Latest news with #CachéMcClay
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Why music fans are booking flights with their concerts tickets: 'I cried. I loved it.'
Why music fans are booking flights with their concerts tickets: 'I cried. I loved it.' Show Caption Hide Caption Fans on night one of Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' tour USA TODAY's Beyoncé reporter Caché McClay spoke to fans on night one of the 'Cowboy Carter' tour. Many music fans travel out of state or internationally to attend concerts and music festivals. Traveling for concerts can enhance the experience, allowing fans to explore new cities and experience different crowd cultures. Finding community with other fans is a key benefit of concert travel. Planning and budgeting are essential for successful concert trips, including booking flights and accommodations in advance and setting price alerts. When Billie Eilish went on tour last year, Patrick Diaz jumped at the chance to see her live. Her latest record, 'Hit Me Hard and Soft', helped the 24-year-old through a breakup. 'It was such a healing album for me, and I knew I needed to hear everything in person,' he told USA TODAY. There was just one problem: Eilish wasn't stopping in Texas. The Austin-based content creator traveled to Chicago for her November concert, where he and a friend could stay with his friend's brother. During the show, he got emotional hearing the pop star perform songs like 'The Greatest'. 'I cried just the way I cry when I'm listening in my earbuds," he said. 'I cried. I loved it. I yelled. It was such a fun, fun experience.' He enjoyed it so much he did it all over again the following month in Arizona. Live music has long drawn travelers who hit the road or skies for the most convenient nearby shows, the cheapest concert tickets, or simply for the chance to see their favorite artists before a tour ends – in some cases for weeks at a time. The Bank of America 2025 Summer Travel and Entertainment Survey, conducted among roughly 2,000 U.S. adults between late March and early April, found that half of Americans traveled for a concert, festival or sporting event – out of state, internationally or both – within the last two years. The survey also found that one-third (33%) of respondents 'plan to attend more concerts, sporting events and/or festivals this year compared to 2024.' Concert travel offers more than just the show Traveling can add new elements to the concert-going experience. Diaz likes to turn music-related trips into a 'mini-vacation,' visiting tourist sites like The Bean in Chicago, for instance. For his December trip, he said, 'I did know it was during the wintertime, so I didn't want anywhere that was gonna be too cold. And I was super down to explore Phoenix.' The location can also impact the atmosphere of shows. Emily Sachs, a 29-year-old software engineer, noticed a different crowd culture in the U.K. while she was following the pop rock band The 1975 on tour in early 2023 – part of at least 60 shows she saw from them over roughly two years. 'In the U.S, people will sing and scream along to the words, but in the U.K., people will sing (along) guitar riffs, and it just adds another dimension of fun to the show that way,' said Sachs, who is based in New York City. She noted hometown shows, like the British group's gig in Manchester she attended, have a special quality, as well. 'There is that extra dimension of, you know, they're putting on a show not just for their fans, but for all their friends and family, too. And it's always cool to see them come back to the place where they're from.' Venues can also be as much of a destination as the city where they're located. Jasmin Grimpe attended one of Olivia Rodrigo's four headlining shows at Madison Square Garden during her Guts World Tour in April 2024, a musician's milestone. Grimpe, 21, traveled in from New Jersey, and recalled Rodrigo's palpable excitement at playing there, where she brought out special guest Noah Kahan. 'So obviously that was super hype,' Grimpe said. Even if the show is the priority, music can lead fans to unexpected – and some pleasantly surprising – places. Grimpe, who works as a waitress, went to Columbus, Ohio, to see alternative pop-rock band The Wrecks in 2022. She had never been, and left feeling it was the 'coolest, nicest city in America.' 'And I never would have gone to Columbus, Ohio, independently,' she said. 'And now if I see an artist going to Columbus, Ohio, I'm like, I know that's a good city to be in.' 'A great sense of community' Grimpe is currently traveling the country with three friends to see The Wrecks on tour. While the band puts on the best live performance she's ever seen, she said there's also 'such a great sense of community at their shows.' She met two of her three current travel companions at Wrecks shows. Sachs, by contrast, went alone to the U.K. to see The 1975. 'I didn't know anyone, and just made friends along the way,' Sachs said. 