Beyoncé knows how to stop a show—but this time, she’s stopped the internet cold, too. Opening night of her “Cowboy Carter” tour at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles delivered the usual glitz, vocals, and surprise appearances, but one performance has left fans reeling: her decision to perform “The Star-Spangled Banner”.
Yes, “that” anthem. The one often caught in the cultural crossfire. Beyoncé sang it. On stage. In 2025. While Donald Trump sits in the White House again.
The moment was polarizing, to say the least. Some fans praised the move as bold and brilliant, claiming it echoed the themes of her protest anthem ‘Freedom”, especially when the two songs were fused in a jaw-dropping medley. But others? Outraged. Incensed. Calling it tone-deaf, performative, even a betrayal.
“She looks like a conservative woman allied with the Republicans,” one fan snapped online, while another fumed, “All the Black people in the crowd need to request a refund immediately.” The reaction wasn’t just political—it was emotional.
One tweet read, “Singing the national anthem while our country commits atrocity after atrocity… disgusting actually.”
Some criticized Beyoncé for flaunting Americana at a time when American sentiment—domestically and globally—is under fierce scrutiny. “Everyone hates America right now,” one user posted, “and the anthem is the last thing she should perform.” Others took it a step further, suggesting she issue “partial refunds” to attendees, claiming the move undermined the tour’s cultural authenticity. But don’t count out the Beyhive just yet.
A wave of defenders stepped in, interpreting the performance as deliberate, layered, and deeply meaningful. “People don’t understand the artistic vision,” one supporter said, pointing out that Beyoncé only sang the anthem halfway before transitioning into “Freedom”, a song that served as a rallying cry during the George Floyd protests. Another fan gushed that it was “soulful, captivating, stirring, unforgettable.”
And in a rare family moment, Beyoncé brought out her seven-year-old daughter “Rumi”, alongside her 13-year-old icon-in-training “Blue Ivy”, making it one of the tour’s most heartwarming highlights. Rumi’s twin brother, ‘Sir”, remained absent, continuing the family’s efforts to shield him from the public eye.
Still, this tour isn’t all glitter and Grammys. Reports have surfaced that Beyoncé’s ticket sales have hit unexpected turbulence. Despite winning “Album of the Year” for “Cowboy Carter”, some shows—”including SoFi”—still had over 3,000 unsold seats just hours before kickoff. Ticket prices, criticized as excessive at first, have now plummeted to as low as “$20″ on resale sites—”about the same as a McDonald’s Minecraft Happy Meal”, one fan snarked online.
Love it or loathe it, Beyoncé’s national anthem moment is “the” cultural flashpoint of the Cowboy Carter era. Whether it was a genius subversion or a missed read of the moment, one thing’s clear: Queen Bey is still the reigning master of the conversation.
