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Renaissance World Tour: 'I saw Beyoncé five times in a month'

Getty Images Beyoncé performs onstage during the opening night of the Renaissance World Tour in Stockholm, Sweden. She is wearing a shiny silver outfit with a long black glove on her right hand which is holding the microphone to her mouth. She has seven dancers around the bottom of her legs in different poses looking away from her.Getty Images
Bilal has definitely proved he's Crazy In Love with his idol Beyoncé

Getting a shout-out from your hero in front of more than 60,000 people is something most people can only dream about.

But for Bilal Rouabah it became a reality when Beyoncé pointed right at him and said: "You motivate me, I see you're back again."

To be fair to Queen Bey, she would've done well to miss superfan Bilal - it was his fifth time at her Renaissance World Tour in less than a month.

And he obviously captured the once-in-a-lifetime moment on video, which has been viewed a million times on Twitter.

So how do you react when Beyoncé recognises you at her gig?

"I completely lost it, I couldn't believe it. So I just fell to my knees screaming," Bilal tells BBC Newsbeat.

"It was a really special moment and one that I will remember for the rest of my life.

"I still can't believe it. I'm still processing the whole thing."

Bilal Rouabah Bilal Rouabah in front of the stage at Beyonce's Renaissance tour. He's wearing a red coat and red bandana and blue-tinted sunglasses and his holding up a lanyard that's around his neck with the tour logo on it to the cameraBilal Rouabah
Queen Bey was probably getting Deja Vu when she saw Bilal at her third London show in a week

Bilal saw Beyoncé three times in London last week, after he'd already been to the first show of the tour in Stockholm and another in Cardiff.

So many questions, mainly: "How did you get tickets for five gigs?"

"As many phones or laptops as you can, I always ask the help of my friends as well," he says.

"They are hard to get, you have to be patient first of all because you might not get them on the first try so you have to keep persevering."

Bilal admits it wasn't cheap but says he has been saving for years.

"We had a long time to get ready for it. She hasn't toured for a few years now and I couldn't wait to see her perform again.

"When you're a fan of Beyoncé you have to learn how to save in advance, so I definitely have my Beyoncé savings accounts.

"VIP tickets are expensive and then you have to pay for flights and hotels and merchandise. So I would say a couple of thousand easily."

Bilal Rouabah Bilal Rouabah with his back to the camera. He has both his hands up with his thumbs pointing down to the words on his black T-shirt which says "Beyoncé" and then says "Stockholm Sweden" underneath it. He is also wearing a shiny silver cowboy hat.Bilal Rouabah
Bilal made sure he was at the first show of the Renaissance World Tour in Sweden last month

Bilal, who is from France but has lived in London for six years, has now seen Beyoncé a staggering 22 times but says it "never gets boring".

After five shows in 26 days he's "done for now" but says the Renaissance tour has been special for him.

"I get to just enjoy myself, let go of all my problems and meet a lot of people in the BeyHive and get lost in the music," the 34-year-old says.

"And that's what it's all about, that's what Beyoncé wants."

And he has a message for the megastar.

"I would thank her for everything that she does. She's been so inspiring and she's been a constant presence in my whole life basically.

"Everything she does for people who feel invalidated and marginalised, I think the Renaissance album gives us the confidence to just be ourselves."

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