LOS ANGELES - Beyoncé made history this weekend after her ‘Cowboy Carter' tour drew in over $400 million, making it the highest-grossing country tour of all-time. It also became the shortest tour in any genre to pass $400 million, with her own ‘Renaissance World Tour’ following second with 56 dates, according to Billboard Boxscore.
What we know:
The 32-show tour kicked off at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 28 and ended July 26 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. In its three-month run across just nine cities, it sold over 1.6 million tickets.
The tour included special guests like rapper Jay-Z, pop icon Miley Cyrus, family members Tina Knowles, Blue Ivy, Sir and Rumi Carter and country singer Shaboozey. During the last night in Vegas, fans experienced one of the biggest moments of the tour — 90's girl group Destiny’s Child reuniting on stage. Multi-platinum artists Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams joined Beyoncé to perform their classic hits, including ‘Bootylicious’ and ‘Lose My Breath’.
The ‘Cowboy Carter' tour was the tenth concert tour by the singer, following the release of her eighth studio album in March 2024. The album received the most nominations at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards with 11 — taking home Best Country Duo/Group Performance for ‘II MOST WANTED’, Best Country Album and Album of the Year.
LOS ANGELES - FEBRUARY 2: Beyoncé at The 67th Annual Grammy Awards, airing live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, Sunday, Feb. 2 (8:00-11:30 PM, live ET/5:00-8:30 PM, live PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming live and on d …
Beyoncé, a Houston native, shared prior to the album's release that it was made in response to the criticism she received when entering the country genre.
What they're saying:
"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 said in an Instagram post.
Many fans speculated that she was referencing her 2016 performance at the Country Music Awards where she performed her country-pop song ‘Daddy Lessons’ from her ‘Lemonade’ album alongside the Dixie Chicks. The performance led to intense backlash, with some viewers saying she wasn’t a country artist — and due to Beyoncé’s political activism that year. The ‘Lemonade’ album included lyricism and imagery that referenced the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality.
Eight years later, Beyoncé received zero nominations at the 2024 Country Music Awards, despite the success of the ‘Cowboy Carter’ album and becoming the first Black woman to top Billboard’s country music chart. The CMA Awards are nominated and voted by a committee of the Country Music Association — made up of music executives, artists, songwriters and industry professionals.
With the ‘Cowboy Carter’ era now over, Beyoncé not only broke touring records but also challenged longstanding norms within country music, leaving a mark that could help pave the way for emerging Black country artists.
The Source: Information for this story came from Billboard Boxscore and statistics came from the Recording Academy (the Grammys). The Associated Press contributed.