Held during four non-consecutive nights in August 2011 at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City, the concerts were part of Beyoncé's campaign in support of her fourth studio album 4 (2011).

Beyoncé also sang some of her previous hits from her three prior studio albums as well as songs she recorded with former girl group Destiny's Child in the 1990s and early 2000s.

A DVD of the show titled Live at Roseland: Elements of 4, which features performances from the concert, and never before seen personal footage from Beyoncé, including her times with Destiny's Child, traveling and partying with family, Beyoncé's rehearsal of "1+1" backstage at American Idol, other live performances and a sneak peek at her wedding dress, was released on November 21, 2011.

[17] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times noted that the all-female band plays an important spectacle to Beyoncé's performance, as she is both a part and in charge of the "army".

It'll be more intimate"[12] before she begins revealing multiple stories from her musical history including before—auditions with Destiny's Child starting at age nine, her father's early and frequent involvement managing his daughter's career and getting dropped by Elektra.

[19] After delving into her musical history, Beyoncé states "I just want to have a good time with y'all" before she begins the concert with her rendition of Michael Jackson's "I Wanna Be Where You Are".

[13] Following her rendition of "I Wanna Be Where You Are", Beyoncé begins a medley of past Destiny's Child songs, stopping each track to discuss her life and mindset during each stage of her career.

[19] During her performance of "Independent Women", she reveals how her father, Mathew Knowles, submitted the track to the Charlie's Angels (2000) soundtrack without permission, reveals that she wants to write a song "that celebrates a woman's curves" inspired by Stevie Nicks' guitar riff in "Edge of Seventeen" (1982) for "Bootylicious" and states "With a lot of success comes a lot of negativity...they were being nasty but it inspired me" before performing "Survivor".

[11] "I Miss You" begins with Beyoncé performing while seated, only to later be brought to her feet while altering the song's ending with additional vocals and instrumentation.

"End of Time" and "Run the World (Girls)" had Beyoncé utilizing flamboyant light displays bringing elaborate routines to a smaller stage.

"[19] Jason Newman of Rap-Up began his review, "For a singer long accustomed to stadiums, Sunday's show was the most intimate performance most fans would see from the ubiquitous superstar.

"[19] He highlighted how she "split the difference between hushed torch singer and stadium belter", and favored her ability to display both "stamina and vigor, which make for a stadium-perfect show".

[19] Newman concluded, "The medley combined the quick blasts of a Las Vegas revue with the emotional candor of a singer-songwriter performing to a near-empty room.

It was an odd, yet effective juxtaposition; a global superstar who could effortlessly shuffle between slick, bombastic R&B and awkwardly honest confessions of a tumultuous career.

By the end of the set though, humility, as one expects from a singer with 16 Grammy awards and more than 75 million records sold worldwide, turned to sly confidence.

"[19] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times was impressed by the show, complimenting Beyoncé's performances of "underdog tracks" such as "Party" and "Love on Top".

She was working off a teleprompter for her between-song patter, but improvising frequently, and for the better ... Beyoncé persevere[s], with a voice that skips up octaves and still gains power, with words that are as compelling as they are straightforward, with legs that treat the stage floor like an enemy in need of a thorough stomping.

[17] Erika Ramirez of Billboard magazine wrote, "There aren't many artists in the world that can pull off a 90-minute set in Stuart Weitzman heels and leave a beyond packed audience satisfied to the point of not needing an encore.

"[11] He continued to praise her for "raising the bar for live entertainment with a flawless display", further writing, "The worldly pop icon's ability to bring new depth and texture to quality material is almost as impressive as her uncanny knack for connecting with the audience on an emotional level".

[11] Wass finished his review by making reference to Beyoncé performance of "I Was Here" – which lyrically revolves around leaving a mark on the world – by writing, "But the pop veteran can sleep easy.

[22] He further wrote, "Where tunes felt lackluster and flabby on the recording, Beyoncé injected a vibrancy in the new songs that boosted the material to be almost the equal to some of her best and biggest radio hits.

[23] Jocelyn Vena of MTV News praised Beyoncé for her "never-miss-a-note voice" and "razzle-dazzle dance moves", and for matching the crowd's energy with her enthusiasm during live performances.

[24] Gavin DeGraw of VH1 noted that "there's no doubting Beyoncé's talent as a performer; her undeniable vocal ability, show(wo)manship, and charm" which infused the room the entire evening.

[26] In a review of the show, she commented "The serenity at her core is borne from a supreme amount of confidence; that it comes off as something generously given is a testament to her prodigious talents as a performer on every level.

[42][43] The complete concert film premiered exclusively on Vevo on November 20 at 5:00 p.m.[44] The live performance of "I Care" from the DVD was posted online on December 21, 2011.