Beyonce fans ‘so lucky’ to have tickets to first date of UK tour
British Beyoncé fans said they felt “so lucky” to have secured tickets for the first date of the singer’s UK tour.
The atmosphere around Cardiff’s Principality Stadium was described as “buzzing”, with Beyoncé songs played “in every bar” near the Welsh venue.
Thousands of people descended on the area for Wednesday night’s concert, which followed other European dates in Stockholm, Sweden and Brussels, Belgium.
We are so lucky to be attending their first show in the UK and I am very grateful to my best friend and goddaughter for securing the tickets – no easy feat.
Sian Blackham
Sian Blackham, senior media manager at a charity, traveled from Gloucestershire to see Beyoncé in Cardiff.
“The atmosphere is buzzing. So many happy people – Beyonce is played in every bar. She’s an absolute icon,” she told the PA news agency.
Ms Blackham, 44, added: “I’m a huge Beyoncé fan and have loved her since she began her career at Destiny’s Child.
“I’m with my best friend, my goddaughter and her aunt. This is the fourth time we’ve seen Beyoncé together, the first since the pandemic.
“We are so lucky to be attending their first show in the UK and I am so grateful to my best friend and goddaughter for securing the tickets – no easy feat.”
Ms Blackham said she hoped Beyonce would perform her hit song Halo, which was played at the first dance at their wedding in September 2012.
She told PA that her husband Matt is now a Beyoncé fan “by conviction”.
“[She has]so many hits, but I just know she’s going to give us a performance that we’ll never forget,” Ms Blackham said.
When asked why Beyonce continues to receive so much support from fans, she said: “She’s a global icon, a powerhouse, such a talented and gifted artist.
“She is a role model and an inspiration. She is there for everyone.”
The atmosphere at the stadium was described as “electrifying” and fans described the experience as “one of those overwhelming, unforgettable moments”.
Nicola Stacey Jones, 54, from Risca in Wales, told the PA that Beyonce’s voice was “like velvet”.
“The atmosphere is electrifying, the music vibrates in the stadium and makes your heart beat faster. Beyoncé is absolutely perfect and has the right moves,” she said.
At the time she spoke to PA, Crazy In Love was playing, to which Ms Jones said “everyone was on their feet”.
“It’s one of those overwhelming, unforgettable moments — I was sort of there,” she said.
The Renaissance world tour is Beyonce’s first in seven years and she will perform at other UK venues including Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Murrayfield in Edinburgh and the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.
She kicked off the tour in Stockholm with an explosive show that included video projections and animation, as well as robotic gadgets, silver lunar rovers and pyrotechnics.
The setlist spanned her two-decade career, with the singer going through several flamboyant outfit changes.
US business magazine Forbes previously estimated that the tour could net Beyoncé more than £1.6 billion.
