On Christmas Day, Beyoncé gifted her hometown Houston, Texas the first performance of songs from her album Cowboy Carter during the Ravens vs. Texans game. Beyoncé Bowl was 12 minutes of a carefully curated performance of all 10 songs blended seamlessly.
Beyoncé Bowl attracted 27 million viewers in the United States, exceeding viewership for both games played that day.
Guest stars like Post Malone and Shaboozey added to her performances of “LEVII’S JEANS” and “SWEET HONEY BUCKIN,” respectively.
The Queen Bey continues to show the world her dedication to her craft, continuously one-upping herself. From the costumes and hair to the set, cinematography and choreography, Beyoncé Bowl set new standards for half-time performances.
Each performer’s costume was picked to match the theme of the performance and album. Wearing mostly white with pops of red and blue in their sashes, American flags in their back pockets and white chaps pays homage to the traditional American style that Cowboy Carter leans into.
Another technical aspect that provided a stunning image was the truck used during the performance of “LEVII’S JEANS” that was covered in denim patchwork. This clever word play was a flawless integration.
From beginning to end, Beyoncé Bowl was a captivating masterpiece that allowed for every emotion in her album to be showcased.
Beyoncé’s opening performance of “16 CARRIAGES” set the stage for the rest of the performance. Beyoncé maintaining her steady, beautiful voice while riding on a horse speaks volumes to her talent as a performer.
Following “16 CARRIAGES,” “BLACKBIIRD” brought black female country artists like Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Tiera Kennedy and Tanner Adell into the limelight. Beyoncé used this performance to highlight the talent of these artists, helping further their careers. Together, voices create an ethereal sound which compliments the tone and context of the song.
The transition from two somber songs on Cowboy Carter to “YA YA,” one of her most upbeat songs on the album, blended with perfection. During “YA YA,” Beyoncé’s daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, made a surprise appearance allowing for mother-daughter interactions throughout the rest of the performance.
For “MY HOUSE,” she gave specific instructions to a section in the audience to spell out the name of the song, which allowed for a stunning visual and created audience engagement.
Other notable moments from this song were Carter dancing with Beyoncé and the change of a lyric to say, “Then spin me in the middle Blue, I can’t read your mind” as they danced.
This sweet moment continued to show Carter’s progression in performing. Carter started performing with her mother during the “Renaissance Tour”, steadily improving with her dancing skills and stage presence.
The internet quickly took a liking to Carter, who eventually gained her own round of applause when she came on stage for her iconic dance moment. Seeing Carter dance with her mother was a sweet moment showing that Carter has no intent of slowing down her progression.
Her longest and most popular song of the show, “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” was the only appropriate way to end such a captivating halftime performance.
Wide camera shots show the entire crew dancing perfectly in sync while maintaining clean formations, speaking to the intense amount of thought and preparation that went into this show.
After a short hoe-down with an appropriate amount of hat tips and line dancing, it was time for a Beyoncé-level ending.
In proper Beyoncé fashion, a platform lifted her above the audience while she belted high notes as a banner dropped from the platform with the word “BANG”, and that is exactly what Beyoncé Bowl went out with.