After a severe storm thwarted her Renaissance World Tour stop on Sunday night, Beyoncé and her team shelled out $100,000 (around £78,344) to make sure the Beyhive made it home safely.
The singer’s tour paid to keep all 98 Metro stations in the Washington, D.C., area open for an extra hour after the show at the outdoor FedExField was delayed due to heavy rain and lightning, a news release from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said.
“Due to inclement weather that may delay the start of tonight’s Renaissance World Tour at FedExField, Metro will extend the last train by an extra hour beyond the extended closing previously announced,” the transit authority said in a statement.
“The additional hour 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,” it added.
The thoughtful gesture came hours after fans had to take cover as a precaution because of the storm.
“Due to lightning in the area, we are currently under a shelter in place order,” the stadium wrote in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“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.”
FedExField issued the shelter-in-place warning on social media at 6:40 p.m. The 29-time Grammy winner usually hits the stage just before 9 p.m. local time for her headlining set.
After fans heard word of the Break My Soul singer’s generous efforts, they took to X to gush over her “power”:
While fans waited for the advisory to pass, several people were treated for heat exhaustion and one person was hospitalized, ABC affiliate WJLA reported.
CNN reporter Abby Phillip, who attended the crowded venue that night, said “no one seemed to really know what the plan should be”, which caused a “chaotic” scene inside the stadium.
“It was very uncomfortable…I mean it was pouring rain for a while and there was lightning in the air, so they didn’t want to let to let anyone in and obviously the concert wasn’t going to start, but it was really chaotic and I think that was kind of the experience that I and so many other people had…the chaos and the crowd and the rain and the heat,” Phillip said.
“It was one of those moments where it was a great concert, but that experience was a little bit scary,” Phillip added.
The shelter-in-place order was lifted after fans waited around for nearly two hours, and ticket holders were cleared to return to their seats around 8:25 p.m., according to another post from FedExField.
Bey eventually kicked things off around 10 p.m. as she performed amid the continued rain, according to Setlist.fm.
The star’s Renaissance World Tour is slated to wrap up in September.