Beyoncé weathers the storm in Chicago: Top moments from her thrilling opening concert
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter brought the heat to the Windy City as she lit up the stage for night one of her "Cowboy Carter" tour in Chicago, despite it being delayed hours due to severe weather.
Beyoncé hit the stage at Soldier Field for the first time on her Cowboy Carter and Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour on May 15. The show began around 10:15 p.m. CT. And from the start of the night, it proved to be especially electric. The concert was initially supposed to kick off at 7:00 p.m. CT. That changed once the Chicago area faced severe weather warnings and heavy showers. However, the rain did not stop the show whatsoever.
Here are top moments from the weather-defying concert at Soldier Field.
The "Cowboy Carter" creator opened the show with an all-new outfit: a sparkly gold bodysuit, lots of fringe and matching chaps. Fans quickly took note of the new look as she hit the Soldier Field stage.
One fan wrote on X, "I love this outfit, Bey is so beautiful."
I love this outfit, Bey is so beautiful #CowboyCarterTour pic.twitter.com/McnYVlHkLW
— sirbey🐝 (@LalaAmie79) May 16, 2025
And there were more new looks throughout the show. Beyoncé donned a new get up, featuring more chaps as she hit the stage for her song "Alligator Tears." One fan quickly took note on X saying, "This outfit? Gag gag gag! 10s 10s 10s!"
New outfit for Alligator Tears!#CowboyCarterTour pic.twitter.com/Un89I7lIeS
— COWBOY CARTER Updates 𐚁 ☆▷ (@B7Album) May 16, 2025
She also debuted another new outfit during "Texas Hold 'Em": a letterman jacket with a big "B" — not the little one. The custom boots sported the phrase "made for walking."
🚨 BEYONCÉ, NEW TEXAS HOLD EM OUTFIT OMG 😭 SHE SERVING CHICAGO pic.twitter.com/cp7J5pto1O
— THUGGA (@THUGGABEY) May 16, 2025
At one point, fans watching online even questioned if some of the visuals showed off new looks.
It's clear Beyoncé is tapped in with the latest trends and lingo. One of the standout moments of the show happened as Beyoncé performed her hit tune "Ya Ya" from the eighth studio album.
During the call-and-response portion of the song, Beyoncé cheekily hyped up the crowd by saying, "Y'all are being very demure. I believe you can be louder." Fans all over the stadium instantly responded with more enthusiasm and volume while others chuckled at the callout. And it worked with Bey quickly saying, "That's better."
'Y'all are being very demure'Beyoncé must know Jools LeBron is at her show in Chicago tonight!#CowboyCarterTour pic.twitter.com/5SyAQhRnFB
— COWBOY CARTER Updates 𐚁 ☆▷ (@B7Album) May 16, 2025
For those who don't know, TikTok creator Jools LeBron went viral last year for her 'very demure' trend. LeBron was among the thousands of attendees in the crowd, so some saw Beyoncé's banter as a special shout-out to the influencer.
Known for her standout performances on Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour, ballroom dancer Honey Balenciaga recently sent the Beyhive buzzing again after a candid post about how she planned to approach the "Cowboy Carter" era.
'I'm trying to figure out what energy to exude on stage. I was so wild and dangerous, I want to show growth in this new tour. I keep tryna recreate that feeling but this is Cowboy Carter,' she wrote in a post. 'I need my ballroom family to recharge my creative juices. Im trying to put on the best show for yall. I'll be ready for Chicago!'
🚨 HONEY BALENCIAGA#CowboyCarterTour pic.twitter.com/Q1cN611ADX
— Beyoncé Access | Fan Page (@beyonceaccess) May 16, 2025
Well, Honey was indeed ready for Chi-town as she set the stage ablaze for her solo ballroom number. And while she usually delivers, on Thursday night fans took a special note of her undeniable star power.
The weather couldn't dampen the crowd's sky-high energy throughout the night. At the end of the show, Beyoncé gave a heartfelt thank you to fans saying, "I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Y'all are ride or die. I know some of y'all have to go to work tomorrow. You have to drop the kids off at school. And y'all are still here."
"Thank you so much for giving me all the good energy. I hope I gave it back to you," she said.
The Grammy-winning singer is set to perform her "Cowboy Carter" tour at Soldier Field for a total of three nights. The remaining shows will take place May 17 and May 18 on the same stage.
Of course, 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.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Beyoncé's Chicago takeover: Top moments from her show following storm
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