Beyoncé wows BeyHive during Renaissance World Tour's Minneapolis stop
MINNEAPOLIS – Fans traveled from near and far to see Beyoncé Thursday night for her Renaissance World Tour at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis
Members of the "BeyHive," as her fan base is known, dressed up in bedazzled outfits, sequined cowboy hats and boots to commemorate her first show here since 2018.
"This is my first time seeing Beyoncé so I am so excited and stoked to see her performance, her outfits and everyone in the crowd—seeing the performance," said Illeana Thao of Minneapolis. "I'm so happy."
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And the City of Minneapolis was "Crazy in Love" for Beyoncé, too. Mayor Jacob Frey officially declared Thursday "Bey Day." Gov. Tim Walz issued a proclamation to celebrate her stop in Minnesota.
"I feel like I'm going to cry like it's Beyoncé," said Ruth Habtamu, Bloomington. Her friend Naomi Tewodros, who was attending the concert with her, described the chance to see Queen Bey in person as an "out of body experience."
At nearby Malcolm Yards, fans were buzzing for pre-show cocktails made with the 32-time Grammy winner in mind. Bar Manager Austin Rude said they did a special cocktail when Taylor Swift played two nights at U.S. Bank Stadium for her "Eras Tour" in June and it was a hit, so he wanted to replicate the same experience for the Beyoncé show.
"It was the best-selling drink," Rude said of the Swift-inspired drink. "And I was like obviously I have to do one for Beyoncé because she's the queen."
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The bar offered a "Pure Honey," a nod to a song on the new Renaissance album, and a "Drunk in Love," named for her hit song with husband Jay-Z.
"It's Hennessey and watermelon puree, and one of her lyrics she goes, 'I've been drinking, watermelon,'" Rude said.
Beyoncé is an iconic performer, known for her soaring vocals and choreography. But for some fans, she's more than the music.
"As a Black woman, I have never been more confident and proud to be in my own skin because of her," said Tewodros.
Metro Transit added additional Light Rail service so fans will have more options to get home.