Beyoncé On Her 2025 Chart-Topping ‘Cowboy Carter Tour:’ ‘This Was Born From My Love & Respect For The Country Genre’

Just before press time, Pollstar received Beyoncé’s thoughtful and illuminating responses (below) to our questions surrounding her historic “Cowboy Carter Tour,” which is officially Pollstar’s 2025 Top Tour of the Year and crowns the 2025 Year End Top 200 Worldwide Touring Artists Chart.

Produced by Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment and Live Nation, the tour grossed a staggering $407,600,113—the highest total of the year—while selling 1.6 million tickets. Though the run played only nine stadiums, it set more than two dozen touring records and offered a new mini-residency model for large-scale touring. Few artists have executed a tour this focused, this efficient, this commercially dominant.

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The “Cowboy Carter Tour” is now the highest-grossing country tour of all time and Beyoncé stands as the highest-grossing Black artist and highest-grossing R&B artist in history. She is also the first woman and the first American act to have two separate tours surpass $400 million; her 2023 “Renaissance Tour” earned an astounding $579.8 million. Yet even these milestones only scratch the surface of the artistic and cultural significance of Cowboy Carter. Beyoncé’s project wasn’t merely an album—it was a revelation with a higher purpose far beyond setting commercial records.

With razor-sharp songwriting, exquisite production, and a constellation of extraordinary collaborators, Beyoncé crafted a meticulously constructed work that was as musically daring as it was culturally groundbreaking. The album’s intent was unmistakable: to reframe and reclaim America’s musical narrative by spotlighting the foundational—and too often overlooked—contributions of Black musicians to America’s roots-music traditions, from country to Americana to folk and beyond.

“This was born from my love and respect for the rich country genre,” Beyoncé told Pollstar in her only interview about Cowboy Carter. “The overall intention for this tour was to celebrate American resiliency.”

That spirit of resilience permeates Cowboy Carter itself, which rightfully won the 2025 Grammys for Album of the Year and Country Album of the Year on its way to becoming the third most-nominated album in Grammy history. Even a cursory look at the credits is revealing. Rhiannon Giddens—musician, MacArthur “genius,” and ethnomusicologist (and Pollstar cover artist)—appears on “Texas Hold ’Em” alongside none other than Stevie Wonder(!) on harmonica. Steel-guitar master Robert Randolph lends his touch to “16 Carriages.” Breakthrough country-hip-hop artist Shaboozey (another Pollstar cover) appears on “Spaghetti,” while the legendary Linda Martell, the first Black woman to perform at the Grand Ole Opry, provides one of the album’s most profound cameos at age 84.

Elsewhere, Miley Cyrus joins Beyoncé for sublime harmonies on “II Most Wanted,” accompanied by Nickel Creek’s Sara Watkins on fiddle. Post Malone and the legendary Nile Rodgers unite on the infectious “Levii’s Jeans.” And Beyoncé boldly reimagines The Beatles’ civil-rights-era classic “Blackbird”—retitled “Blackbiird”—featuring the electrifying voices of young Black country and Americana artists Brittney Spencer (also a cover), Tanner Adell, Reyna Roberts, and Tiera Kennedy, with Sir Paul McCartney himself contributing guitar.

The album’s reclamation of music history is further anchored by two of country music’s greatest living legends: Dolly Parton, who introduces Beyoncé’s fiery rendition of “Jolene,” and Willie Nelson, who appears as an old-time radio host on “Smoke Hour,” while weaving in snippets from roots icons Son House, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Chuck Berry, and Jesse Stone.

But translating such a maximalist, ambitious album—brimming with collaborators, interludes, and sweeping cultural commentary—into a live production posed its own challenge. To meet it, Beyoncé assembled an army: more than 350 crew members, over 100 trucks, eight 747 cargo planes, 20 carpenters, over 40 video crew members, and more than 20 lighting specialists. The result was a three-hour spectacular featuring 42 songs across seven acts, plus an intro and encore.

Yet logistics were only part of the story. At the heart of it was Beyoncé’s relentless creative focus. “I believe the stage is a piece of art; it is its own icon,” she explains. “We are building a living, breathing, evolving organism. I’m extremely hands-on. I care deeply about every sound. We arrange and rearrange each song, visual edit, prop, and choreo piece until we get it to the best place we can. I push until I feel the soul in every element.”

That soul radiated through every facet of the “Cowboy Carter Tour.” The show was both maximalist and laser-precise—a state-of-the-art vision of what the live experience in 2025 can be. Beyoncé soared above crowds on various flying rigs, including a shimmering metallic horse, a giant golden horseshoe and a red Cadillac Eldorado. A gleaming mechanical bull became a visual centerpiece. Historical allusions to the Chitlin’ Circuit, to Black cowboy culture and pioneering Black artists who shaped American music were woven into the show.

The stage itself, shaped like a five-point lone star, was designed by Beyoncé-Knowles-Carter and Willo Perron. At its center stood a massive LED screen with a pyramid-shaped portal forming the northern ray of the star. From this screen poured a mesmerizing blend of archival footage, personal photographs, news clips,and digitally crafted imagery—visual storytelling that deepened the show’s resonance.

