Donning 8-inch heels and a vibrant outfit she said was inspired by Elton John and a “cowboy on the moon,” Fai Thompson, of Portage, Indiana, strutted to the VIP entrance at Soldier Field ahead of the first of two sold out nights at Soldier Field for Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour.
Thompson said she had been worried she wouldn’t be able to get a ticket but was lucky to land one after entering the queue 10 minutes early.
Despite being a longtime Beyonce fan, Thompson said she was particularly enthralled by the singer’s latest “Renaissance” album and its homage to the LGBTQ+ ballroom scene.
“She hasn’t done anything like this before,” Thompson said.
Thompson said she’s hoping to hear “Cuff It” after splurging on general admission tickets, which get her access to the field, to celebrate entering a new phase of her life as she turns 30 next month.
“I’ve just been splurging on all things worth living through and being my whole self so I can just really enjoy life,” Thompson, 29, said. “If I wanna do all the things before I turn 30 to celebrate this pinnacle moment in my life, I want to do it with Beyoncé.”
Despite spending nearly $2,400 — the combined cost of her and her cousin’s tickets — Thompson said she almost wished she’d upgraded to the highest level of VIP access.
“[But] I still got a mortgage to pay,” Thompson said.
Songs by Fergie and Rihanna played over loudspeakers Saturday afternoon as crowds gathered as dark clouds loomed over the area and threatening to impact the show. The passing storms caused an evacuation of Pitchfork Music Festival around the same time.
The rain only temporarily sent fans looking for cover — but did nothing to dampen their spirits.
Among the fans were Isabella Bercan and Julian Andrades. The siblings have been to Jingleball, and seen Demi Lovato, DJ Khaled, Bad Bunny together and Ariana Grande together.
“Every show we go to together,” Andrades said. “That’s my buddy, wherever I go she goes and wherever she goes I go.”
But for Beyoncé, Andrades said he decided to go all in.
“I had gotten seats in the 200s, but as the months went on, I realized i’m probably not going to get this opportunity again,” the 28-year-old said. “These knees aren’t what they used to be… I’m not sure how many general admissions I have left in me.”
A fear of missing out also drove Mona Eldashoury to attend Saturday.
Eldashoury used to live in Dubai and long hoped to see Beyoncé there, but moved away before the megastar finally did.
“I was really mad I missed that concert so that’s why I’m here,” they said.
The 33-year-old drove from Michigan State University with friend Stefon Funderburke and got tickets in the 200 section, but also got in the VIP line trying to score better seats.
“We’re just here hoping to get something better than we have now,” Funderburke said. “I have been watching Tik Toks nonstop and researching everything we need to know.”
The two made friends with Courtney Craig and Sebastian Anderson, another pair of friends who drove about six hours to get to the show and were also looking to upgrade their seats.
“We work really hard and a lot of us have pulled a lot of financial strings to be here, so we want to at least get the opportunity see the full experience and enjoy ourselves,” Craig said.
The 31-year-old singer songwriter said it was her first time seeing the music legend, who she considers a major influence, along with Tina Turner and Diana Ross.
Anderson, 31, said he was ecstatic to see Beyoncé a second time, having been “blessed” with tickets during her earlier Formation tour.
“I have had an addiction I could not satiate for so long… It’s a fulfillment of a desire you didn’t know you had,” Anderson said of the experience.
