2 days ago
Inside Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter London gigs
As Beyoncé prepares for her final show in London this evening, one member of the Irish 'Beyhive' who flew over to see her reflects on the experience.
On Saturday morning at Dublin airport, you could easily spot who was going to Beyoncé.
As I approached my gate and boarded the flight, the plane was swarming with passengers wearing cowboy hats and boots.
"I feel so safe here, like we're among our people," my friend said as she noticed all the fellow Beyhive.
Fans were disappointed when Beyoncé announced she'd skip Ireland for the second tour in a row.
So for many Irish fans, London's Tottenham Hotspur stadium was the next best thing. I had tickets for nights two and three of the six shows in North London.
At a Beyoncé gig, dressing the part is non-negotiable.
Think Americana-meets-western style. Fringe, denim and leather.
Then there is the merch.
The official tour merch was sold in a building beside the stadium, covering two floors. You didn't need a concert ticket to enter.
There was a wide range of T-shirts and hoodies, including an exclusive London T-shirt that you could pay £15 (€17) to customise. Other items included cowboy hats, folding hand fans, and charms.
Many people also head to bootleg shops.
At one store in Camden, I ran into an Irish couple who had flown over with tickets for three shows.
"You have to see it more than once. You don't want to blackout and miss a moment," they said.
The Cowboy Carter Tour centres around Beyoncé's Grammy Award-winning album, a bold reinvention of country music through her lens.
Ticket prices for these 62,000-seater London shows ranged from £71 (€84) to an eye-watering £901 (€1,067).
None of the shows sold out, so some fans were able to snap up some serious bargains on resale tickets.
Though the performance is focused on the new album, during the 3-hour set she does play some throwback hits such as Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) and If I Were a Boy.
She also has a segment where she welcomes everyone back to Renaissance (her previous album) and plays songs such as Cuff It and Break My Soul. She spends some time flying around in the air singing 16 Carriages in a red car, and her rendition of Dolly Parton's Jolene on a horseshoe.
During the concert, the star does eight outfit changes. She always starts the show in a leotard and tasselled chaps. Night three got five new outfits, including a gold version of the silver leotard she wore during her Renaissance tour.
At the 7 June concert, when Beyoncé came out it was raining, but that didn't dampen excitement and energy levels.
In the standing section, it was nonstop dancing from start to finish, and if you looked around, you could see some superfans who knew the choreography so well that they could have joined her onstage.
In the nosebleeds on 10 June, there was a different vibe.
Concert-goers here were mostly casual fans, but that didn't stop them from having fun and dancing along.
From my seat, I could see the pits where people were putting on performances before the show began.
They were showing off their outfits by pretending to strut down a runway as onlookers cheered them on.
One of the most memorable moments of the two concerts happened during the Tuesday show.
During the song Protector, Beyoncé has been bringing out her seven-year-old daughter Rumi, who the song is dedicated to.
This always results in loud cheers from the audience - which appears to surprise Rumi every time, before she erupts into a fit of giggles.
This night was different. Rumi became overwhelmed during her big moment on stage, latching onto her mother as she smiled at the crowd.
Both Beyoncé and Rumi's sister Blue Ivy were seen comforting her, as the song came to an end.
It was a special moment - one of many magical memories from my two nights with Queen Bey.
Following her UK gigs, Beyoncé will move on to Paris, where she will play three nights at the Stade De France, before returning to the US to conclude the tour.
