Less than a 30-minute drive from the White House, where President Trump had just signed his bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, Beyonce took the stage on Friday night and delivered a few counterpoints. In what Chris Richards, writing in the Washington Post, called "provocative, artful, resoundingly intentional halfwayness," Beyonce performed most of "The Star-Spangled Banner"—stopping a few lines before the end to let the thought that the promise of America is not yet realized float through the Maryland stadium.
Some fans had been critical in April when the star sang the national anthem on opening night of her Cowboy Carter tour, per the Blast, saying the start of the Trump administration was no time to appear celebratory. There was less ambiguity with Friday's political setting amping up any commentary. Fans saw it that way, Cache McClay writes in USA Today. "The concept of Beyonce having a show on the 4th of July in Washington D.C. performing, her album about celebrating Black Americanism… ICONIC," one wrote on X.
"Happy Fourth of July, everybody," Beyonce said at the start. "Today is all about freedom." She opened with "Ameriican Requiem," which Kyle Dennis writes in Billboard is "something of a funeral march for an antiquated version of America." The song, which also opens the album, "set a resiliently optimistic tone for the rest of the night," he says. With her concert, Beyonce provided a way for Black Americans and others to consider "their own emotionally complex acknowledgement of the nation's birthday," Dennis writes.
- Billboard lists the concert's seven best moments here.
- The performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" is posted here.
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