{"id":34499,"date":"2025-07-03T05:34:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T05:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/34499\/"},"modified":"2025-07-03T05:34:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T05:34:10","slug":"review-beyonce-reclaims-america-at-pointed-houston-show-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/34499\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Beyonc\u00e9 Reclaims America at Pointed Houston Show – Music"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n photos by Julian Dakdouk\n <\/p>\n

Among the many messages that flashed across the stage-spanning screen during Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s June 28 show at NRG Stadium \u2013 the first of two sold-out nights in her hometown of Houston and the kickoff to the second U.S. leg of her Cowboy Carter Tour \u2013 perhaps the most poignant was this all-caps command:<\/p>\n

\u201cNEVER ASK PERMISSION FOR SOMETHING THAT ALREADY BELONGS TO YOU.\u201d<\/p>\n

That treatise was displayed during a five-song intro section, in between a Jimi Hendrix-style performance of \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d and \u201cFreedom,\u201d and accompanied by a towering portrait of Bey wearing a red, white, and blue sash imprinted with the words \u201cTHE RECLAMATION OF AMERICA.\u201d The imagery made it clear that the concert was intended to resonate as much more than a spectacle. It served as a call to action: Take heed of the undeniable essentiality of Black musicians, activists, and cultural icons as cornerstones of our diverse American culture, and use that knowledge to eschew any presently pervasive divisiveness while reimagining \u2013 and ultimately remaking \u2013 our nation as one that asserts power via inclusion and unity.<\/p>\n

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The mission unfurled over the course of nearly three hours composed of six distinct acts, each a stepping stone toward the intended goal. The first, Revolution, fittingly accelerated with the ferocity of dance-meets-rap RENAISSANCE tune \u201cAMERICA HAS A PROBLEM\u201d (the inspiration for this section\u2019s outfits, which displayed the song\u2019s title across a newsprint design), then rallied the troops on the Lemonade callback \u201cFormation,\u201d and positioned Beyonc\u00e9 as a leader with the one-two punch of \u201cMY HOUSE\u201d and \u201cDiva.\u201d<\/p>\n

Up next came Refuge, a downtempo collection of four tunes that included the proper country stomp of \u201cALLIIGATOR TEARS\u201d \u2013 one of Queen Bey\u2019s most intoxicating vocal displays \u2013 and the beautiful, maternal-themed balled \u201cPROTECTOR,\u201d which featured 13-year-old Blue Ivy and 7-year-old Rumi flanking their mother at the base of a pyramid of gracefully writhing dancers.<\/p>\n

The Marfa section was a blatant ode to the pop star\u2019s Texas roots (the obvious backbone of COWBOY CARTER), featuring a ride on a gilded mechanical bull during the pairing of \u201cTYRANT\u201d and \u201cTHIQUE,\u201d and a multi-genre medley of \u201cSWEET HONEY BUCKIIN\u2019,\u201d \u201cPURE\/HONEY,\u201d and \u201cSUMMER RENAISSANCE.\u201d This combo of doo-wop, disco, and hard hip-hop saw Beyonc\u00e9 and her gang of a few dozen dancers dominating the tip of the expansive, diamond-shaped stage for a breathtaking run of choreography, backed by the bombast of her massive band atop two gold-plated risers.<\/p>\n

\n Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s concert served as a call to action: Take heed of the undeniable essentiality of Black musicians, activists, and cultural icons as cornerstones of our diverse American culture.\n <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s up H-Town … thank you for inspiring this song,\u201d said Bey to start the next act, Tease, with \u201cTEXAS HOLD \u2019EM.\u201d The ensuing run of songs was the show\u2019s longest and most high-octane, incorporating more classic hits like \u201cCrazy in Love,\u201d \u201cSingle Ladies (Put a Ring on It),\u201d \u201cLove on Top,\u201d and the essential \u201cDaddy Lessons\u201d (\u201cthe song where it all started,\u201d according to Bey), which featured elements of New Orleans big band brass and a soaring gospel finish. The section concluded with Beyonc\u00e9 flying through the air from end-to-end of the arena nestled in a neon horseshoe to sing her cover of R&B maven Maze\u2019s \u201cBefore I Let Go,\u201d a fan favorite from her 2019 Homecoming production filmed at the 2018 edition of Coachella.<\/p>\n

Then it was time for a break from the over-the-top production and sparkling country-inspired outfits \u2013 all topped off with a different cowboy hat, of course. For the Renaissance portion, Beyonc\u00e9 emerged alone under a single spotlight, adorned in a simple, wide-hooped black dress. As she eased into the compelling ballad \u201cDAUGHTER,\u201d it soon became clear this was no plain getup. The entirety of the gown\u2019s surface was a tapestry of LEDs, glowing and swirling from one color pattern to the next in sync with straight-up operatic singing. Without all the glitz, flashing lights, fire, and booming instruments, it was a showcase of her singular vocal talent and hands-down was the most arresting moment of the evening, inspiring goosebumps and tear-stained faces all around. The energy went a full 180 a few songs later when Blue Ivy led an insane dance-off to \u201cD\u00e9j\u00e0 Vu,\u201d while her mom disappeared in preparation for the final act.<\/p>\n

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At last, Reclamation! It should\u2019ve been a euphoric moment, but the thunderous \u201c16 CARRIAGES\u201d was cut short in a scary moment where the red car Beyonc\u00e9 was flying on began to tilt at a 45-degree angle. Clearly a malfunction, she shouted \u201cstop, stop, stop\u201d and paused her singing \u2013 a rare move for the famous perfectionist \u2013 while the whip was lowered safely to the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanna thank y\u2019all for loving me,\u201d she said as she strolled back onto the stage a couple minutes later. \u201cIf I ever fall I know y\u2019all will catch me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The line was a perfect way to play it off and tie a bow on the concert\u2019s concept. The reclamation of America requires unconditional mutual support among people of all cultural backgrounds. Yet it also requires militant organization and action, a notion driven home by a giant Statue of Liberty head, with its face covered by a defiant bandanna, that served as the backdrop for the roar of voices fueling closing number \u201cAMEN.\u201d<\/p>\n

America is in turmoil, but Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s out-and-out soulful belting of the song\u2019s final lyrics pointed a way forward: \u201cSay a prayer for what has been\/ We\u2019ll be the ones that purify our fathers\u2019 sins\/ American Requiem\/ Them old ideas\/ Are buried here\/ Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyonc\u00e9<\/p>\n

NRG Stadium (Houston)<\/b><\/p>\n

June 28<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"photos by Julian Dakdouk Among the many messages that flashed across the stage-spanning screen during Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s June 28…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":34500,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[28517,28518,4345,18146,28519,358,3187],"class_list":{"0":"post-34499","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-beyonc","9":"tag-blue-ivy-carter","10":"tag-houston","11":"tag-nrg-stadium","12":"tag-rumi-carter","13":"tag-texas","14":"tag-tx"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114787679945347787","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}