A prop car’s rig fell out of alignment as Beyoncé was singing her penultimate song “16 Carriages” at NRG Stadium Saturday night. Although the superstar tried to power through it holding tightly onto the American flag that hung from the cables above, she finally yelled “Stop, stop, stop, stop.” as the red Cadillac slab tilted to an almost 90 degree angle.
The suspended automobile stayed frozen in the air momentarily, then, it slowly descended. Beyoncé gracefully climbed off the platform as it made landfall, and was then accompanied by an entourage of stagehands along the pit back to the main stage.
Once it was clear that the star singer was safe, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause. It was deafening. There was no question that what they had witnessed, and what Beyoncé had escaped, was a serious and dangerous failure. “I want to thank y’all,” Beyoncé said, now center stage with a spotlight illuminating her sequined bald eagle design jump suit, “for loving me.” Her smile was sincere. “If ever I fall, I know y’all will catch me.”
Throughout this ordeal, the backtrack for the song never stopped, and, amazingly, though perhaps not surprisingly, she simply finished the song, as if nothing more than a change in stage direction had occurred.
The beginning of the show was no less dramatic. Though Cowboy Carter was conceived in the rose-tinted pre-COVID months of 2019, the meat of the project was conceptualized, and some written and recorded, in 2020. But ultimately it would take five years for the pseudo country mega album (complete with 27 songs and features from legends like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton) to be finished.
During those five years the singer released another project, forged from the conventions of a genre whose origins seem distant from those of Cowboy Carter. Released in 2022, Renaissance (or Act I: Renaissance) celebrates black, queer dance music of the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s with a special nod to the New York Ballroom scene (the origin of voguing). It’s an album that took a weary world by storm and reignited Beyoncé’s reputation as an industry pioneer. But these two albums were originally meant to be released per contra. It was Cowboy Carter as ‘Act I’ and Renaissance as ‘Act II’. The singer made the decision to reverse the order during the pandemic—she felt that an album that, at its core, was about liberation from oppression through music and escapism, might be just what her fans needed.
And so, conceptually, as her previous record Renaissance ends, “American Requiem,” Cowboy Carter’s initial track, begins.
In Houston, a row of silhouetted figures walked in a synchronized line across a foggy, sparsely lit stage. They made their way onto the catwalk, a network of raised pathways that made up a star with an arrow pointing out toward the immense crowd. The layered chorus of Beyoncé’s voice rang out with the first line of “American Requiem.” The atmosphere was electric.
Beyoncé began the concert in a white fur coat and a sequined leotard with fringed knee-high boots. “Houston, Texas,” the pop legend announced, “it means so much to be here, looking at all of your beautiful faces… when I look out there, I see myself.” She turned dramatically and added, “H-Town, Third Ward!” With a wink to the screaming fans in the pit.
The show quickly cooled down as a small band, two guitarists and a fiddler, joined Beyoncé on stage for her cover of “Blackbird.” Here she lost the fur coat and let the sequins shimmer in the spotlight as she lent a nuanced air to the Beatle’s classic.
The multigenerational artist ran through a number of eras, singing songs from 2016’s Lemonade (“Freedom,” “Daddy’s Lessons,” “Formation,” 2008’s I Am… Sasha Fierce (“Diva,” “If I Were a Boy,” “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),”) 2003’s Dangerously in Love (“Crazy in Love”),” 2011’s 4 (“Love On Top”) and, of course, 2006’ B’Day (“Irreplaceable.”)
The show was broken up by several short films, depicting Beyoncé as a sort of Quentin Tarantino femme fatale in various couture outfits and western accoutrements. Whenever one of these films would begin, the lights would dim and the crowd would dutifully take their seats as, presumably, Beyoncé and her dancers made a mad dash to change costumes for the next series of songs.
And costumes, there were many. There was the sequined leotard with matching boots, a skin-tight white jumpsuit painted with newspaper clippings, a show-stopping red dress with floor-length fringe on the sleeves, a fur coat and sequined tank top that read “cowboy,” an LED light dress, and a fully gold-plated suit which opened to reveal a sequined black bodysuit with a circular brushed gold ornament over the bodice.
Fans were elated when the singer jumped into a trio of songs from Renaissance toward the end of the show. The atmosphere changed entirely as her dancers began moving to “I’m That Girl.” During “Cozy” Beyoncé vogued between two rotating frames. Her dancers, in golden chaps, draped quilted bedding around her and the crowd went wild. But it was “Alien Superstar” that brought down the house. The audience waved their synchronized lights (provided by the tour) turning the entire stadium into a pulsing nightclub as the stage shook. Here they left nothing on the table. As the lights dimmed, Beyoncé disappeared through a trap door on the stage.
After Beyoncé’s close call on the floating Cadillac there was just one last song to perform. “Amen”, a sort of continuation of “American Requiem” (and the album’s final song), was performed with a full spread of dancers covering most of the stage. Each wore an American flag as Beyoncé walked along the catwalk in front. Confetti sprayed into the audience as the last chord struck.
Setlist:
Intro
American Requiem
Blackbird
The Star-Spangled Banner
Freedom
Ya Ya / Why Don’t You Love Me
America Has a Problem
Spaghetti
Formation
My House
Diva
Alligator Tears
Just For Fun
Protector
Flamenco
Desert Eagle
RIIVERDANCE
II Hands II Heaven
Tyrant
Thique
Levi’s Jeans
Sweet Honey / Buckin’ / Pure/ Honey / Summer Renaissance
Texas Hold ‘Em
Crazy in Love
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Love on Top
Irreplaceable
If I Were a Boy
Jolene
Daddy Lessons
Bodyguard
II Most Wanted
Cuff It
Heated
Before I Let Go
Daughter
I’m That Girl
Cozy
Alien Superstar
16 Carriages
Amen
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.
