Night two of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles surpassed all expectations. Since its opening night on April 28, the buzz surrounding Beyoncé has dominated pop culture discussions leading up to the second concert on May 1 at SoFi Stadium. If night one was the warm-up, the second show was the real deal. Only time will tell what nights three, four, and five have in store.
RELATED: Watch Beyoncé cruise in the air at the Cowboy Carter Tour kick-off in Los Angeles
Featuring over 40 songs, the second night of Cowboy Carter seemed to set the framework for the tour, equally inspiring fans and invoking nostalgia. Upping the ante, Beyoncé added four new songs to her performance, and to fans’ joy, they were classics: “Single Ladies” (2008), “Irreplaceable” (2006), “If I Were a Boy” (2008), and “Love on Top” (2011). Each new addition was welcomed with roars from the crowd, creating a beautiful balance of nostalgia and excitement for the twangy new songs.
Everything was meticulous and calculated, from the transitional imagery to the touching moments with her daughters and her mother, Tina Knowles, and even the outfit changes and set design, which she had tweaked after hearing fan complaints about pit/floor seating on the first night. Yes, there may have been technical issues here and there, but it didn’t hinder the performance.
Cowboy Carter is 100 percent unapologetically Beyoncé. While the world recognizes her as a vocal powerhouse and our beloved “Alien Superstar,” she remains a devoted mother, daughter, wife, and friend—all while staying true to her roots as a country girl from the Third Ward of Houston, Texas.
While Beyoncé did not need to embrace or disrupt the country music genre to enhance her career, by doing so, she has prompted Americans to reevaluate what defines “country music” and acknowledge its origin story in a time when we are fighting for truth and fact-checking our history books.
“As someone who was raised in the South, but relocated to the Bay Area, it’s nice to see her take this back and say that, no, we are part of this history,” shared a Beyhive fan. “We belong in this area … I’m very proud of her.“
I was moved to tears listening to her rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which he famously used as a musical protest against war, political unrest, and racial prejudice at the 1969 Woodstock festival. After this powerful performance, she sang “You were only waiting for this moment to be free,” a lyric from “Blackbird,” originally performed by The Beatles and written by Paul McCartney about the Little Rock Nine and young Black women of the civil rights movement. She then seamlessly transitioned into her song “Freedom,” featuring Kendrick Lamar. Throughout the night, she highlighted Black musicians and figures overlooked in history books, such as Linda Martell, Elizabeth Cotten, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Chuck Berry. By doing so, she planted the seeds for a meaningful discussion about the true origins of country music.
Knowing what Cowboy Carter means to Beyoncé, I wanted to get the perspective of fans. While soaking in the early arrivals, I asked fans the following: “What does this album mean to your roots as a Californian, as a POC — person of color (if applicable), and in this current climate in America when so much of our history is being attempted to be erased?”
Here’s what they had to say.
Ben:
“I love Cowboy Carter. The fact that she is bringing light to Black country music, and inspiring so many other Black country artists and also showing the roots and the heritage of where country music actually came from. I really love that so much a lot the album. Oh, I appreciate.”
Virginia, who was inspired by the album to incorporate satin ribbons and Oaxacan traditional elements for her concert look:
“Well, as in California, as a POC, even though I’m not Black, I think it is about reclaiming your culture. It has definitely made a movement. I mean, like Bad Bunny was influenced because of her, and he made a whole album about Loving Puerto Rico. So I think this is about reclaiming your culture and making it yours again.”
Cool Gifts for Music Lovers
The best concert earplugs to protect your hearing
This guitar is adorable! Aspiring musician?
Style & Function: Impress friends at your next party
Australian Fan & Her Mom:
“We love Beyoncé, and I think she’s genuinely a gift from God. And I’m not even really religious. I think the way that she constantly reinvents herself is amazing. And an extremely talented artist. Showing up for her people and the people of America. It’s really amazing. Yeah.”
“[The album] truly highlights of those contributions Black Americans made to this country and the music … I think a lot of people are like, it’s not country enough, but it uses a lot of .. How would I say it? Country elements. And she made it Beyoncé. It’s like a Beyoncé version of country, which I think is what everyone knows, but it uses a lot of traditional country elements. Like the banjo in the back of a song, you might not think it automatically is country, but it is. And I think it really highlights the traditional music of Black culture and like Southern music.”
Myles:
“It means to me…owning your space while being alienated and isolated at the same time, and being astrayed and like, being ridiculed and condemned and never really having a space to, like, feel safe and still basically being that bitch even in a space where no one is like, accepting it. That’s Beyoncé over and over again, but specifically with this album, being astrayed and deserted while being that bitch and remembering where you’re from.. So, that’s me. That’s Cowboy Carter. Yeah.”
ARTISTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
BEST NEW MUSIC
Whether readers know it or not, country music and its Southern roots influence Californian lifestyle. This is evident in the “Bakersfield Sound,” associated with artists like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, the influence of ranchero music and lifestyle coming from Mexican communities, and the enduring legacy of Black Californians honoring their Southern roots stemming from the Great Migration of the early 20th century. These narratives, including the rise of urban farming initiatives and cowboy collectives like Compton Cowboys, are crucial to understanding the genre and its diverse audience.
This post may contain affiliate links. Ads and affiliate links are how independent blogs like Grimy Goods can operate. Thank you for supporting our work and being a part of our music community.
