Beyoncé battled rain, empty seats and sky-high expectations as she kicked off the UK leg of her Cowboy Carter tour at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night joined by her daughters Blue Ivy, 13, and Rumi, 7, in a moment of family showbiz theatre.
It was a dramatic, slightly damp start to her six-night London residency, and, yes, there were visible gaps in the 62,000-seat venue - because it’s usually a sold-out affair for the pop star.
More than 500 seats were still available on the day, mostly in the restricted-view sections where fans were asked to cough up up to £71 to glimpse the diva behind a lighting rig. Some seats topped £278.
Still, the show went on - even with a wardrobe malfunction - with Beyoncé sweeping onto the stage in cowgirl chaps and declaring, “We won’t let the rain stop us.” Cue fireworks, LED theatrics and a full-blown musical hoedown.
Opening with Protector, she welcomed young Rumi to the stage who waved to the crowd before Beyoncé gently cupped her face. No sign of twin brother Sir, but Blue Ivy made a high-impact entrance of her own, confidently leading the dancers through Déjà Vu like a seasoned pro.
While the soggy start and patchy sales may have echoed wider reports of a slower ticket uptake this tour, especially compared to 2023’s sold-out Renaissance run, critics largely agreed that Queen Bey earned her Spurs.
In a review for the Standard, the night was praised as “a masterpiece of tightly-choreographed theatrics,” with her “supple, fiery voice and stagecraft front and centre.”
One moment had her performing 16 Carriages suspended mid-air in a pink Cadillac. Another saw her turn The Star-Spangled Banner into a powerhouse ballad sandwiched between her own country-soul material and disco-era Renaissance throwbacks.
She performed Texas Hold ‘Em, Levii’s Jeans and a slick take on Jolene, before ending with a roof-raising medley of Crazy In Love and Single Ladies.
The energy occasionally dipped during long video interludes needed for her elaborate costume changes, but she peppered the evening with loose, vocal ad-libs all scripted.
Fans had started queuing outside the stadium from 4am, undeterred by weather or online chatter about soft sales. And while the crowd was noticeably lighter than her previous sold-out stint at the same venue two years ago, the consensus inside was clear: Beyoncé still delivers a spectacle.
The tour, built around 2024’s Cowboy Carter album, a genre-blending love letter to southern sounds, has already faced scrutiny in the US for high ticket prices and a cooler reception compared to the clubby, dance-driven Renaissance era.
Seats for her Chicago dates reportedly hit $300 for the worst views, with some LA fans nabbing £27 ($35) tickets in last-minute price slashes. For London, at least, the prestige was intact if not quite the hype.
Still, if anyone can sell country-pop to a British stadium in the rain, it’s Beyoncé. A few empty rows didn’t stop the BeyHive from hollering every lyric back at her. And with her daughters now stealing the spotlight too, it looks like the Carter dynasty is just getting started.
Beyoncé’s Tottenham residency runs until June 16.