'And, you know, I've got friends now in the U.K. and Scotland, that I'll go to visit. I think we bonded over our shared interests and the slightly intense passion we have.' In addition to seeing the changing narrative of the "At Their Very Best" tour – with its elaborate production – seeing her friends also became a draw. Mya Spencer has similarly found her favorite artists to be a conversation starter. Before recently moving to Atlanta, the 24-year-old often had to travel from her home in Huntsville, Alabama, to see concerts, meeting other fans through social media or while waiting in line to get into venues. The K-pop fan said a stranger's compliment on a BTS charm on her purse in April turned into a 30-minute conversation. 'I've had a lot of interactions like that, and we'll just connect,' she said. Tips for traveling to see live music Traveling for a concert is more complex than driving across town – and typically more expensive. Grimpe's strategy varies depending on the artist. If tickets are cheap and easy to get, she considers what city is most convenient. She lives near Asbury Park, and is about halfway between New York and Philadelphia. 'So, normally, someone's always going to one of those three cities,' she said. But if the prices are steeper – like they were when she went to see Chappell Roan last year – she looks for affordable shows. As soon as she knows when she'll be traveling, she tells her boss at the restaurant where she works. He knows Grimpe eventually wants to work in the music industry, she said, and is 'very understanding' sparing the waitress. Grimpe books hotels and other travel on Expedia, so she can take advantage of rewards and keep her details in one place, and makes a detailed budget down to the day. Rather than being restrictive, she finds sticking to a set price range 'forces you to get more creative and kind of forces you to have more fun.' Katy Nastro, a travel expert at Going, noted that airfares have decreased even as concert and festival ticket prices surge. 'We (at Going) often see nowadays the experience, whether that's a VIP festival pass or front-row concert seats, become the biggest cost,' she said in an email. That was true for Diaz, who paid roughly $250 each for his Billie Eilish tickets and a little over $100 for each of his round-trip flights. If you have a particular out-of-town concert or music festival in mind, Nastro recommended setting price alerts for that destination – which users can do in the Going app – to be notified when fares drop (Going is also testing alerts in its app for deals on airfare to cultural events such as Coachella). Depending on how much notice you have, booking flights within the 'Goldilocks Window' – one to three months ahead of domestic travel and two to eight months before international trips – is another bargain-hunting tactic, and buying two one-way flights on different airlines can sometimes be cheaper than a single round-trip ticket. As soon as tour dates drop, Spencer said she goes ahead and books hotels and flights. 'Depending on what kind of community you're in, see if (there's) anybody in your city you could get in touch with and maybe go to the show together in order to split the cost,' she said. Eilish later announced Austin tour dates for 2025, which Diaz plans to attend, but he has no regrets about traveling to Chicago and Phoenix to see her. Diaz and a close friend traveled to Phoenix together, allowing for more quality time than if they had gone to a show locally. 'If Billie had a show in Austin, we would just get ready and go to the concert,' he said. 'Meanwhile, in Arizona, we had to take a flight to Arizona, we had to do all the stuff together in Arizona … and it feels like just one big hug when I think of the trip.' Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@
USA Today
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Beyoncé's tour causes ‘Cowboy Carter' playlist creation to skyrocket on Spotify
Beyoncé's tour causes 'Cowboy Carter' playlist creation to skyrocket on Spotify We've got "Cowboy Carter" at home. Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour has the internet buzzing. and as the groundbreaking shows roll out, fans are finding ways to embrace the concert experience from their homes. According to Spotify, there has been a 2,400% increase in the creation of "Cowboy Carter" playlistw on its platform. Furthermore, the music powerhouse noted a 2,250% increase in daily searches for the album name. Due to these high numbers, Spotify is allowing fans to customize their playlist cover art with exclusive "Cowboy Carter" stickers. Of course, the Grammy-winning singer is on the second stop of her "Cowboy Carter" tour. She performed her first show at Soldier Field in Chicago May 15, and she's expected to hit the stage on the same stage for a total of three nights. The remaining shows are set for May 17 and May 18. As fans know, Beyoncé first debuted the highly anticipated show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 28 with 39 songs on the set list. She performed a total of five shows there, and the concerts proved to be revolutionary spectacle filled with fashion, different music genres and most notably country music and politics. The nine-city tour will span the U.S. and Europe with the grand finale taking place in Las Vegas on July 26. Beyoncé has already made history with her scheduled tour dates, including by playing the most dates at SoFi Stadium of any artist. Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Beyoncé keeps throwbacks 'Single Ladies,' 'Irreplaceable,' more on set list for fourth show
