It’s a Cowboy Carter Christmas miracle. Eight months after its release, Beyoncé has delivered the first-ever live performances of music from her country opus for the first time. The musician took the stage at halftime during Netflix‘s inaugural NFL Christmas Gameday at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Beyoncé kicked off the nine-minute-long set with “16 Carriages,” appearing on stage riding a white horse while a display of Cowboy Carter lit up in the background. She transitioned to a revelatory delivery of the Beatles classic “Blackbird,” while flanked by Tiera Kennedy, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, who all feature on the rendition
The star also delivered electrifying performances of “Ya Ya” and “Riverdance,” before being joined by Shaboozey for their collaboration, “Sweet Honey Buckiin’” and Post Malone for “Levii’s Jeans” — denim-covered truck included. After belting out “Jolene,” her take on the 1973 Dolly Parton song of the same name, Beyoncé performed “Texas Hold ‘Em” for the first time, while declaring: “It’s only right that we do ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ for the first time in Texas.” Her daughter, Blue Ivy, took her mother’s side for the celebratory moment, wearing a Cowboy Carter sash.
To close out the sensational set, Beyoncé was lifted high into the air with a “Bang” (symbolized by a massive flag) and wished everyone a “Merry Christmas.”
The performance brings the presentation of Cowboy Carter full circle. In February, Beyoncé announced the album and shared lead singles “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. The reveal came via a commercial with Verizon, where Beyoncé referenced various times when she has effectively broken the internet. The moment in and of itself joined the list as she declared: “Drop the music.”
What followed was a history-lesson of epic proportions. Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé later explained in a statement, was “born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t.” She seemed to be referencing the 2016 CMA Awards, where she performed the Lemonade country cut “Daddy Lessons” for the Nashville audience. “But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive,” she continued. “It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.”
She added: “The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. Act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.” Cowboy Carter featured guest appearances from Shaboozey, Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Linda Martell, Post Malone, and more.
The halftime show was produced by Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment and Jesse Collins Entertainment. The musician has previously performed during two Super Bowl halftime shows, including a headlining performance at Super Bowl XLVII in 2013 and her iconic appearance during Coldplay’s Super Bowl XV halftime show in 2016.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter halftime performance will be available to rewatch on Netflix for up to three hours after the conclusion of the Ravens-Texans game. International viewers will retain access to the livestream for 24 hours.
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