A week after Beyoncé announced the Renaissance World Tour, I sat hunched over my laptop, with less than two minutes to make a two-thousand-dollar decision.
We’re talking $2388.77 for 2 tickets to a Houston show in September. I warred with myself, mentally making a pro/con list titled “Do I Deserve This?”
On the “yes” side: It was just my birthday, and I’ve never seen Beyoncé perform live. On the “no” side: I’d just traded a full-time job for the life of a freelance writer, and since I lived in Georgia, I could see her perform in Atlanta for a similar price, without adding the cost of a plane ticket.
But, I countered, wouldn’t it be more special to see Queen Bey for the first time in her home city? What if she brings out Megan Thee Stallion for “Savage”? More importantly, had I come this far, through the chaos of TicketMaster’s Verified Fan presale codes and waitlists, to change my mind now?
As Yoncé says in “America Has a Problem,” NO. I hit purchase.
I wouldn’t be the only one traveling for Renaissance, Beyoncé’s first solo tour since 2016. When tickets went on sale in February, some US fans found it cheaper to get tickets to the European leg of the tour, which kicked off first. Ticket prices in Sweden, for instance, sold for no more than $200, leaving plenty of funds for travel and other expenses. Stateside, tickets ranged from $55 nosebleeds to $4,000 to sit in Club Renaissance. But even since her tour has made its way to the US, fans have zig-zagged across the country—sometimes, traveling to another city for access to the show, or for a better deal, but often spending more to have the experience just the way they want.
In the weeks after I bought tickets to the Houston show, I found myself having to defend my decision to family and friends. Everyone wanted to know how much I’d spent on the tickets; people asked why I needed to go to Houston when Atlanta was so much closer; everyone was shamelessly asking, eyebrows raised, how much the entire trip would cost me.
But I was one of many women doing these calculations, wondering just how far—financially, and literally—we would go for Beyoncé.
On July 12, Beyoncé kicked off the long-awaited U.S. leg of the tour at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Center. New mom Mindy Sullivan was only 10 feet away.
“It was unbelievable,” Sullivan says a few days after the show. “I am still physically recovering from standing the whole time. I wouldn't have it any other way.”
The Renaissance World Tour is the fifth time Sullivan has seen the star perform live. However, she says in the months leading up to purchasing her ticket, the $950 price tag caused her some hesitation.
“When I heard she was going on tour, I knew it would be right after I’d had my daughter,” says Sullivan, who welcomed her newborn in April, just three months before the concert. “The guilt was there as I was putting this money aside for enjoyment for myself instead of something for her.”
The New Jersey resident chose Philly because of her proximity, knowing she’d be able to save on hotel costs. In the midst of her maternity leave, Sullivan says she felt it was important for her to make time for herself and her social life; even one night out on the town, 20 minutes from home, can feel like a big trip while learning to be a new parent. Today, sore feet aside, Sullivan regrets nothing and might try to snag tickets for another show later this summer.
“I think women should be more unapologetic about spending their time and money on experiences that make them happy,” she says. “I joke with my husband about needing a Beyoncé fund because she likes to drop things with no warning!”
Kiara Griffin, meanwhile, took a two-hour flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Chicago to see Beyoncé perform, booking an inflated-rate five-night stay in a downtown hotel for the trip.
“At the time I bought the tickets, I had just moved to Charlotte,” she says. “I really had to think about it. But also—it’s Beyoncé.”
Griffin’s back and forth debate about committing to the trip sounded a lot like my own: “I've worked hard in my career and I shop secondhand,” she says. “You're never going to see me driving a Mercedes because my Ford Focus works. So, I decided to treat myself.” But Griffin tries to go on a big trip once or twice a year, and will always prioritize experiences over material things. This year, the trip was for Bey.
Between the tickets, her round-trip flight and her hotel, Griffin spent around $1,200. Part of the reason she chose Chicago was a sentimental effort to recreate the first time she saw Beyoncé perform at the Formation tour in 2016. But mostly, Griffin says she chose the Windy City because of what she expected of the audience.
