Fans react as Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ tour kicks off
USA Today’s Beyoncé reporter Caché McClay went to the ‘Cowboy Carter’ opening night.
- Beyoncé altered visuals in her “Cowboy Carter” tour after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from Sphere Entertainment Group.
- The original visuals depicted Beyoncé interacting with the Las Vegas Sphere, which the Sphere claimed was unauthorized use of their intellectual property.
- The cease-and-desist letter fueled speculation about a potential Beyoncé residency at the Sphere.
Beyoncé-Knowles-Carter made a change to the visuals used on her “Cowboy Carter” tour after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from Las Vegas Sphere owner James Dolan.
The Grammy-winning singer took hold of the stage at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for the third night of her Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin Circuit Tour on May 4. The groundbreaking concert seemingly went on without a hitch. However, there was a minor, yet significant, change in a visual involving the Sphere.
In the original interlude, Beyoncé was seen towering hundreds of feet tall while striding through the Las Vegas skyline before she picks up and toys with the the Sphere. During Sunday night’s show, she replaced the Sphere visual with Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium — where she’ll close out her tour in July. And her Parkwood Entertainment company made sure to reiterate this by posting the new visual on Instagram during the show.
Prior to the change, Sphere Entertainment Group Co. reportedly demanded the singer remove the visual by May 5, claiming she used Sphere’s imagery “without permission.” According to the letter, it amounted to “unauthorized use of the company’s intellectual property.”
The entertainment group accused Beyoncé of “impermissible use and violation” of the company’s intellectual property rights, which “has resulted in significant speculation that Beyoncé will end her tour with a Sphere residency.”
As fans know, Beyoncé first debuted her tour at SoFi Stadium in Los Angles on April 28 with 39 songs on the set list. Her second show took place May 1 on the same stage. The groundbreaking concert proved to be spectacle of many things including fashion, different music genres and most notably country music and political commentary.
As fans know, Beyoncé first released the 27-track project in March 2024. It has since made history and broken multiple records. As Beyoncé’s first country album, she deliberately featured country legends and emerging Black country artists alike. She became the first Black woman to win best country album at the 2025 Grammys and also took home album of the year.
The nine-city tour will span the U.S. and Europe with the grand finale taking place in Las Vegas on July 26. She’s set to make history again 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.
