Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour kicked off in Chicago, but Mother Nature had other plans.
What was supposed to be an epic night at Soldier Field on May 15 turned into hours of waiting, confusion, and weather alerts as fans were told to shelter in place due to severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings.
The Chicago Sun-Times and NBC Chicago reported that the city was slammed with stormy skies and record-breaking heat, with temperatures hitting 95 degrees. Around 5 p.m., officials at Soldier Field announced the show wouldn’t be starting on time and told the audience to stay put. Fans dressed to the nines in cowboy hats, boots, fringe, and rhinestones found themselves camping out inside the stadium concourses instead of jamming out to Queen Bey.
For some, it was chaotic. For others? Worth it. “If I have to sit through a tornado, outside in a field, I would do it,” one dedicated fan told ABC7 Chicago. “You only live once, and Beyoncé is a once-in-a-lifetime performer, so we have to see her.”
It wasn’t until around 9:15 p.m. that the stadium finally opened up seating for fans. Floor seating didn’t unlock until 9:45 p.m., according to NBC, as gusty winds and lightning continued to threaten the open-air venue. Soldier Field officials were prepared though. They had a weather contingency plan in place and stressed that the number one priority was fan safety.
“Our primary objective is to keep all our guests safe and secure. We have vast experience in handling severe weather on major event days,” Soldier Field officials said in a statement.
And while Thursday night was a messy kickoff for the Cowboy Carter tour in Chicago, things are expected to improve. Friday still has some rain on the radar, but meteorologists say the storms should clear out in time for Beyoncé’s weekend shows on Saturday and Sunday. So if you’re going and worried about another delay, the odds are looking a lot better.
But it’s not just the weather giving the Cowboy Carter tour a rough start. Over on the East Coast, fans might be facing an entirely different kind of problem: getting to the venue at all.
According to NBC New York and Gothamist, Beyoncé’s upcoming shows at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey are now tangled up in a major NJ Transit strike. On Friday, May 16, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers officially walked out after rejecting a contract proposal. These engineers haven’t had a formal contract or pay raise in six years, and they’ve decided now’s the time to act.
This strike could turn into a massive logistical nightmare for fans planning to attend the New Jersey leg of the Cowboy Carter tour between May 22 and May 29. With MetLife Stadium seating over 50,000 people and five Beyoncé shows on the calendar, the absence of train service could mean gridlocked roads, insane rideshare prices, and hours-long delays.
“Meadowlands service for the Beyoncé concert remains TBD,” NJ Transit spokesperson John Chartier told Gothamist. That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
In fact, the strike has already forced NJ Transit to cancel service to two back-to-back Shakira concerts at the same stadium. MetLife’s own website has been advising fans to carpool, hop on a Coach bus, or use rideshare apps, but they’re also warning that post-show pickup could take two hours or more thanks to the surge of vehicles.
It’s not ideal, to say the least. Especially for fans who’ve shelled out serious cash for tickets, outfits, and travel just to see the Cowboy Carter tour live.
This new tour is Beyoncé’s first major stage run since last year’s Renaissance World Tour, which had 56 shows and made headlines around the globe. It was followed up by Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé which hit theaters in December 2023 and gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at the wild production.
Now, Cowboy Carter is taking center stage, and the hype is massive. The album already won Beyoncé three Grammy Awards back in February: Album of the Year, Best Country Album, and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for her hit collab with Miley Cyrus, II Most Wanted. It’s her boldest sonic shift yet, blending country and soul in a way only Beyoncé could pull off, and fans are dying to see it live, even if it means braving tornadoes or transit meltdowns.
So yeah, the Cowboy Carter tour may not have had the smoothest start, but fans are staying loyal, even through rain, wind, and picket lines. If anything, it’s proof that Beyoncé’s pull is as strong as ever. Because whether they’re huddled under a concourse in Chicago or stuck in traffic on the way to New Jersey, one thing’s for sure: no one wants to miss the ride.
