All The Symbolism and Theories In Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour

Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter World Tour continues to dominate everyone's minds, even though some have begun to question many of Queen Bey’s creative choices, including her decision to sing the National Anthem. Tina Knowles herself clapped back at this just this week, however, suggesting that many are missing all of the rich and intricate symbolism and deeper meanings throughout the show.

Oh, but nothing has gotten past Black Internet (like always), who hasn’t missed a beat deciphering all of the themes and delighting in Beyoncé’s puzzle, in what has become the must-see live event of the summer. From the reclamation of Americana imagery to the various references to Black country artists and Black American history, let’s take a deep dive into all of the symbolism in the Cowboy Carter tour.

Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour

As creator Bria Van Cooten pointed out on TikTok, some fans have wondered why this Cowboy Carter tour has had a limited run, with only a select set of dates. Less of a World Tour, the show models the "Chitlin' Circuit," which was a collection of venues in American history that allowed Black musicians, comedians, and other entertainers to perform during racial segregation.

As she points out, the tour is officially titled the Cowboy Carter Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour. In the name and actual tour structure, she is paying homage to this crucial aspect of Black American history and all of the Black performers who came before her.

Red, White and Blue

Throughout the tour, Beyoncé has been rocking various looks and styles that lean heavy into Americana and red, white and blue. While Black Americans have a complicated history with patriotism and the American Flag itself, this entire era sees Beyoncé reclaiming these American symbols that make many of us uncomfortable in these days.

The show's design itself incorporates the American flag, including on the screen onstage as the show starts. As TikTok creator @adhdwhileblack explains, the screen starts off glitching as the American Flag, before it goes right to black. She also, through looking closely, predicts that by the end of the tour, it may turn into a black and white American flag, imagery that Beyoncé herself has invoked in the past, as well as Outkast on their album, "Stankonia."

Mama Tina Knowles herself spoke on the Vibe Check podcast and confirmed this concept of Bey invoking the flag as a form of reclamation, saying, "It's reclaiming that you helped build that. That's what it's about. I built this country, and my relatives, my ancestors, died for this country just like yours did. So it's just reclaiming the flag."

Propoganda

Propaganda is another theme Beyoncé has been toying around with for quite some time, specifically since the "Renaissance" era and her song, "America Has a Problem." As creator @itsmariesoledad pointed out, one of the most powerful images from the tour sees Beyoncé draped in the American flag with her eyelids painted blue, which expresses her sorrow in the state of America, while also still very much being an American herself. She is then seen all over a wall of TV screens as well as other clips from American history, with her sitting outside watching it all unfold. Basically, she knows her influence, she knows her power and knows that she is a part of a greater narrative of Black American history.

This specific sequence of the show is the most intense, with Beyoncé screaming and banging on a TV screen, immediately followed by a White House press conference and a white woman in a MAGA hat. It's here, @itsmariesoledad proposes, where Beyoncé makes the distinction of what the real propaganda in this country is, when she dresses up as Elvis (who famously was coined the king of rock and roll, while appropriating Black music and culture every step of the way).

Again, this era is all about reclamation, and as the political landscape continues to shift and get more volatile, its important to look back at history to remember how our voices were silenced, and how they continue to be.

The National Anthem

Queen Bey shocked many fans when the tour began, as she sings the National Anthem. She sings an intense version, one mirroring Jimi Hendrix's Star Spangled Banner, which was a protest at the time of the war.

Just as the Anthem starts to kick off, Beyoncé transitions to what is one of her songs that has been an anthem for resistance, her "Lemonade" hit, "Freedom." Clearly, as some creators are pointing out, she is reclaiming anthems in general, while carving out her own space in the legacy of resistance and freedom in this country.

Miss Tina Knowles herself clapped back at haters not understanding the significance of her daughter's rendition, as we reported.

The Four Hundred Foot Cowboy and "White Teeth"

One of the most fun sequences in the tour is an interlude, which references the classic sci-fi film, "Attack of the 50-Foot Woman." Specifically, the interludes pause on a sign that reads, "Dentist and Marriage Counselor B. Knowles, D.D.S." Clearly, the sign is important, as it gets a full-screen zoom-up during the sequence.

As the @LoreBreakers account on TikTok examines, this leaves the audience to wonder: What do teeth and relationships have in common? They both need to be taken care of, and cannot heal on their own. Since "Lemonade," Beyoncé has explored healing both familial and romantic relationships, while also focusing on generational trauma. Teeth as a metaphor for what we pass down genetically and in our own families has been done before (see White Teeth by Zadie Smith), and it seems Beyoncé knows this, and wants to invoke this herself. Check out the full, fascinating breakdown of this theory, here.