Beyoncé showed out for her native Houston with her highly anticipated NFL halftime performance during the Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans football game on Christmas Day.
For her first live televised performance in four years, dubbed “Beyoncé Bowl,” the singer put on a meticulously confected and executed show, enlisting Post Malone, Shaboozey and her daughter Blue Ivy Carter to debut tracks from “Cowboy Carter” for the first time in a live setting.
As always, a bespoke Beyoncé performance is shrouded in mystery. There were rumors that it would be a staggering 20-minute epic; Stan accounts were circulating old photos of Miley Cyrus claiming she was in Houston for the game; and Beyoncé herself cashed in on poking fun at the potential buffering issues that plagued the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson Netflix fight last month.
But it instead was a masterful tour of choice cuts from her sprawling opus, which released earlier this year. It’s a challenge to top even your most arresting performances, yet Beyoncé repeatedly manages to outdo herself. The performance began with a pre-recorded segment where Beyoncé, decked in a white fur coat with a matching cowboy hat, rode in on a white horse to the tune of “16 Carriages,” making her way through the stadium and dismounting before launching into “Blackbiird,” where she was joined by Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts and Brittney Spencer.
She transitioned to a live setting on the field, ripping through “Ya Ya,” before heading over to bleachers packed with dancers, a marching band and Blue Ivy Carter for “My House.” As she sauntered down a runway for a medley of “Spaghettii,” “Riiverdance” and “Sweet Honey Buckiin’,” Shaboozey emerged to deliver his portion, followed by a duet with Malone for “Levii’s Jeans” next to a truck with a denim skin.
In a display of true pageantry, Beyoncé perched on the back of a car seat for “Jolene,” and took a moment to address the audience before “Tyrant” and the live debut of “Texas Hold ‘Em.” “I’m so honored to be in Texas right now,” she said. “It’s only right that we do ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ for the first time in Houston, Texas on Christmas. Y’all help me sing!” An epic hoedown commenced, complete with line dancing where Blue Ivy joined in for the finale.
As Beyoncé was lifted into the air on a platform for the set’s conclusion, she delivered some parting words. “Merry Christmas, God bless y’all, thank you so much.” She pointed her fingers towards the ground as a banner unfurled beneath her. “Bang,” it read. Bang, indeed.