Beyonce opened the UK leg of her Cowboy Carter tour at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night with the first of six sold-out shows — and an unexpected wardrobe malfunction.
Mid-performance, the singer’s gold trousers fell to her ankles during a dance routine, exposing her leotard underneath.
Without missing a beat, Beyoncé kept going as a dancer quickly stepped in to help.
Elsewhere during the gig, the singer declared “the rain ain’t gonna stop us” as she brought country flair, timeless classics and a golden mechanical bull to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
See also: Everything we know about Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour including the singer's setlist
The 43-year-old made performing more than 30 songs over two-and-a-half hours look effortless, launching the first of six London shows on her Cowboy Carter tour on Thursday.
The show, which featured nine quick changes and a flying car, began dramatically: a giant projection of an American flag fizzled and cracked behind her as Beyonce took centre stage to belt out American Requiem.
A full brass band was wheeled out soon after and dancers, including Beyonce’s oldest daughter Blue Ivy, joined her on stage.
Early in the show, the Crazy In Love singer dropped Formation to roars of approval from over 60,000 fans.
She stopped to repeat the line “they’ll never take the country out of me” – perhaps to remind everyone that her eighth album is not that extreme a genre shift.
The clouds darkened and rain fell fittingly as Beyonce sang Alligator Tears clad in a sparkling American flag jumpsuit under a white fur coat.
Undeterred by the dour British summertime weather, the Houston-born singer told the audience: “The rain feels so good.”
Along with Blue Ivy, Beyonce’s younger daughter Rumi made a cameo appearance as she hugged her mum during a heartfelt rendition of Protector, sung to her children.
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The artist showcased the range of the Cowboy Carter album soon after, by showcasing her incredible breath control – singing the upbeat Tyrant while mounted on a full-size animatronic golden bull.
Fans reached fever pitch when Beyonce began to tease them with the opening notes of Single Ladies, standing atop a silver lorry wearing a gold sequinned Levi’s top.
Beyonce failed to hide her surprise as the London crowd began to serenade her classics back to her, before she could reach for the microphone.
She stood and grinned in the pouring rain as the audience sang deafening renditions of Irreplaceable and If I Were A Boy back to her.
As the crowd’s Irreplaceable subsided, Beyonce shook her head and said: “That just happened like that. Thank-you, that was beautiful.”
Fans also got a first live rendition of Energy from the Renaissance album — a track previously absent from the Cowboy Carter setlist.
The performance included Beyoncé’s now-iconic “mute challenge,” where the crowd is expected to fall silent on cue. London delivered, creating one of the evening’s loudest reactions
Another standout moment in the show came when fans spotted Les Twins back on stage with Beyoncé. The French dance duo, longtime collaborators of the star, have performed with her across major milestones — from The Mrs. Carter Show and Beychella to last year’s Renaissance World Tour.
Reports from Thursday morning suggested hundreds of tickets for the London stint of the tour were still on sale, but as Beyonce flew over the audience first in a horseshoe singing her cover of Jolene and then in a velvet flying car for 16 Carriages to bring the night to a close, the stadium seemed packed to the rafters.
Before her final number, a montage tracing her home-video origins to the artist she is today flashed across the screens, including viral TV moments where she lost album of the year at the Grammys, but not her win from this year.
“I’m so blessed to do what I do just because of you,” she told the audience.
