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Beyoncé review – a hugely enjoyable concert that adds a ferocious potency to Cowboy Carter

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, LondonThe big hits might be truncated to make way for her latest, country-inflected album – but seen live, these songs sound like a powerful act of protest

The thunderstorm never comes, but a cynic might suggest the glowering skies, and a sudden downpour – through which the singer will be required to fly on a giant neon-lit horseshoe – act as a kind of metaphor for the fortunes of the Cowboy Carter tour. It’s thus far attracted the usual laudatory reviews – such is the blanket critical acclaim for everything Beyoncé does, you rather get the feeling that were she spotted using a public convenience, there would be a spate of articles claiming she’d singlehandedly redefined going to the lavatory – but it has also been attended by news reports suggesting all is not well. Events in America since Cowboy Carter’s release have cast its contents in a noticeably different light: they sound less like an interesting stylistic detour and more like an act of protest, particularly given that Donald Trump recently called Beyoncé’s support of Kamala Harris in the 2024 election “illegal”, making the evidence-free claim she’d received $11m to appear at a rally.

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