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.”