Iconic popstar Beyoncé paid the Washington DC Metro $100,000 (£78,771) to extend its service by an hour to make sure her fans could get back home after watching her show.
On Sunday, August 6, the 41-year-old singer returned to Washington DC’s FedEx Field for her second concert. While the show was due to start at 8 pm EST, volatile weather conditions prompted the venue to go on social media to ask fans to find covered shelter.
In a post shared on X, the venue said: “Due to lightning, in the area, we are currently under a shelter in place order. Fans outside of gates and in the parking lots are asked to return to their cars.
“All fans inside of the stadium are asked to shelter in place under covered concourse areas and ramps until further notice.”
Later, at 8.30 pm EST, FedEx Field went back online to give the “all clear” for fans to return to their seats.
We’re all clear. Fans may return to their seats. https://t.co/leGw7X1Z0u
— FedExField (@FedExField) August 7, 2023
Meanwhile, the DC’s Metro shared that it would be extending its service by an additional hour and keeping all 98 stations open for customers after the Rennaissance Tour offered to fund the cost of the extension.
The official Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority website added: “The extended time means the #BeyHive can stay for the ‘Party’ and still get home on Metro.”
Hold Up #Beyhive🐝, Metro & Renaissance Tour will extend the last train by an extra hour to weather the storm. The last Silver Line train toward Ashburn tonight will now depart Morgan Boulevard at 1:04 a.m. Learn more: https://t.co/pbsSabetaC #wmata pic.twitter.com/qVU6tiSmUy
— Metro Forward (@wmata) August 7, 2023
The Rennaissance Tour is Beyoncé’s ninth-ever world tour. The concert kicked off with the European leg, starting in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 10, 2023.
It is set to come to an end on October 1, 2023, with a concert in Kansas City’s GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Thus far, the singer has only had to cancel one of her concert dates. On August 3, Beyoncé was due to perform in Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium but logistical and production-related issues led to the event being cancelled.
