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If you appreciate good music then surely you’d make any attempt possible to grab onto some Beyoncé tickets during her marathon London stint? The mission to secure them was suitably monumental this year; multiple friends with multiple devices online trying to get a ticket – it felt like an MI5 assignment to get an appointment with Queen Bey.
Fans from 90 countries from Bermuda to Brazil, Singapore to South Africa, and UK to Uganda bought tickets on Viagogo to see Beyoncé perform in the UK in 2023. According to their insights, Beyoncé is the number one touring artist in the UK based on the number of tickets sold. So, it’s unsurprising that demand was high. However, once the coveted tickets were sorted, a new question was posed; how do we get there?
Beyoncé took up residency in North London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for her ‘Renaissance’ tour. Unfortunately, super-fans were plagued by train strikes so there was only really one solution, travel by bike. By renting bicycles on the street, we decided to make a day out of the journey and hit some Beyoncé-approved spots on the way.
The ride started in South West London, where our first stop is located. In Chelsea, we found the illustrious and raved-about, Birley Bakery. With an array of fresh and delightful sweet treats to choose from, the journey started with a breakfast of champions. Grabbing a pain au chocolat and an iced macchiato, it made the early start a lot easier to bear as it got us amped up for the adventure ahead.
Of course, this isn’t any normal bakery, it’s Beyoncé’s favourite London bakery. After snapping a picture and uploading it to Instagram while out at dinner with husband and rap billionaire Jay-Z, it’s safe to say that the power couple have given Birley their blessing. With the bakers in the shop’s front wearing chef’s whites and the Parisian music whispering in the background, the patisserie is a place of luxury and, on this special day, it was an enchanting start.
The start of the ride was gloriously sunny and the minutes flew by on the way to Flannels – our next stop, and parking up at the flagship store on Oxford Street was a humbling experience. Not many Bey fans can say they planned a cycle route and dedicated their entire day to the beloved pop star, but witnessing the line for the small exhibition and merch pop-up snake well around the corner is an instant reminder that the BeyHive is huge and serious when it comes to supporting their queen.
The ‘Renaissance’ album can be heard outside, so at least you can boogie while waiting to get into the pop-up. When inside, you’re greeted with a plethora of gorgeous gowns worn by the Houston phenomenon herself. Downstairs, however, was more of a sonic exhibition, dedicated to her seventh album. With a cyborg-inspired look, Beyoncé’s head swirled around the room on electronic walls, which gets a bit spooky after a while but, again, a dance can fix that.
After an opportunity to cop some merchandise, it was time to go see Beyoncé herself. We took a brief detour to Bow in East London to visit The Lord Tredegar pub since the classic pub has its own attraction — their cat, aptly named, Beyoncé. The friendly and fuzzy black cat is usually always ready to greet the customers, however, between the sizzling heat and nocturnal hunts, she was depleted when we got to her.
Talking with the landlady about our day devoted to all things Beyoncé, she seemed thoroughly impressed and excited that Beyoncé (the cat) would be included. With the likelihood of meeting the megastar being so slim, we’ll settle for the snoozing feline.
As 4:30pm approached rapidly, the mission would turn into a race. Not knowing who would be opening for Queen Bey this time, there was all the more anticipation to get there early as well as in style. Throughout the day’s trip, I donned the London-exclusive “London has a problem” t-shirt but, after a day of cycling, it wasn’t the look to see Mother in.
Luckily, there was a newsworthy pub in front of the stadium that could be the solution to my wardrobe-changing needs. The Beavertown Corner Pin is a quaint and welcome addition to Tottenham High Street and a pub that Beyoncé has visited herself.
A solid place for Hotspur fans to down some pints ahead of their club’s imminent victory or defeat and in honour of Beyoncé’s time in town, they changed all the drink names to witty puns inspired by her songs. This alone makes it the perfect final spot before the main event.
A quick dress change and we’re ready to go. After a day cycling around the city with so many activities packed in, we were pretty happy to see the back of the bike, however, when the reward is seeing Beyoncé, it’s all worth it.
Listening to the nattering outside the gates, some speculated Kelly Rowland would join Beyoncé for a brief Destiny’s Child reunion. On stage, Yoncé did shout out her longtime friend and thanked her for coming but, no, they didn’t perform together.
Yet, her grandiose sparkly affair was two-and-a-half hours of unadulterated fun. Beyoncé and the rest of the House of Renaissance were flawless; serving face, fierceness and more, it was “10s, 10s, 10s across the board.”
Will cycling across London for a concert become a new weekly occurrence? Probably not. However, the memories made are enough for me to encourage you to do it once in your life, especially if it’s Beyoncé-inspired.
If you couldn’t catch Beyoncé in London but are considering making the most of a trip to see her, tickets are still available for all her remaining world tour dates on the global ticket marketplace viagogo here.
The post How I got to Beyoncé’s last London show by bike appeared first on NME.
