Who isn’t a Beyoncé fan?
Her music has been the soundtrack to some of the most memorable moments in my life.
I can still hear the melodic tune of “Halo” playing during a funeral photo slideshow that reflected the joyful memories of a friend who died from a complication of sickle cell.
If I close my eyes, I can see the warm smiles and excitement on the face of my husband as we walked into our wedding reception to “Crazy In Love.”
The upbeat sound and independent lyrics of “I’m That Girl” and “Break My Soul” on “Renaissance” guided me through my early 30s and across the finish line at the Peachtree Road Race in 2023.
So, as soon as the tour dates were revealed for “Cowboy Carter,” I knew I would be in attendance. I have seen Beyoncé perform three times (Formation World tour, OTRII, Renaissance World Tour) and had hoped to make “Cowboy Carter” number four.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The energy at her concerts is unlike any other that I have experienced. It’s a celebration of growth where all negativity is replaced with an outpouring of genuine love, appreciation of one’s self and a damn good time.
I lucked out and my first Beyoncé experience cost just $85 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville in 2016, and I purchased the ticket a few hours before the show on a whim.
This time around, luck wasn’t on my side.
As demand significantly increased for the Atlanta shows, which will be the last of the “Cowboy Carter” tour, I coordinated with my hive crew and managed to snag a coveted presale code last week, Feb. 11. I felt oddly calm, as I logged in and waited for Ticketmaster to load.
As I watched my ticket queue number tick down from the 13,000s to my turn, I frantically texted my sister who was several thousand spots ahead of me in the queue to remind her of the goal: 4 tickets in section 119, in the $300s before fees for the Friday, July 11 show. Her response floored me — “Yeah, we’re gonna have to try another day.”
I sat in denial as my turn to enter the purchasing arena opened up. She was right, Thursday and Friday tickets did not meet my expectations. I found out about a Verizon presale from a group chat and was momentarily relieved that I would have another opportunity.
So we tried again the next dayVerizon presale the next day, and our ill-fate fell to poor logistics: forgotten passwords, late logins that resulted in an impossible position in the queue.
My sister and I regrouped and sketched out a new plan for the artist presale: aim for the Thursday, July 10, show and increase the ticket budget.
Thursday’s artist presale felt different. My approach was solidified — join the waiting room 15 minutes prior, increase the budget and call if there were questions. I was ready to claim victory, celebrate my tickets and plan an outfit.
This time I had a better position in the queue but it wasn’t enough.
My sister called with two tickets in a different section of the 100s and I told her to leave me behind. I’d figure it out, somehow. I didn’t want to rob her and her friend the chance to be on the chitlin' circuit. Where was my good karma for being a team player?
I woke up on Valentine’s Day feeling desperate. I called in back up because I couldn’t do it alone, I needed my soldiers on board.
Four different people. Four different queues. My sister and husband logged into the waiting room and landed at 70k and 18k in line. I landed at 4k and my best friend landed in the 600s. This was my final shot. I increased my budget, again, and changed my desired section to be on the left or right side of the stage in Club Ho Down.
Again, I failed. No one could have predicted that the anticipation of this tour would have made securing tickets to this show so hard.
As I arrived to the AJC office, I learned that a fourth date had been added to the “Country Carter” tour stop in Atlanta. I was torn. Do I wait until the last minute and try to coordinate resale tickets or do I brave the depths of Ticketmaster to acquire tickets? What would Beyoncé do? (cues “I’m a Survivor”).
I held my breathe as I logged in to Ticketmaster, joined the waiting room, sat in the queue and finally found what I had been wanting: 2 tickets in Club Ho Down. As soon as I got the confirmation of my purchase I fist-pounded, hugged and cheered with my co-workers. I exhaled and called my crew to share the good news. We were going to see Queen B.
Was it stressful? Yes. Did I cry? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes.
The Beatles and Beyoncé were right when they sang, “You were only waiting for this moment to arise.”
Kyleah Dunn is the AJC’s social media editor.
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