Beyoncé launched her Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin Circuit world tour on Monday night (April 28) with the first of five shows at SoFi Stadium in L.A. And, as usual, it was a high-energy, high-fashion feast for the eyes and ears that lasted nearly three-hours.
After opening with the Cowboy Carter track “Ameriican Requiem” and her take on the Beatles’ “Blackbiird,” Bey slid into a bit of “The Star Spangled Banner” (via Jimi Hendrix’s searing Woodstock version of the National Anthem) as the video screen behind her flashed an empowering, urgent message: “Never ask permission for something that already belongs to you.” With a pit stop at Lemonade‘s “Freedom,” she was soon joined by 13-year-old daughter Blue Ivy for a run through the medley of Cowboy Carter‘s “YA YA,” and the 2008 I Am… Sasha Fierce track “Why Don’t You Love Me,” during which the teen once again showed off her already formidable dance skills.
Later in the show, one of the singer and husband Jay-Z’s other children, seven-year-old Rumi Carter, made a surprise appearance during “Protector,” smiling and waving to the crowd during her first-ever on-stage appearance with her mom.
While the 36-song set list leaned heavily into Queen Bey’s Grammy album of the year winning LP, it also included stops at some of her most beloved hits, including “Formation,” “Cuff It” and “Crazy in Love” as she paid tribute to her country foremothers and fathers on such banjo- and fiddle-licked tracks as “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “II Most Wanted” while accompanied by two dozen dancers.
The show had a Wild West theme woven throughout the narrative, including the singer riding a giant robotic mechanical bull and peaking with Beyoncé taking on a crusty white cowboy in a gun fight. The night ended with Beyoncé flying around in a classic car as she led a sing-along to the Cowboy Carter single “16 Carriages.”
Check out images from the first night below.