Beyoncé keeps throwbacks 'Single Ladies,' 'Irreplaceable,' more on set list for fourth show Show Caption Hide Caption Fans on night one of Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' tour USA TODAY's Beyoncé reporter Caché McClay spoke to fans on night one of the 'Cowboy Carter' tour. Beyoncé performed her fourth Los Angeles show on her Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin Circuit Tour. She added throwback songs to her set list, including "Irreplaceable," "Single Ladies" and "Love on Top." The updated setlist, first introduced on May 1st, also featured a mash-up of "Tyrant" (2024) and "Haunted" (2013). Beyoncé Knowles-Carter took the stage in Los Angeles for night four of her Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin Circuit Tour, and once again, she added some of her beloved throwbacks to the massive set list. Beyoncé put on a stellar performance at SoFi Stadium on May 7 for her lucky No. 4 show, as she sang songs from her "Cowboy Carter" album, "Renaissance" project and classic hits, similar to night two and three of her tour. The change first came at Beyoncé's second show on May 1. During it, she moved some songs around and added songs like "Irreplaceable" (2006), "If I were A Boy" (2008), "Single Ladies" (2008) and "Love on Top" (2011). Fans watching online and inside the stadium seemed pleasantly surprised with the changes and wondered if she might keep the new set list for the duration of shows in Los Angeles or how often she might change it. And she kept those tunes coming for a third time in a row. One fan also took note of a particular mash-up, where Beyoncé mixed her 2024 song "Tyrant" with her 2013 tune "Haunted." Of course, the Grammy-winning singer debuted her Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin Circuit Tour at SoFi Stadium in Los Angles on April 28 with 39 songs on the set list. Her second and third show took place May 1 and May 4 on the same stage. The groundbreaking concert proved to be spectacle of many things including fashion, different music genres and most notably country music and politics. As fans know, Beyoncé first released the 27-track project in March 2024. It has since made history and broken multiple records. As Beyoncé's first country album, she deliberately featured country legends and emerging Black country artists alike. She became the first Black woman to win best country album at the 2025 Grammys and also took home album of the year. The nine-city tour will span the U.S. and Europe with the grand finale taking place in Las Vegas on July 26. She's set to make history again with her scheduled tour dates, including by playing the most dates at SoFi Stadium of any artist. Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
USA Today
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Cities along Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' tour see hotel prices surge by up to 178%, study finds
Cities along Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' tour see hotel prices surge by up to 178%, study finds Show Caption Hide Caption Fans on night one of Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' tour USA TODAY's Beyoncé reporter Caché McClay spoke to fans on night one of the 'Cowboy Carter' tour. Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" tour is causing hotel prices to surge in tour cities. A study found hotel prices increasing by up to 178% in cities like Chicago. The tour has sparked increased interest in accommodations, with over 82,000 Google searches in the last month. The album's country music influence and Beyoncé's past experiences with the genre have contributed to the tour's impact. