I loved every single thing about Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’-inspired Christmas Day NFL halftime show

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Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.

While I definitely agree with LeBron James’ contention that Christmas Day belongs to the NBA, I was thrilled to watch the Christmas Day NFL matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans at the Texans’ NRG Stadium in Houston. The game featured two great quarterbacks — potential triple MVP winner, Lamar Jackson, and rising star, CJ Stroud. The game wasn’t very good — the Ravens won 31-2 — but that really doesn’t matter because the real star of the show wasn’t the football but the “Beyoncé Bowl.”

Like me, a great many folks tuned in for a halftime show that featured none other than Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter demonstrating just how amazing she is and how exciting a “Cowboy Carter” tour will be. To wit, no tour has been announced as of yet, but she dropped a cryptic social media post right after the performance that let everybody know that something is coming on Jan. 14, 2025. My assumption is that it will be another successful attempt at taking my money in the form of another stadium tour. 

I’m one of those people who believes that, currently, Beyoncé is our greatest living entertainer. Because of that, I think I almost take her for granted. I expect greatness and the best entertainment and the greatest production values and the ultimate showmanship. Bey never misses on any of those fronts and this halftime performance was no different. For starters, she trotted in on a horse and SANG “16 Carriages.” I’ve never ridden a horse, but I almost fall off plastic mechanical horses on carousels all of the time so her ability to sing on key, without losing a step?? Whew, chile. This is why she’s Beyoncé and I’m a person writing about Beyoncé. The visuals were an immaculate ode to the various cultures of Houston, Texas (Beyoncé’s hometown) from the Black rodeo to the car culture, to trucks, to the cowboy hats and chaps, and basically everything you think of when you think of Houston. 

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Missed the ‘Beyoncé Bowl’? No worries, Netflix says it will be available on streaming later this week.

But it isn’t just that she does these things, it’s how she does them. Everything is the most joyous spectacle ever! The marching band, the nod to Beychella, the precision, the aesthetic – everything is just so intentional and immaculate. Every time I watch a truncated Bey performance, as this was (it clocked in at around 13 minutes), I’m amazed at how even a short Bey show can feel like an hours-long set. There was a choir and bands playing and cars moving her from place to place and dancers. Did I mention the horses yet? There were multiple horses, as set pieces. And then she did “Blackbiird” and Tanner Adell, Reyna Roberts, Brittney Spencer and Tierra Kennedy were there. So was Post Malone when she sang “Levii’s Jeans,” as was Shaboozey (who is having quite the year himself) who was there to perform for the “Sweet Honey Buckin’” segment. There was even a “Spaghetii” and “Riiverdance” mashup that was absolutely chef’s kiss. There was “Jolene.” 

But we all knew the performance was ending with “Texas Hold’em,” a song I absolutely love, that featured Blue Ivy out there dancing with her mother. I don’t know if it’s because it was on Christmas or what but it touched my heart; how cool is it to be a parent who can include your kids into the things you do that bring so much joy to the whole world? I’m going to make my kids write an essay right now! Things really took off when she did the bounce beat version of “Texas Hold ‘em” — Merry Christmas to all of us, right? 

As a person who absolutely loved “Cowboy Carter” (it is currently my second favorite of her albums, but my pick for the best album of 2024), this was the best doggone advertisement for a tour ever. I can’t wait to hand over my wallet. But mostly, I’m always thankful that I get to be alive during a time when so many talented people are so invested in providing fulfilling experiences to their audiences. Beyoncé is as good as it gets and this performance was no exception. It was Bey doing Bey things. 

And that, my friends, was and is a true gift on Christmas Day. 

Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Dear Culture” on theGrio Black Podcast Network. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest) but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said “Unknown” (Blackest).