my full honest review of beyoncé’s cowboy carter world tour (ccwt)

i love beyoncé. full stop. i love her more than anything, more than any artist alive or dead. she is the vocal standard. she is the blueprint. there is no one touching her vocally, emotionally, spiritually. her voice on this tour? it’s richer, deeper, and somehow even more controlled. she makes it look easy. the vocal runs, the breath support, the power - all still perfect. she reminds you constantly that she doesn’t need a dance break or light show to be legendary. her voice alone can carry the whole stadium.

the interludes are CINEMA. every single one added a layer to the show. the build-up, the storytelling you could tell she crafted each moment with intention. but that last interlude, i was sobbing. like silent tears, lip trembling, emotional release kind of weeping. it touched something deeper. she really knows how to make you feel every era of her life, and your own too.

but let’s talk about the things that didn’t work for me - and again, this comes from a place of love, not hate. because if anyone says a word against beyoncé, i will fight. but being a fan means you care enough to be honest.

the outfits were not it. i have to say it. they’re a chop for me. the concepts felt all over the place. yes, it’s a country tour, i get it, but the styling didn’t commit to that theme or elevate it. it felt like some of the looks were leftover from renaissance world tour, just dyed a different color and stitched together. like the gold bodysuit - it looked like a remix of something we’ve already seen, but not in an exciting way. beyoncé is a fashion icon, and i expected more. her looks from formation, OTR II, and even mrs. carter were tight, iconic, memorable. this felt like a step back.

and then - the flying. listen, i love when she’s in the sky. i clutch my heart every time she takes off. it’s so ethereal, so “superhuman diva in the clouds” and i live for it. but in this show, it was just too much. every five minutes she was in the air. at some point it started pulling me out of the performance instead of elevating it. and i have to say this - the flying, combined with the lack of intense movement, made it super clear that she’s not as physically agile as before.

now let me say something that might get me dragged but i don’t care - the choreography was the worst of her career. i hated it. there was no moment where i went “wow, that’s the bey i know.” even when she did dance, it felt half-hearted, restrained. it didn’t have the snap, the fire, the precision. and yes, i know she’s older now. yes, i know she has kids. but let’s be real - she had kids 7 years ago. i’ve seen other artists her age or older still giving it 100% on stage. lady gaga at coachella? insane. agile. intense. so i know it’s possible. i’ve seen bey do it. and i know what she’s capable of.

i truly believe if she got her self-titled era body back, she could perform like she used to. i’m not body-shaming. i love her in every form. but i also know what a difference it makes in stage presence and movement. even the small dance moments didn’t feel like her. that control, that electricity - it just wasn’t there.

then there’s the “protector” portion, where rumi and blue come out. it’s sweet. it’s emotional. i love her as a mother. she deserves to celebrate that. it was powerful the first time i saw it. but i don’t want that to be a recurring moment in every show. we get it. you’re a mother. we respect it. but i want to see the artist. i watching for beyoncé, the performer, the visionary. i want the stage to be hers, not a family moment we start expecting like a scripted ritual.

the setlist was amazing. vocally, flawless. emotionally, tight. i just wish there were more songs from self-titled and 4. those albums shaped me. they’re sonically rich and emotionally raw, and i missed hearing some of those deep cuts in a stadium setting. even one or two moments from mine, i care, end of time, no angel - they would’ve elevated the show to the heavens.

so yeah, this is me being honest. the tour gave me vocals, gave me tears, gave me storytelling - but it didn’t give me beyoncé the performer the way i know her. the dancing, the outfits, the staging, the energy - it didn’t reach the standard she set. and that’s why it’s frustrating. because she’s the best to ever do it. and i know she can do better. she has done better.

i love bey more than anything so this comes from a place of deep affection and high expectations.

but honestly, i wasn’t even mad after ccwt it was just funny. the decision to recycle the entire renaissance act almost word for word felt baffling. it wasn’t just a few callbacks it was the same energy intro, the same flow, the same visuals repackaged. it felt less like an evolution and more like a reissue, just dressed in a slightly different aesthetic. it reminded me of something with same framework, slightly different color.

and the thing is, it’s not like she didn’t have fresh material or vision. the ballroom battle this time around was actually well done, far better than the pure/honey chopped remix from rwt. blue ivy having her own moment with a full-on dance break was a highlight, a true star turn in its own right. still, it was hard not to laugh when she chose deja vu of all tracks for that solo moment. the crab-like choreography made it feel unintentional, even though the energy was clearly there.

the texas hold 'em act felt underdeveloped. the song itself carries weight, and what she delivered during the beyoncé bowl performance had potential, but here it felt dialed down, especially since she kept it clean despite it being her own tour. the use of the crazy in love coachella mix was a nice surprise it brought some nostalgic brilliance into the set.

before i let go didn’t leave a strong impression, but the interlude before 16 carriages stood out. the rapid-fire montage of her eras up to cowboy carter was beautifully done, even if it flashed by too quickly. 16 carriages and amen closed things on a graceful, emotional note. there were no major curveballs, but they delivered on tone and feeling, similar to the ending stretch of otr ii.

overall, it didn’t feel like a misstep, but rather a missed opportunity. the show played it safe, leaning too heavily on the renaissance blueprint without grounding itself fully in the cowboy carter world. she has the range to build something new and ambitious. that’s the bar she’s set. and when it falls even slightly short, it feels more like a creative hesitation than a flaw.

i love her forever. i’ll always show up. i’ll always scream and cry and defend her. but as someone who love her, followed every move, memorized every tour - i know when something’s off. and i know she can come back harder.

cowboy carter is a powerful statement, but the tour didn’t deliver on the full experience i expect from her. still, no one’s doing it like beyoncé. and no one ever will.