Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour was a must-see concert in 2025. Her 32-show tour grossed $407.6 million and garnered over $1.6 million in ticket sales, making the Cowboy Carter Tour the highest-grossing country tour of all time. Now, after making history, Queen Bey is the cover star of Pollstar‘s 2025 “Year-End Special” issue.
In Grammy-winning artist’s sole interview about her tour, she shares how her tour came to be. “This was born from my love and respect for the rich country genre. For many years I’ve focused on preserving and celebrating the lost history of the Black cowboy,” she shared. “We showcased many aspects of my upbringing in Texas, like the salon in honor of my mother’s hair salon, I grew up in, and the saloon, honoring my great-grandfather who sold moonshine in Alabama.
“I was inspired by the Texas Lone Star, and the beautiful art town of Marfa. A fusion of futurism from RENAISSANCE with the golden maximalism from COWBOY CARTER. I tried to give the audience a contemporary Houston Rodeo experience. I also brought classic theater and opera into the space. The overall intention for this tour was to celebrate American resiliency.”
And that she did. Every bit of inspiration could be seen in every detail, from the lighting to stage props to the choreography to her many costumes and outfits.
“I believe the stage is a piece of art; it is its own icon,” she explained. “We are building a living, breathing, evolving organism. I’m extremely hands-on. I care deeply about every sound. We arrange and rearrange each song, visual edit, prop, and choreo piece until we get it to the best place we can. I push until I feel the soul in every element.”
In other parts of the cover story, Bey touches on her humble touring beginnings as a group member of Destiny’s Child, how she fine-tuned the tour as she made her nine-city trek, and what she hopes the
“The impact of the Cowboy Carter era on the country genre will only continue to grow. It has reinvigorated a space that now has a new audience,” she expressed. “And in ten years, the young girls and boys who saw the show will become adults who believe they can be respected as country stars and sing whatever music they love. That makes me proud.”