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has launched her "Cowboy Carter" tour, and each city along the way is seeing the Beyoncé effect with the singer causing hotel prices to skyrocket. A new study conducted by Casino Reviews found that in the last month alone, there have been 82,590 Google searches for "Beyoncé tour accommodation." And this interest is having an impact, causing hotel prices to skyrocket by up to 178% for cities along Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter and Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour. According to researchers who looked at accommodations on fans can expect to pay up to $221 more for every mile closer a hotel is to the respective tour venues. The study found that hotel prices have surged the most (178%) around Chicago's Soldier Field stadium — Beyoncé's next stop. This equates to fans paying an additional $523.89 compared to a typical one-night stay. Other cities like Beyoncé's hometown of Houston and Las Vegas — the last stop — saw around 37.5% and 32.9% surges, respectively. As fans know, Beyoncé first debuted her tour at SoFi Stadium in Los Angles on April 28 with 39 songs on the set list. Her second show took place May 1 on the same stage. The groundbreaking concert proved to be spectacle of many things including fashion, different music genres and most notably country music and political commentary. Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Atlanta and Washington, D.C., are among the U.S. cities on the nine-city tour. It will also visit two cities in Europe — London and Paris. The grand finale will take place in Las Vegas on July 26. Beyoncé is set to make history again with her scheduled tour dates, including by playing the most dates at SoFi Stadium of any artist. "Cowboy Carter" has been a huge catalyst for the recent spotlight on Black country artists and the genre's roots. Prior to releasing the album, Beyoncé got candid about creating the five-year project and alluded to her 2016 performance at the CMA Awards. It was met with an icy reception. "This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn't," she wrote on Instagram. "The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. Act ii is a result of challenging myself and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work." Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
USA Today
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Beyoncé changes visual during third show after cease-and-desist from Sphere owner
Beyoncé changes visual during third show after cease-and-desist from Sphere owner Show Caption Hide Caption Fans react as Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' tour kicks off USA Today's Beyoncé reporter Caché McClay went to the 'Cowboy Carter' opening night. Beyoncé altered visuals in her "Cowboy Carter" tour after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from Sphere Entertainment Group. The original visuals depicted Beyoncé interacting with the Las Vegas Sphere, which the Sphere claimed was unauthorized use of their intellectual property. The cease-and-desist letter fueled speculation about a potential Beyoncé residency at the Sphere. Beyoncé-Knowles-Carter made a change to the visuals used on her "Cowboy Carter" tour after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from Las Vegas Sphere owner James Dolan. The Grammy-winning singer took hold of the stage at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for the third night of her Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin Circuit Tour on May 4. The groundbreaking concert seemingly went on without a hitch. However, there was a minor, yet significant, change in a visual involving the Sphere. In the original interlude, Beyoncé was seen towering hundreds of feet tall while striding through the Las Vegas skyline before she picks up and toys with the the Sphere. During Sunday night's show, she replaced the Sphere visual with Vegas' Allegiant Stadium — where she'll close out her tour in July. And her Parkwood Entertainment company made sure to reiterate this by posting the new visual on Instagram during the show. Prior to the change, Sphere Entertainment Group Co. reportedly demanded the singer remove the visual by May 5, claiming she used Sphere's imagery 'without permission." According to the letter, it amounted to "unauthorized use of the company's intellectual property.' The entertainment group accused Beyoncé of 'impermissible use and violation' of the company's intellectual property rights, which 'has resulted in significant speculation that Beyoncé will end her tour with a Sphere residency.' As fans know, Beyoncé first debuted her tour at SoFi Stadium in Los Angles on April 28 with 39 songs on the set list. Her second show took place May 1 on the same stage. The groundbreaking concert proved to be spectacle of many things including fashion, different music genres and most notably country music and political commentary. As fans know, Beyoncé first released the 27-track project in March 2024. It has since made history and broken multiple records. As Beyoncé's first country album, she deliberately featured country legends and emerging Black country artists alike. She became the first Black woman to win best country album at the 2025 Grammys and also took home album of the year. The nine-city tour will span the U.S. and Europe with the grand finale taking place in Las Vegas on July 26. She's set to make history again with her scheduled tour dates, including by playing the most dates at SoFi Stadium of any artist. Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
