The Carter family has spent a long time enjoying a life of privacy, only allowing fans small glimpses into their lives every now and again. Whether it’s a random post with a handful of photos placed in a slideshow, home movie clips, or behind-the-scenes footage from tours and performances, we only see moments. During the “Cowboy Carter Tour,” however, it seemed as though there was a real highlight on celebrating different elements of Black culture, family, a sense of togetherness, and even a level of unseriousness that made us all feel like part of the family. There was a shared sense of joy between everyone on stage and everyone in the audience that’s hard to put into words. Seeing such an icon joke on stage proving that she’s lurking on a burner account laughing at the same jokes we are really gave the “Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour” the extra seasoning we didn’t know it needed. These are the moments that let us peek behind the curtain, discovering that at least some of the Carters are just as chronically online as we are.
1. “She ain't no diva”
Beyoncé tickled the world pink when she opted to “challenge” crowd members during her “Diva” breakdown. During the “Renaissance World Tour,” she took the internet by storm when she looked over and pointed at an audience member while singing out, “She ain’t no diva.” So, imagine our excitement when we see her pointing into the crowd playfully with her backup dancers before giving one lucky diva her flowers in the form of a round of applause. She made this viral moment a permanent part of the "Cowboy Carter Tour,” and we all looked forward to our turn to potentially be spotted by Queen Bey herself. During one show, she must have been feeling a little extra silly because she even put some lucky ladies up on the Jumbotron while calling them out, sending everyone there in person and watching the clips at home into a frenzy. She created her own viral moment and left us gagged.
2. Drea Kelly’s “II Hands II Heaven” dance
When the COWBOY CARTER album dropped, “II Hands II Heaven” was an instant banger. The sexy breakdown had us all feeling ourselves, especially Drea Kelly herself. Kelly gave us a quick little one two and the internet ran with it quickly, generating a hashtag with everyone posting their own video doing the viral moves. Beyoncé was no different; once she caught wind of the dance, she posted a version of herself doing it while laughing on her socials. We were already side-eyeing her after this because we know how she likes to lurk silently online, but then she took it a step further by doing the infamous dance during the "Cowboy Carter Tour” while on a moving walkway, showing that we do, in fact, have the same algorithm.
3. The Uptown Downtown dance
Creator SteveDaStoner brought joy to the internet with his Uptown Downtown dance, and you can still find people hitting it online and in real life. Blu Ivy Carter was no different, with her being seen on stage doing the viral dance while grooving to “Before I Let Go.” Blue was seen sneaking her own flare into the choreography several times during the "Cowboy Carter Tour,” bringing energy and unforgettable moments along the way.
4. "Very demure”
“Very demure, very mindful” is a phrase coined by TikToker Jools Lebron. The Chicago-based creator shared a multitude of videos via social media that were instructing us on how to keep it modest, respectful, and cute in various situations, from work to the airport and so on. After it became a hugely popular trend as a phrase, it caught the attention of Mama Tina, Beyoncé, and the whole family. Tina Knowles opened up about how the “demure” videos helped keep her in good spirits during her battle with breast cancer. She personally extended an invitation for Lebron to meet her at a “MATRIARCH” book tour stop, and Beyoncé was also seen calling her audience “demure“ on stage.
5. I’m talking bout innit!
“Innit” by BunnaB and YKNIECE and “I’m So ATL” by Bankroll Ni dropped, and it wasn’t long before they were spreading on social media like wildfire. Taking TikTok by storm, the vibes and dance moves started flowing out from creators everywhere. The viral dance that followed was irresistible, including to Blue Ivy and Rumi Carter. During a performance, they were both seen hitting the well-known moves — Rumi, while making her nightly appearance during “Protector,” and Blue, after killing her dance break during “America Has A Problem.” Our internet nieces have got to be the reason Beyoncé stays lurking online to see what we have going on. Being able to see peeks into their personalities and to know we’re on the same side of Beyoncé’s internet was definitely a highlight of the whole tour.