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Let’s get one thing straight: when Beyoncé rides into town, it’s not just a concert — it’s a cultural shift. The Cowboy Carter Tour opened its five-night East Rutherford run on Thursday, May 22 at MetLife Stadium, and it was nothing short of a barn-burning, rhinestone-dusted spectacle. A three-hour blend of country, soul, gospel, pop, history, and show-stopping visuals — Beyoncé didn’t just perform. She redefined the stage beneath her.
From the moment she stepped into the spotlight, Beyoncé proved this wasn’t your average country concert. It was something more ambitious, more pointed — a reclamation. Cowboy Carter, both the album and the tour, peels back the layers of American music and spotlights the Black roots of country, from spirituals and field songs to the early blues that laid the foundation. With elegance and electric defiance, Beyoncé used her voice and vision to remind the world who really planted the seeds of this genre.
“They used to say I spoke too country,” she sang on “American Requiem,” the opening track — a line that doubled as a challenge and a mission statement.
A Musical Rodeo of Heart and Grit
Beyoncé’s setlist pulled from across eras, styles, and sounds, showcasing her signature ability to make the past feel like the future. Her take on The Beatles’ “Blackbird” — a gentle, goosebump-inducing tribute “to all the beautiful Blackbirds who came before me and opened the doors for me” — brought the crowd to a hush. Then came her spirited rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” reimagined with the kind of bite and backbone only Beyoncé could deliver.
The music was anchored by a powerhouse band and an army of backup singers who turned every chorus into a movement. On “Flamenco,” they created a rich, layered world behind her, while new cuts like “Desert Eagle” and “Levii’s Jeans” pulsed with a modern country swagger that felt as rooted as it was rebellious.
Sparkle, Stomp, and Southern Steel
This wasn’t just a concert for the ears — it was a feast for the eyes. Beyoncé brought the full weight of her performance artillery: a rotating lineup of rhinestone cowgirl outfits, glittering chaps, and more cowboy hats than the state of Texas. From a gold mechanical bull to a pickup truck with horns to a late-model sedan suspended over the audience, the staging leaned into country iconography while completely rewriting it.
And yes, she brought the family. Daughters Blue Ivy and Rumi joined her on stage, adding heart to a show already bursting with soul. The energy was high, the choreography relentless, and the visuals cinematic. Beyoncé even rode a giant horseshoe over the crowd — because of course she did.
A Reclamation, a Revelation
It wasn’t all boots and basslines. Throughout the night, Beyoncé threaded in a series of video vignettes that tackled ideas of identity, ownership, and American history — all wrapped in the tour’s central theme: the “reclamation of America.” It was powerful. It was necessary. And it hit different delivered with Beyoncé’s charisma and precision.
In a world often afraid to look back, Beyoncé is unafraid to lead the charge. Cowboy Carter isn’t just a genre-bending body of work — it’s an excavation. A reintroduction. A declaration.
And the crowd at MetLife? They felt it.
What’s Next in East Rutherford
Night one of the Cowboy Carter Tour at MetLife Stadium was just the beginning. Beyoncé’s Jersey takeover continued with a show on May 24 and shows on May 25, 28, and 29 — so there’s still time to get in on this history-making tour. Bring your hat, bring your heart, and prepare to be moved.
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Beyoncé MetLife Stadium Setlist – Cowboy Carter Tour, May 22
- American Requiem
- Blackbird
- The Star-Spangled Banner
- Freedom
- Ya Ya / Why Don’t You Love Me
- Oh Louisiana
- America Has a Problem
- Spaghetti
- Formation
- My House
- Diva
- Alligator Tears
- Just for Fun
- Protector
- Flamenco
- Desert Eagle
- Riverdance
- II Hands II Heaven II
- Tyrant
- Thique
- Levii’s Jeans
- Sweet Honey Buckiin’ / 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
- Renaissance
- I’m That Girl
- Cozy
- Alien Superstar
- 16 Carriages
- Amen