Beyoncé brought a little country Christmas to her halftime show performance during the NFL’s Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens game, armed with many tricks up her sleeve.
The Grammy winner, 43, performed songs from her Cowboy Carter album during her set at NRG Stadium in her hometown of Houston on Wednesday, December 25, in what was dubbed the “Christmas Game Day Beyoncé Bowl.”
Beyoncé arrived on the stage via horseback, galloping past a garage of vintage cars while wearing a white oversized fur coat with a coordinating cowboy hat and a diamond choker necklace. After renditions of “16 Carriages” and “Black Bird,” the singing icon strutted onto the field for a showstopping performance of “Ya Ya,” changing into a sequined bodysuit. Beyoncé also sang “RIIVERDANCE” with Shaboozey, “LEVII’S Jeans” with Post Malone (sitting in a denim-covered truck), “Jolene” and “Texas Hold ‘Em” featuring 12-year-old daughter Blue Ivy joining the backing dancers.
“It’s only right that we do ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ for the first time in Houston, Texas on Christmas,” Beyoncé quipped in her introduction before concluding, “Merry Christmas, God bless y’all.”
While singing “Black Bird,” Beyoncé was joined by Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts, all of whom were featured on the LP.
The Christmas Day halftime show, which aired on Netflix, marks the first time Beyoncé sang Cowboy Carter songs live since the album’s March release. However, it is not her first rodeo when it comes to the NFL as she previously headlined the 2013 Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans and returned to perform alongside Coldplay and Bruno Mars during the 2016 Super Bowl halftime show.
Earlier this year, Beyoncé made history with her Cowboy Carter album, venturing into the country music genre for the first time in her career after previously dominating the pop and R&B fields. Her single “Texas Hold ‘Em” was the first song by a Black female artist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and she became the first Black woman ever to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
Despite its success, the project still drew controversy, with some country music radio stations ignoring fan requests to play the songs on air and the 2024 Country Music Association Awards completely snubbing the album.
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While accepting the Innovator Award from Stevie Wonder at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in April, Beyoncé called out “all the record labels, every radio station [and] every awards show,” emphasizing that the music industry needs to become “more open to the joy and liberation that comes from enjoying art with no preconceived notions.”
In her speech, Beyoncé explained, “Innovation starts with a dream. But then you have to execute that dream, and that road can be very bumpy. Being an innovator is saying what everyone believes is impossible.”
“Being an innovator often means being criticized, which often will test your mental strength,” she added. “Being an innovator is leaning on faith and trusting that God will catch you and guide you.”
Beyoncé also mentioned several artists who have “dedicated their lives and their art to creating shifts,” including Tracy Chapman, Prince, Tina Turner and Michael Jackson.
She noted, “[They] defied any label placed upon them, thank you for executing your dream so we could all follow.”
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