Cowboy Beyoncé dazzles nearly sold-out stadium

Beyoncé wrapped up her first night in London by expressing gratitude. She told fans she felt "blessed" to perform on stage.

The concert took place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It featured a seven-act set that lasted nearly three hours.

This was the first chance for fans to see her country era live. However, slow ticket sales and high prices have been major concerns.

Promoters reduced some ticket prices before the shows. This left some early buyers feeling short-changed.

Beyoncé's outfits matched her new country theme, featuring rhinestones and chaps. The show included classic country elements like cowboy hats and a mechanical bull.

Her 40-song setlist focused on tracks from her acclaimed album, Cowboy Carter. This album won the top prize at this year's Grammy Awards.

Every aspect of the performance was impressive. Beyoncé showcased stunning costume changes and smooth song transitions.

During the US leg of the tour, much attention was on Blue Ivy, Beyoncé's daughter. She had previously wanted to dance on stage but was not allowed.

Blue Ivy danced during an instrumental version of Deja Vu, earning loud applause. Her younger sister Rumi also appeared but seemed shy while held by Beyoncé.

The tour is titled The Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour. It honors black performers who faced segregation in country music.

Beyoncé has hinted at past rejections from the country scene. Throughout her performance, she seemed to confront this issue directly.

She mixed popular hits with Cowboy Carter songs to assert her place in country music. Thursday's show proved she can be a successful country artist.

However, a stadium may not be ideal for this genre of music. As night fell, she performed tracks from her house-inspired album Renaissance.

LED wristbands lit up as she sang Alien Superstar and I'm That Girl, which thrilled fans. Classic songs like Crazy In Love also got everyone singing along.

Despite thousands attending, many tickets were still available hours before the show started. The tour only stops in London and Paris but hasn't sold out all remaining dates.

Beyoncé's tickets are among the most expensive for UK tours this summer. Prices range from £71 to £950 for top-tier seats.

Some presale tickets sold for £620 are now next to seats priced at £141.60 without fees.

Zulkarnain Sadali traveled from Singapore for the concert and paid over £700 for his ticket. He later found similar tickets selling for around £300 online before the show.

He expressed excitement but noted that dynamic pricing left him disappointed about ticket costs. Another fan, Holly Whiteman, "panic bought" tickets above her budget of £100 but later found cheaper options available online.

Despite feeling let down by pricing strategies, both fans remained excited about attending the concert.

A Ticketmaster spokesperson clarified they do not use surge pricing or algorithms for ticket prices; event organizers set them instead.

They mentioned that organizers might adjust prices leading up to events based on demand.

Ticketing expert Reg Walker attributed unsold tickets to several factors including "overexposure." He noted that high prices make it hard for fans to attend multiple concerts each year.

Walker pointed out many affordable tours are coming up this summer with artists like Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa performing soon.