Beyoncé paid $100k to keep Washington trains running for fans attending her concert

Start of pop star’s Washington DC concert was delayed by inclement weather

Beyoncé paid for Washington DC’s Metro to extend its service by a full hour so that fans could still return home after the start of her latest concert was delayed due to inclement weather.

On Sunday (6 August), the “Cuff It” singer, 41, returned for a second night to perform at FedEx Field. However, about an hour before it was scheduled to begin at 8pm EST, the venue posted a notice on X (formerly known as Twitter) warning fans that “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,” the announcement said. “All fans inside of the stadium are asked to shelter in place under covered concourse areas and ramps until further notice.”

By 8.30pm EST, FedEx Field posted an “all clear” update, saying that “fans may return to their seats”.

Meanwhile, DC’s Metro announced its Silver Line train would extend its service by an “additional hour”, which “will be funded by the Tour to cover the $100,000 cost to run more trains, keep all 98 stations open for customers to exit and other operational expenses”.

“The extended time means the #BeyHive can stay for the ‘Party’ and still get home on Metro,” the website added.

It was reported at the time that the rain delay caused chaos among concertgoers. Several fans urgently tweeted complaining about parking.

“Come control parking traffic!! Nobody is directing ANYTHING,” one fan wrote, with a second adding that they had been sitting in traffic “for hours”.

Meanwhile, floor seat ticketholders said that they were left in the dark about what was going on.

“It’s officially chaos with your floor ticket holders. There are no announcements and there was no notice that we needed wristbands. What is being done to assist?” a third questioned.

“They’re not letting us in on the floor. Why?” another enquired.

One asked: “Has Beyoncé started yet? Anyone.”

The night before, it was reported that Beyoncé had reintroduced Lizzo’s name back into her list of tributes for her song “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)”.

The move came after the “Break My Soul” singer seemingly altered her lyrics to remove Lizzo’s name during her Boston concert, leaving fans to believe that it was a deliberate omission in response to the lawsuit filed against the “Truth Hurts” rapper.

However, shortly after, Beyoncé’s fashion designer mother Tina Knowles, 69, shut down fan speculation on Instagram, writing: “She also didn’t say her own sister’s name, y’all should really stop.”