Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' tour is in the past: Relive the spectacle's top moments

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13 hours ago

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter recently closed out her history-making "Cowboy Carter" tour — a spectacle defined by music, culture, fashion and powerful messages. And across cross its nine-city run, the tour delivered some unforgettable pop culture moments.
The Grammy-winning singer took her final bow on her Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour at Allegiant Stadium in Vegas on July 26. The 32-stop stadium tour was the highest grossing country tour in history, earning over $400 million with more than 1.5 million fans packing venues across the U.S. and Europe.
But the impact went beyond ticket sales and attendance. The tour delivered viral moments that had fans buzzing around the globe.
Here's a look at some of the biggest moments.
Destiny's Child reunites onstage for surprise performance during final show
One of the biggest moments of the entire tour came on the final night in Las Vegas when Beyoncé brought out her former Destiny's Child group members for a surprise performance. Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams stunned the crowd as they joined her onstage, delivering throwback hits like their 2001 anthem 'Bootylicious' and 2005 hit 'Lose My Breath.'
The crowd erupted as soon as Beyoncé introduced the trio. As they hit the stage, each member delivered on her solo parts while dancing in perfect sync. Rowland and Williams even helped Beyoncé with her 'Renaissance'-favorite 'Mute Challenge,' and the moment felt especially special when they sang the lyrics, 'just me and my crew — big energy!'
Destiny's Child rose to fame in the '90s with original members Beyoncé, Rowland, LaTavia Roberson, and LeToya Luckett, later becoming the iconic trio with Williams. The group split in 2006 but remained close, with fans continuing to call for a reunion.
Blue Ivy Carter didn't just show up — she cemented her mark as 'that' girl
Since the first "Cowboy Carter" concert in Los Angeles, Beyoncé and Jay Z's 13-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter blew fans away with her fierce performances throughout the show.
Each night she floored the audience and fans online as she took the stage as a lead dancer. The show-stopping highlights from the young superstar are endless.
Even when Blue Ivy wasn't dancing she had the internet buzzing. Whether it was approving the title "manager Blue" in an adorable clip or thinking on her toes after getting her earring stuck in Beyoncé's hair onstage, Blue has shown the world she is the moment and she is already a star.
8-year-old Rumi Carter's energy lit up the stage
Beyoncé's 8-year-old daughter Rumi Carter was also a highlight of the show each night. She appeared alongside her mom and sister Blue when Beyoncé performed her song "Protector."
The song features sentimental lyrics like, "Even though I know someday you're gonna shine on your own / I will be your projector." On the tour, Blue, Rumi and Beyoncé ended the song standing together as they shared smiles with one another. Following the performance, a montage of Beyoncé and her children appeared on the screen, leaving fans in tears each night.
Rumi lit up each stage with her smile and infectious energy. During one stop, Beyoncé sang "Happy Birthday" to Rumi and twin brother Sir Carter, prompting fans to join in during the onstage celebration.
Blue Ivy gets 'Diva' in the set again; Beyoncé finds one in the crowd
In her movie "Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé," Blue Ivy — who fans joke is Beyoncé's manager — convinced her mom to keep her 2008 hit "Diva" on the final set list. Well, the song was a fan-favorite this time around again.
During the Renaissance World Tour, and now again on the "Cowboy Carter" tour, Beyoncé has been playfully scanning the crowd during the song, declaring, 'She ain't no diva!' when pointing to a fan. This time around, she made sure to also spotlight someone who fits the title — proudly singing, 'She's such a diva!" And each night, fans looked forward to seeing who the next diva might be.
Jay-Z makes first surprise appearance in Paris
During the final show in Paris, Beyoncé shocked fans when her husband, hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, made a surprise appearance. The two performed some of their beloved throwback hits together, including 'Crazy in Love' (2003) and 'Drunk in Love' (2013) as the crowd roared.
Jay also performed his song "Ni**as in Paris," which made for an epic show in the French capital. Following his debut in Paris, Jay returned to the stage at a couple U.S. stops — each appearance met with the same electric energy.
Beyoncé has flying car mishap, later replaces car with soaring gold horse
During Bey's opening show in her hometown of Houston on June 28, she was forced to pause the show because a technical glitch caused the vehicle to tilt midair. She told everyone to "stop" repeatedly before being safely lowered and landing the car among the audience. There were no injuries. While she recovered, the moment quickly made headlines regarding the safety of the stunt.
During her following shows she cut "16 Carriages" from the set list completely and avoided flying in the air in a car.
However, a new highlight of the tour came when Beyoncé soared over the crowd on a mechanical horse, replacing the golden car as the single made a return to the set list.
Les Twins return to the stage with Beyoncé
Another standout moment was Les Twins — Laurent and Larry Nicolas Bourgeois — who first joined Beyoncé for her "Cowboy Carter" tour in London, on the international leg of her tour.
Born in Sarcelles, France, the dynamic duo has become known as Beyoncé's other set of twins, along with her 8-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. To fans delight, they continued to dance alongside the Bey as she returned to the U.S.
The pour heard around the world: Beyoncé's funny exchanges with her robots
Beyoncé's concerts were packed with high-tech production, leading to countless viral moments as fans watched every detail. During her final Los Angeles show, a robot arm missed her cup while pouring a glass of SirDavis whiskey and the Beyhive went buzzing.
The moment instantly sparked playful reactions across the internet. Since then, fans jokingly watched each night to ensure the robot hits its mark. Even Beyoncé made light of the moment at concerts after the spill. In Chicago, Beyoncé smized at the robot arm and watched carefully as it poured her whiskey.
Another viral moment came when the robot's hand was missing altogether during during a show in Las Vegas, and fans took note of Beyoncé's look.
'Cowboy Carter' collaborators Miley Cyrus, Shaboozey make surprise performances
Beyoncé turned Paris into a special occasion when she brought out her first guest and "Cowboy Carter" collaborator — none other than Miley Cyrus. Decked in gold ensembles, they held hands and kissed cheeks before singing their duet "II Most Wanted" as the crowd went wild.
During Beyoncé's grand finale in Vegas, another standout moment came when she brought out another "Cowboy Carter" collaborator — Shaboozey. The two wowed fans as they performed their song "Sweet Honey Buckin.'"
Beyond record-breaking numbers and memes, the tour has been a unifying celebration of joy, movement and intentional fashion, as an ode to to country music's roots. Simultaneously, Beyoncé seamlessly held the genre accountable for its historical and ongoing exclusionary aspects.
Of course, the Grammy-winning singer first debuted her "Cowboy Carter" tour at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 28 with 39 songs on the set list. The tour may be over, but its legacy lives on.
Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Beyonce wraps 'Cowboy Carter' tour: Highlights from the stage