Denim chaps and hot pants aren’t most people’s go-to outfit for standing outside on a drizzly June day in London but Beyonce fans with tickets to her Cowboy Carter tour joked they were enjoying their very own “rain-aissance”.
Referencing the singer’s 7th studio album, for Wilfy – originally from Brazil – the weather wasn’t going to dampen his spirits.
“We came to rock and this time I’m going to see her 5 times, so on Saturday I’ll be back. It’s Beyonce – this is a rain-aissance!”
Her album Cowboy Carter may be responsible for the plethora of country-themed outfits, but this is not the star’s first rodeo in terms of touring.
As an artist who’s been making music for over 25 years, this time around her 31 international shows are reportedly projected to make around £240m.
For established artists, with their income from touring often surpassing revenue from streaming or sales nowadays, the price point of tickets can be a tricky line to tread – just ask Oasis.
Figuring out how best to cover the costs of the massive touring infrastructure involved, make a profit whilst at the same time ensuring fans don’t feel ripped off isn’t easy to get right.
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From giant trucks to a mechanical bull, Beyonce fans are promised plenty of bang for their buck and at almost three hours long, it is her longest show yet.
“I love this country album, it’s so good,” said Emily from Manchester. “I feel like it’s going to be an amazing show.”
Enon from Israel explained he’d taken a five-hour flight and spent a day ripping and sewing his cowboy-inspired tasselled denim crop top because “Beyonce is one of a kind, she changed my life, she made me who I am, and this is our little Met Gala”.
While there is quite a bit of pressure on the global superstar to deliver the goods, one man who knows more than most about how that feels is her dad, Dr Mathew Knowles, who was her manager for many years.
“It takes a lot to be a good manager,” he says, thoughtfully reflecting on that time, “but it takes even more to be a great one.”
From Destiny’s Child up until 2011, he worked alongside his daughter for some of her biggest hits.
“I’m one of the best managers ever,” he says in all seriousness.
While he has a ticket to see her perform in London, he is already in town to teach students at the London College of Contemporary Music where Sky News caught up with him.
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Here also to help find a new talent deserving of a music scholarship in his name. The candidate, he explained, has to be “a student who’s shown this real capacity, commitment and passion for the music industry”.
A stickler for young talent putting the practice in, he says: “Some artists aren’t ready to tour… from a creative standpoint and a performance standpoint [you need to] put in 10,000 hours.”
When her UK tour tickets went on sale, fans reported prices seemed to stay static, suggesting “dynamic pricing” wasn’t used to cash in on demand.
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On Oasis’ headline-making ticket price row, Dr Knowles said: “I had to learn the value as a manager of understanding where each and every ticket goes.
“You know, it’s sad that often the artist gets the black eye when in fact the manager should be more involved…sometimes the artist doesn’t even know about it until they hear these complaints.”
Of course, you’ll hear few complaints from those with a ticket to see Beyonce on the UK leg of her world tour.
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Music-wise Milton from Albania says he is confident his idol will “bring everyone together”.
But, he said, he wasn’t so sure about whether he’d need carrying out afterwards.
“When I see her I may die – a heart attack at a Beyonce concert? It would be worth it. What a way to go.”
