Boots, glitter, and a modern icon.
Beyoncé’s stop at Soldier Field on the Cowboy Carter Tour was a glitter-drenched, boot-stomping rewriting of American music history.
photo taken by Sha Frasier.
Despite the chilly weather, on May 18 Soldier Field felt hot. Sixty thousand fans filled the stadium. Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour had made its way to Chicago and that night was the final show in the city. Even before Queen Bey took the stage, the electrified masses proved that— despite everything—art, diversity, and unity are still thriving. Sorry not sorry, Donald.
The excitement around the Cowboy Carter Tour, or Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin’ Circuit, began brewing months ago. After Beyoncé’s historic wins at the 2025 Grammys, which included both Best Country Album and Album of the Year, anticipation skyrocketed. To many fans, myself included, Cowboy Carter and its successes were welcome triumphs in a series of profound losses associated with the 2024 presidential election. Beyoncé’s music helped relieve our collective anxieties. The stadium’s beaming strobe lights and raining glitter felt like an audacious, political middle finger to hate and bigotry. Her performance was a rebuttal to the madness, a rallying cry for resistance.
Before Beyoncé even appeared, one could find a powerful message merely in the stage setup. The rear part of the stage formed a star, made complete by a triangular gate in the screen behind. The center and head of the stage formed a shape that could be perceived as both a horse’s hoof or an arrowhead cutting deep into the heart of the stadium. The setup seemed like a literal manifestation of forward movement, and I could immediately see the foundations for elaborate choreography and showmanship.
photo taken by Alexandra Moxey.
The concert opened just as the album did: with “American Requiem” and “Blackbird.” The two songs set the tone of the night as one of reflection and resilience. Beyoncé glowed like a beacon of unity amidst a deeply divided America. “Nothing really ends / For things to stay the same they have to change again,” she sang in the opening minutes of the show, and later, “Take these broken wings and learn to fly.” Originally written by Paul McCartney, the latter line harkens back to the Civil Rights Movement. Beyoncé boldly followed “Blackbird” with a rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner,” marching down the stage as if she were trampling her detractors beneath her boots.
Many critics dismissed Beyoncé’s entrance into the country music sphere, waving her off as an intruder in cowboy boots. She would later play clips of these critics on the screen, contrasting their denialistic words with powerful images of Black cowboys and cowgirls. The images channeled the deep African-American roots of country music, highlighting genre pioneers like Ray Charles, Charley Pride, and Linda Martell. Even before their generation, enslaved Africans created the banjo and washboards and bone castanets that are now staples of country music and Western culture.
After “The Star Spangled Banner,” Beyoncé stepped out to “Freedom,” an anthem from 2016’s Lemonade that took on significance for the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement and the 2024 presidential campaign of Kamala Harris. Her performance was a spectacular retort to those who have misheard and misused her message (Donald Trump notably performed the song on his second campaign trail before being issued a cease-and-desist letter). The stage became a site of resistance. Beyoncé appeared on-screen wrapped in an American flag, symbolizing both vulnerability and undeniable strength. Even this early in the show, the cheers of the crowd felt thunderous.
photo taken by Sha Frasier.
The next set began with the aforementioned video montage celebrating the Black roots of country music, as well as other rock and soul legends like James Brown, Nina Simone, Chuck Berry, and Tina Turner. Afterward came the clips of her critics, which appeared as a group of talking heads on stacked televisions. The televisions then abruptly turned off, literally silencing the detractors on their screens. The first songs of the second act were “America Has a Problem" and “Formation.” Beyoncé and her dancers wore bodysuits representing newspaper clippings, and they formed a circle with Bey in the center. Her oldest daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, joined the performance to thunderous applause. During “Formation,” Beyoncé implored the crowd to echo her lyrics, “I slay.”
Hardly anyone in my section had their phones out, proving just how deftly she can command a crowd. She proudly sang, “Earned all this money but they never take the country out of me,” before pausing and repeating the lyric slowly, once again correcting the narrative of her critics.
