Beyoncé signed off the first night of her London residency by telling fans she was “blessed” to get to do what she loves by performing on stage.
She stormed through a seven-act set at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, treating the audience to a spectacle that lasted just shy of three hours.
But despite this being the first opportunity for fans to enjoy the singer’s country era in person, slow ticket sales and high prices have been the hot topic around the tour.
Promoters slashed some ticket prices in the run-up to shows in a bid to fill the stadium, prompting some of those who bought seats in advance to feel short-changed.
Beyoncé’s rodeo rumbled into London, bringing with it every country cliché you could think of – cowboy hats, horseshoes, tassels and even a gold mechanical bull.
The 40-song setlist relied heavily on tracks from 2024’s Cowboy Carter, which was met with critical acclaim, including taking the top album prize at this year’s Grammy Awards.
Every element of the performance was flawless, from the 43-year-old superstar’s stunning array of costume changes (each one featuring more rhinestones than the last) to the seamless transitions between songs and musical themes.
Much of the talk around the US leg of this tour, which took place in April and May, was the inclusion of Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s 13-year-old daughter Blue Ivy, who reportedly begged her parents to dance on the Renaissance tour in 2023, but was denied the opportunity.She made several appearances throughout the show, earning thunderous applause whilst dancing to an instrumental performance of her mum’s 2006 hit Deja Vu.
The teenager certainly seemed to enjoy her moment in the spotlight, unlike her younger sister, Rumi, who came on stage during Protector, shyly mouthing the words whilst being held by Beyoncé.
The show, which is called The Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin’ Circuit Tour as a way of referencing black performers who were segregated from the country scene, often paid homage in its interludes to these artists.
Beyoncé herself previously hinted about being rejected from the country music world in the past, and throughout the performance, it felt like she was wrestling with this idea.
She blended some of her biggest hits into Cowboy Carter tracks, such as Freedom and Diva, almost to prove that she belonged in this space.
Thursday night’s performance certainly showed she is more than qualified to be a country singer, but perhaps that a 60,000 seater stadium is not the best arena for it.
As the night drew darker, Beyoncé delivered an act comprised of tracks from her house-inspired album Renaissance, which immediately lifted the crowd into a party mood.
LED wristbands lit up in an array of colours as she belted out Alien Superstar and I’m That Girl – which certainly got the best reaction from fans of the night.
Similarly, a section of old classics such as Crazy In Love and Irreplaceable had the crowd singing every word, proving perhaps that a few more classics wouldn’t have gone amiss.