a purple-lit stage.

Since 1997, when Beyoncé was just 16 and Destiny's Child released its first hit single No, No, No, the BeyHive has been growing.

Today, their ranks encompass hordes of millennials, young children who like Bey's beats, the baby boomer parents of '90s kids (some of whom once taught their kids about the Stevie Nicks song sampled in Bootylicious), Hillary Clinton, and critics who can't get over the flawlessness of a live Beyoncé performance.

On the Formation Tour, Beyoncé pays tribute to them all with a blend of songs both old and new.

She thanked her fans profusely throughout the show, and at one point even stopped to wish someone in the audience happy birthday.

More than once, Beyoncé looked around the stadium with a smile on her face, shaking her head — almost as if she couldn't believe that this is really her job.

"I want to thank you for being here and allowing me to do what I love," she said during one of several interludes, looking out into the crowd with an expression of sincere appreciation on her face. 

"I am so grateful."