Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Tour Felt Like A Revolution For Southern Black Women—And I’ve Never Felt More Seen [Op-Ed] - Page 3

3. The South Ain’t A Stereotype, It’s A Super Power

At one point during the tour, there’s an interlude titled “Attack of the 400 Foot Cowboy,” where a giant version of Beyoncè traverses the globe, treating cultural landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower as playthings. At the same time, “The Biggest” by BigXthaPlug plays in the background.

While it’s a parody of the 1958 science fiction horror film, Attack of the 50-Foot Woman, directed by Nathan H. Juran, I took it as a clear statement that wherever she goes, Beyoncé takes her country with her. While people have often poked fun at her accent or the larger-than-life persona that exudes from people from the South, it will never leave her.

Moreover, the South is portrayed as a superpower several times throughout the show, as Beyoncé showcases Southern Blackness as layered, regal, and revolutionary. For instance, she never told people to come dressed in their finest cowboy and cowgirl attire; they just did.

Before each of the shows, a Rodeo Queen and Rodeo King were selected from the VIP section at the stadium, which was rightfully named Club Ho Down. In true Beyoncè fashion, it’s deeper than just choosing the best dress man and woman at each show; it is a distinct nod to the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, a platform made particularly for Black cowboys and cowgirls. It highlights a broader history of the role that Black people had in Western culture and rodeo, which has often been overlooked or minimized, and more plainly, whitewashed.

As she prepared to close out the Cowboy Carter Tour, the tenth tour in her career, Beyoncè shared that when she was working on Cowboy Carter, she dreamed of ending the show in Las Vegas.

“When [we] were writing this album, I imagined this night, ending the tour in Las Vegas, y’all are making that dream come true. Thank you so much,” she expressed to the audience.

As a kid, I wanted so badly to escape the country’s dirt roads and the miles-long drive just to reach a major grocery retail chain like Walmart. I thought the city was where it was at, but the older I get, and thanks to projects like Cowboy Carter, I am reminded that being country is indeed a super power; everything that we do sets the tone for the rest of the culture.