Beyoncé quiets doubters with opening concert in London: Top moments from Night 1

USA Today

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Beyoncé quiets doubters with opening concert in London: Top moments from Night 1
Beyoncé's ticket sales for her six-night stint in London became a trending topic when she announced her tour, but she proved naysayers wrong as she delivered a groundbreaking U.K. opener with bold changes and viral moments.
The Grammy-winning singer kicked off her June 5 show on the Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium around 7:39 p.m. local time. The show marked her first of six shows at the stadium and Beyoncé's debut show overseas for this tour. She is set to hit the stage again June 7, 10, 12, 14 and 16, before heading to Paris for three nights.
As fans know, Beyoncé first debuted her "Cowboy Carter" tour at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 28 with 39 songs on the set list. Her shows have been filled with family, fashion, different music genres, and most notably country music and cultural commentary.
While some reports noted roughly 500 empty seats in the 62,850-person stadium at the start of Thursday's show, they also reported that a majority of them were restricted view seats.
The night proved to be another high-energy spectacle, despite any rainy or chilly weather, with fans across the venue on their feet from start to finish. Here are notable moments from Beyoncé's first London performance.
Les Twins return to the stage with Beyoncé
One highlight of the night came early in Bey's performance, when fans notices Les Twins made a return to the stage.
Born in Sarcelles, France, the dynamic duo has become known as Beyoncé's other set of twins, along with her 7-year-old children Sir and Rumi Carter. Les Twins have collaborated with her on numerous occasions, dancing alongside her on major stages, tours and videos. Some of those include the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in 2013, Beychella in 2018 and the Renaissance World Tour in 2023. Fans were surprised to see them return to the stage during the London opener.
Beyoncé performs 'Energy' for the first time on 'Cowboy Carter' tour
Another standout moment came later in the evening when Beyoncé performed her hit song "Energy" from her 2022 album "Renaissance." Despite having a "Renaissance" segment in the show, it was the first time Bey sang the song on her "Cowboy Carter" tour. The crowd went wild as they sang along to the lyrics.
She topped off the performance by doing her "Renaissance"-era staple: the "mute challenge," when she sings "look around everybody on mute" and fans are prompted to go silent. After the challenge, it was clear that was a favorite moment of the night.
Beyoncé adds Rob49's viral sensation 'WTHELLY' sample
Another new and notable moment came as Beyoncé performed her song "Spaghettii," and many fans thought it was hilarious. During London's show, she included a snippet of Rob49's viral song "WTHELLY" that has dominated TikTok and social media.
Many fans took the addition as a playful stunt by Beyoncé — those who caught it. Others questioned if the addition was in fact real, while many made note of how close the lyrics sounded to Yoncé.
One fan wrote, "Why Beyoncé just said What the Hellyonce' on stage lol she play all day."
Beyoncé will return to Tottenham Stadium on June 7.
Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.