The highlight of the next act was, "Protector," a beautiful tribute to motherhood. Beyoncé’s younger daughter, Rumi, joined her and Blue on stage. Many in the audience, including myself, were reduced to tears. Beyoncé’s embrace of her daughters made me appreciate my own relationship with my mother. The crowd was further moved by intimate footage of the Carter family projected onto the screen. The performance showcased Beyoncé’s remarkable ability to pivot from fierce to tender. She seamlessly guided us from confidence in ourselves to confidence in our loved ones.
Throughout the evening, Beyoncé’s wardrobe continued to impress. She went from glittering, golden, embroidered suits to a simple white tank, denim cutoffs, and fringed boots. (Side note, but I felt immense gratitude for my own boots and wool socks shielding my feet from the biting cold.) Each ensemble was a distinct claim on the Western culture that has been appropriated by White America. It was as if she were exclaiming, “If it’s for you, then it’s for everyone!”
The fourth act of the show included fan favorites like “II Hands II Heaven” and “Levi’s Jeans.” The act closed with a medley around “Sweet Honey Buckin’,” which referenced the choreography of her halftime show for the 2024 Christmas Day NFL game. Another notable nod to the halftime show was “Ya Ya” earlier in the evening. The so-called “Beyoncé Bowl” proved to be a delicious first taste of what would come on the Rodeo Chitlin’ Circuit—to no one’s surprise, of course.
photo taken by Sha Frasier.
With the climax of the show approaching, the fifth act featured an extended mashup of iconic hits like, “Crazy in Love,” “Irreplaceable,” and “Single Ladies,” culminating in Beyoncé dramatically soaring over the crowd on a glowing pink horseshoe. The act also included the hit lead single of Cowboy Carter, “Texas Hold ‘Em.” Beyoncé complemented the visual spectacle with a flawless vocal performance, punctuated with sweeping runs and high notes that surely resonated miles from the stadium.
Beyoncé followed her mashup of hits with fan favorites from Cowboy Carter, including her cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and “Bodyguard.” Suspended on a glowing pink horseshoe high above the stage, she floated against a backdrop of desert suns and a flood of pink light. She was like a barbie doll flying and slaying out of a Western. The emotional core of this section came from “Daddy Lessons,” a song that prompted her entrance into country music after backlash during the 2016 Country Music Awards. The song is about reckoning between the men who raise us and those we choose. Beyoncé demonstrates the emotional labor daughters do in trying to understand their fathers.
The final three acts of the show were shorter than the first six, but just as impactful. During “Daughter,” Rumi joined her mother onstage, hugging her as she sang. The eighth act started with songs from her Renaissance World Tour, with songs like “Alien Superstar” and a ballroom dance break.
The ninth act concluded the show with “16 Carriages” and “Amen.” “16 Carriages” reflected upon the sacrifices made by Beyoncé at a young age, and the emotional toll of expectations placed upon her as a Black woman. She was expected to give everything to prove she belongs. She ends the song with “You’ll remember me because we got something to prove.”
“Amen” was a perfect final song. A full circle moment, the last song on the album. It had a gospel-like feel and was a sort of prayer for mercy and visibility in the present. As she sang, Beyoncé hovered above the crowd in a flying car and sent the crowd off with raining confetti.
photo taken by Sha Frasier.
The frigid Chicago air never once dampened the atmosphere. Cowboy boots, cowboy hats, and fringed jackets helped protect us from the cold and lean into Beyoncé’s vision. The 30-degree gusts of winds couldn’t numb my fingers enough to prevent me from typing up notes—each moment felt too significant to miss.
The Cowboy Carter Tour was a political and cultural landmark wrapped in glitter, sass, and swagger. Beyoncé further cemented herself as a musical icon, representing the prowess and perseverance of Black musicians. Her performance reminds us that no political regime, no societal backlash, can erase Black art. The tour embodies the dreams of Beyoncé’s ancestors. Her unapologetic brilliance is a shining light against the adversity of our current moment. This show was an unforgettable testament to the power of Beyoncé’s artistry.
One last thing: I ask you to pull out your phone, play the track, “Freedom,” go to 2:21, and listen closely. It's more than just music; it’s the sound of the America we all want to live in, a moment of an American transformation. And hearing it live meant so much.
edited by Justin Walgren.
photos taken by Sha Frasier & Alexandra Moxey.