Listen (song) - Live Performances

Live Performances

Knowles first performed "Listen" at the 49th Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center, in Los Angeles, California on February 11, 2007. MTV News' staff members coined it as the Best Oscar Performance, writing: "Beyoncé killed it with a passionate performance of 'Listen'." Knowles later performed "Listen" with Alexandra Burke on December 16, 2008 at the final of the The X Factor, with Burke having performed the song alone two weeks previously. Burke battled to control her emotions when Knowles joined her on stage and dissolved into tears when their duet was over. Burke went onto win the competition later that night. In addition, "Listen" was a part of Knowles' set list on The Beyoncé Experience and I Am... Tour.

On August 5, 2007, Knowles performed the song at the Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. Jon Pareles of The New York Times praised the performance, stating: "Beyoncé needs no distractions from her singing, which can be airy or brassy, tearful or vicious, rapid-fire with staccato syllables or sustained in curlicued melismas. But she was in constant motion, strutting in costumes." In Los Angeles, Knowles performed the song, dressed in a glittering silver dress with mink fur. It was executed without any backup dancers, and live instrumentation.

When Knowles performed the song in Sunrise, Florida on June 29, 2009, she was wearing a glittery gold leotard. As she sang, animated graphics of turntables, faders and other club equipment were projected behind Knowles, her dancers and musicians. Knowles was accompanied by her two drummers, two keyboardists, a percussionist, a horn section, three imposing backup vocalists called the Mamas and a lead guitarist, Bibi McGill. "Listen" was included as on her live albums The Beyoncé Experience Live (2007), and the deluxe edition of I Am... World Tour (2010).