American Beyoncé fans travel to London for 'Cowboy Carter' tour: Here's why it's worth it

USA Today

9 hours ago

American Beyoncé fans travel to London for 'Cowboy Carter' tour: Here's why it's worth it
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter may have wrapped the first U.S. leg of her "Cowboy Carter" tour, but American fans are still traveling to catch her in concert. While ticket prices may have been one factor, many say witnessing the show on an international stage makes the trip worth it.
The Grammy-winning singer kicked off her lastest concert at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 14. The show marked her fifth of six shows at the stadium on her Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour. And the stadium was filled with fans from all around the world with many traveling from the U.S.
Mya Stewart has been a longtime Beyoncé fan. Despite the Grammy winner making a tour stop near Stewart's home, she says Saturday's show in London was her first Beyoncé concert — a choice driven by ticket prices.
"I'm originally from Bronx, New York, and I came to London for the Beyoncé concert, because It's a lot cheaper than in the States," Stewart says.
Meanwhile Jasmine Carmichael and her friend Jasmine Batchelor both traveled from the U.S. to witness Beyoncé perform overseas. The trip was significant for more reasons than one.
'We're from New York and there were different factors that went to us choosing the London show'
"We're from New York and there were a couple of different factors that went to us choosing the London show. We just wanted to travel first of all," Carmichael says. "But also, we were in that Ticketmaster war — fighting — and London was the one that won."
Batchelor emphasized why it was important for them to attend, and the significance of it being an international show.
"There's like a lot of erasure that happens of our culture and for her to actually like show us the roots of it on a worldwide scale is kind of huge," Batchelor says. "Also I'm a girl who grew up in Cobb County, Georgia, and there was country all around me but not a lot of me all around me."
'We learned the do's and don'ts from 'Renaissance''
For U.S. fans like Kalen Graham and Natalia Spyrakos it was less about convenience. They solidified tickets in London by strategizing weeks ahead.
"We fought for our lives to get our tickets 100%," Graham says. "But we learned the do's and don'ts from 'Renaissance' so we made it happen."
The two friends say the most important factor was experiencing the show together.
"I'm from New York. She's from Greece. We are friends from New York. She's since relocated," Graham says. "But this is our opportunity to reconnect, make a trip, enjoy each other, see Beyoncé, get dressed up and have the time of our lives."
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 tour has been filled with family, fashion, different music genres, and most notably country music and cultural commentary. The June 14 show was no different as she debuted more looks and delivered another high-energy show. Her last London show is set for June 16, before she heads to Paris for three nights.
The nine-city tour will span the U.S. and Europe with the grand finale taking place in Las Vegas on July 26.
Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.