“Black people in Chicago are going to show up and show out,” she says. “I’m looking forward to having this very Black experience, where everyone around me also loves Beyoncé. I don’t think I would’ve gotten that in Charlotte.”
According to data compiled by Choose Chicago, the official destination marketing organization for the city, overall hotel room demand for the weekend Beyoncé was in town totaled 117,193 rooms filled, representing an occupancy rate of 84.8 percent and hotel revenue of $28.9 million. Saturday night was the second best Saturday of all-time for hotel room demand, behind only the weekend when Taylor Swift and the American Society for Clinical Oncologists were both hosting events in Chicago.
After the show, I caught up with Griffin. Her two hour flight to Chicago had been delayed, but the even-longer journey to the concert hadn't dampened her excitement. “It was honestly worth every penny,” she wrote. “THE VISUALS! THE VISUALS!”
Maya Kellam, who lives in Atlanta, is going to the Houston show with someone who might foot a bill or two: her mom. “I have a little privilege as the only child,” Kellam admits. “Me and my mom are besties anyway, but traveling with her kind of takes a little burden off of me as far as meals.” (Perhaps a fair trade for the tickets Kellam purchased.)
Kellam says she had an inkling that if Yoncé was going to make a Renaissance World Tour movie, it would heavily feature her Houston shows. And if the filming rumors that started spreading this May are any indication, she might be right.
So far, Kellam says she’s spent close to $1400 on the trip, and has yet to purchase her flight to Houston. It’s a “pretty penny,” she admits, but as a longtime member of the BeyHive, Kellam is used to the gentle teasing from friends and family. Her motto? “I can't spend what's in your pocket and you can't spend what's in mine.”
“I did have to think long and hard about this,” she admits. “I’m an adult with real adult bills, but the pandemic showed me there's no time like the present."
Gifting someone you love with a once-in-a-lifetime experience can often be a treat for yourself. For Chicago-native Bridgette Smith, who surprised her older sister with tickets to the Detroit show, it’s also a way to rethink relationships with money.
“I grew up on the south side where I didn't necessarily have a lot of money,” Smith says. “So when you do start getting more secure in your career and having a little bit of money, you think, ‘don't spend money on frivolous things.’ But if you’re doing what you’re supposed to do and your bills are in order, why not treat yourself?”
Smith, who also recently traveled to San Diego Comic Con this summer, says she’s been taking bigger trips ever since feeling safe about traveling again after the pandemic. “This year, after COVID, I've been going all out,” she admits. “But I’m already thinking about how I’ll have to reign it in next year. It’s all about balance.”
Smith and her sister had a three-day trip: driving her car five hours from Chicago to Detroit on Tuesday, seeing Beyoncé perform on Wednesday, and using Thursday to explore some of the city before driving home on Friday. Smith says even considering the cost of a hotel room, this option was more affordable because of the price of the seats she wanted.
“Last time we saw a Beyoncé concert, we were in the stadium seats,” Smith says. “Beyoncé was like a tiny little dot down there. This is a very special treat for my sister who practically raised me growing up, and I wanted to give her this experience, because she would never do this for herself.”
For 2 tickets, Smith says she spent close to $1,800; and her sister’s husband booked a 3-night stay for them at the MGM Grand. Two days after the show, Smith reported not a single regret.
“When Beyonce came close to us, I watched my older sister's eyes light up. It was indeed special. I really enjoyed that moment to have my big sister, someone who has done so much for me growing up, be able to live out her dreams.”
Two months out from the Houston show, and I’ve come to terms with the time and money my own experience will cost.
A week before the show, I plan to meet my boyfriend in Tulsa ($400), and we’ll drive to Houston with a night in Dallas on the way. Last Christmas, he gifted me with a “Beyoncé voucher” (designed by him through the wonders of Photoshop) for $75, knowing I had my heart set on seeing her. Although I covered the tickets, we’ve split the price of the 3 nights at our hotel ($500 total) and will split the cost of meals and other attractions while we’re there. And don’t worry, I’ll remind him of the Beyoncé voucher once we reach the merch table.