After months of online chatter and news about record-breaking attendance and ticket sales, I finally got to see Beyoncé up close and personal for her blockbuster “Cowboy Carter” tour on July 4 — and let me tell you, it lived up to the hype.

Now, this isn’t my first time seeing the queen perform live. I had the pleasure of attending her and Jay-Z’s joint “On The Run” tour in 2018, and after that, I stood in the pit with my best friend during her 2023 “Renaissance World Tour.”

We all know Beyoncé knows how to put on a show, but I wasn’t convinced she could top herself and put together another three-hour set so quickly after her latest stint of performances. But boy, was I wrong.

If you saw Beyoncé’s Netflix special—dubbed the “Beyoncé Bowl”—during the NFL’s 2024 Christmas Day halftime show, then you already know the 43-year-old pulls out all of the stops whenever she touches a stage.

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And that was no different for her three-hour, electrifying “Cowboy Carter” tour.

Like “Renaissance,” “Formation,” and every tour that came before this one, “Cowboy Carter” is, first and foremost, a massive technical achievement.

Set up in stadiums (yes, stadiums) across the United States and parts of Europe, Beyoncé’s enormous stage—shaped like an electric guitar attached to a massive screen—essentially spans the length of the entire football field and displays stunning visuals so cinematic they make you wonder, “Are these from the long-awaited visuals!?”

The stage design is over-the-top, and Beyoncé flawlessly works every aspect of it like a true professional.

From the moment she appeared, donned in an American flag coat and a red, white, and blue bedazzled leotard, the “BODYGUARD” singer glided up and down the stage, interacting with fans in both pits, Club Ho Down, and the seats bordering the stage on the floor.

And that’s not all.

In an effort to get closer to every single fan, even those at the very top of FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, Beyoncé hopped on a giant, glittering horseshoe and flew from edge to edge, serenading tens of thousands of her loyal BeyHive members with some of her most popular hits.

While the “Cowboy Carter” tour has been lighting up social media since its first show in April, Beyoncé performing in the nation’s capital on July 4 had fans feeling particularly emotional.

“The concept of Beyoncé having a show on the 4th of July in Washington, DC, performing her album about celebrating Black Americanism… ICONIC,” one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Another user echoed that sentiment, writing, “I don’t think people really understand why Beyoncé performed on 4th of July…”

“She made a statement,” they continued.

On Instagram, the love and adoration for Beyoncé continued, with one user writing, “[You’re] the only thing about the U.S. that’s worthy of being proud of.”

“Beyoncé, you really reclaimed that flag,” someone else posted. “I’m not even from the US, but I feel like a proud, Black American,” while a third fan commented, “THE REAL STATUE OF LIBERTY,” referencing her patriotic costumes.

The comments on social media reflect my feelings to a tee. Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” stop in the D.C. area was more than just a concert; it felt like a cultural event.

For me, it was a deeply moving experience filled with powerful messages and themes about self-love, living authentically, taking a chance on yourself, and much more.

I know I’m not alone in those thoughts, judging by the many conversations I had with other devoted fans in the “Sweet Honey” pit section about how the “JOLENE” singer’s artistry has impacted their lives.

So, after all of the press and even negative attention from country artists, who’d never be mentioned in the same sentence as Beyoncé if it weren’t for them trying to dismiss her true country roots, does the tour live up to the hype? Absolutely.

The concert is more than a collection of songs from Beyoncé’s expansive catalog, which, by the way, spans four decades; it’s an experience unlike any other that will leave you wondering, “How in the world can she top that?”

I thought the same after “Renaissance,” but clearly, she had more in store for me and the rest of the BeyHive than we could’ve ever imagined.

So … until next time, Bey!