Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ? Beyonce Knowles joined the millennium celebrations in Ethiopia with a spirited concert in the capital of the Horn of Africa nation.

Some 5,000 adoring fans in Ethiopia – a country normally unimpressed by Western music – turned out to see Beyonce. In this country, even teens tend to be loyal to music in the national language, Amharic. But Beyonce got a hysterical welcome when she came onstage.

“I want to thank you,” the R&B star told the screaming crowd Saturday evening in return. “You have been one of the best audiences of my lifetime.”

In a country where many women wear simple white, cotton dresses, Beyonce wore costumes covered in sequins or shiny, space-age material, from a modern interpretation of a hula girl with shiny black tendrils replacing the grass skirt to a high-necked Victorian-style top paired with sequined hot pants.

Beyonce’s concert was part of Ethiopia’s yearlong celebration of its 2,000th birthday according to its ancient calendar.