Cameos were plentiful and electrifying. The tour witnessed appearances from JAY-Z, Destiny’s Child, Shaboozey, Miley Cyrus, Ms. Tina Knowles, The Mayyas, and Beyoncé’s daughters Blue Ivy and Rumi. The wardrobe was equally spectacular, featuring custom creations by Versace, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Ferragamo and more. One of the most talked-about pieces was an LED dress embedded with 35,000 lights, designed by Kunihiko Morinaga—a garment that transformed Beyoncé into a living constellation.

Arthur Fogel, Live Nation’s Chairman of Global Music and President of Global Touring, recalls his first glimpse of the production. “I first saw ‘Cowboy Carter’ in L.A. at a couple of dress rehearsals,” he says. “She’s such an incredible talent, as we know. She clearly approaches every show and tour appearance in a way that highlights her incredible talent and music. Her instinct of what to do and how to deliver is exceptional. It was an amazing show. There’s so much to it, in terms of scale and all kinds of production marvels.”

The “Cowboy Carter Tour” was more than a commercial triumph—it was a cultural landmark. Beyoncé used her unparalleled platform to illuminate the stories, artists, and traditions that have shaped American music but have long been marginalized. She reframed the country-music canon in real time, not by rewriting history but by restoring it.

In doing this, she demonstrated once again that her power extends far beyond chart positions and touring grosses. Beyoncé is operating at a level where artistic ambition, cultural scholarship and global entertainment meet—and in that space she continues to expand what is possible for a stadium show, an album, a genre and an artist.

BEYONCÉ
IN HER OWN WORDS

Pollstar: How on earth was this extraordinary tour conceived, strategized, executed and brought to life in such mind-blowing ways?
Beyoncé: I can’t explain the reward I feel in conceiving these ideas to watching them come true. This was born from my love and respect for the rich country genre. For many years I’ve focused on preserving and celebrating the lost history of the Black cowboy. It was important to me to touch on propaganda and the World Wide Web feeling more like the Wild Wild West these days.

We showcased many aspects of my upbringing in Texas, like the salon in honor of my mother’s hair salon, I grew up in, and the saloon, honoring my great-grandfather who sold moonshine in Alabama. I was inspired by the Texas Lone Star, and the beautiful art town of Marfa. A fusion of futurism from RENAISSANCE with the golden maximalism from COWBOY CARTER. I tried to give the audience a contemporary Houston Rodeo experience. I also brought classic theater and opera into the space.

The overall intention for this tour was to celebrate American resiliency.

Cowboy Carter the album, is a masterpiece with historic implications that’s done nothing less than change the popular discourse on the history of music. Trying to create that in narrative in live space with production, choreography, costuming, back catalog is no easy feat. When and how did you and your team formulate and produce your vision in such an effective way?
I believe the stage is a piece of art; it is its own icon. We are building a living breathing, evolving organism.

I’m extremely hands on. I care deeply about every sound. We arrange and rearrange each song, visual edit, prop and choreo piece until we get it to the best place we can. I push until I feel the soul in every element. For this tour, one of the missions was for us to bend light. So, I geek out on exciting new light fixtures and new ways to rig cameras. I care about every formation and camera angle. I push our vendors and engineers to support the designs with new ways to get closer to every human in the stadium. I want everyone to have a front row seat. I always experiment with how live shows can be shot differently. I want the audience to have a cinematic experience live.

Singing and dancing may appear to be my job, but that is the reward and privilege. My role is directing how all these elements work together. I try to stay in tune with how every aspect makes me, and the audience feel. I’m so grateful for my talented team and tour crew, for pushing along with me.

I focus on blending contradicting elements so seamlessly that you don’t realize you went from one world to the next in an instant.

I sit with every department for months or years leading up to the tour. And I continue to sit with them every day of rehearsals. It’s hard work.

This show takes an incredible amount of communication. I watch every show, and we work on notes tightening up until the last show.

The beautiful thing is when everything clicks, and all departments are connected, the show becomes a magical exchange of energy.

You have made genius and innovative choices in your music, your narratives, your collaborations, while remaining authentic to yourself and your history. What was your journey like and what are the sacrifices you made in order to get to this level and to get where you are today?
Thank you so much. I’ve been touring since the age of fifteen, nonstop. I have slowly built my legacy brick by brick. This show is a testament to the power of consistency and the dedication put into any craft.

I’ve learned at a young age that nobody invests in you like you invest in yourself. I’ve slowly built with every tour.

The first tour Destiny’s Child did with Wyclef Jean, we toured in a minivan and a DAT player. On a later tour in the late ’90s, we did our quick changes in a muddy tent in the rain because we didn’t have proper dressing rooms; with a hit single and no complaints, designing our own clothes because designers would not. A decade of visiting every radio station on earth advocating for ourselves. Singing for anyone who would listen. Slowly building into being able to tour with a small band. More building until we could tour with dancers. Finally selling out my first arena as a solo artist. Investing my earnings back into the show expenses. The decades of fighting with the promoters convincing them that an R&B artist could sell out a stadium. I continued to invest in myself and stay focused on the vision.

I’m beyond grateful for my fans that have been a part of my journey. It’s important to me that they leave the show reinvigorated and inspired, feeling more in love with themselves, and closer to the people they love.

The impact of the COWBOY CARTER era on the country genre will only continue to grow. It has reinvigorated a space that now has a new audience. And in ten years, the young girls and boys who saw the show will become adults who believe they can be respected as country stars and sing whatever music they love. That makes me proud.

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