Several cowboy hats were pointed upwards at the departures board at Penn Station, indicating the excitement of the wearers to board a crowded train to New Jersey. A New Jersey Transit employee, clad in a neon yellow vest, shouted “Beyoncé, Track 14!” The commuters, adorned in sequins, rushed past a “Caution: Wet Floor” sign in their haste to get to the escalators.
It was 7 p.m. on a Saturday, and an Uber ride from Midtown Manhattan to the Meadowlands cost around $70. However, many Beyoncé fans opted for public transportation to get to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, where the singer would soon be performing for her Renaissance World Tour. They held paper tickets in their hands, with chrome manicures and body glitter staining the concrete platforms. They mingled with other fans during the transfer at Secaucus. The typically dull commuter rail line transformed into a vibrant pregame scene.
“We’re balling on a budget,” said Alyssa Garmone, a 22-year-old actress from Queens. She sat in a coveted four-seat corner with her sister, each having paid $5.50 for the ride. Victoria Muschitiello, a 27-year-old dental hygienist from Long Island, did thorough research to determine the best way to get to the stadium a week prior. She proudly displayed her “Yoncé” tattoo on her lip, revealing her dedication to Beyoncé.
Many train cars resembled party buses, adorned with advertisements for Ramapo College. Some passengers sipped on brightly colored drinks while others played music from portable speakers. When the conductor approached, everyone maintained good behavior. Sierra Williams, a 25-year-old video operations coordinator from Manhattan, refused to let a mild chest cold ruin her experience of seeing Beyoncé for the first time. She proclaimed that she left her bronchitis at home because this was all about Beyoncé.
Sierra was accompanied by Imani Tudor, a 28-year-old photo editor from Brooklyn. They felt a sense of camaraderie with other fans they encountered throughout the evening. On their way to the Saturday show at MetLife, Imani described Beyoncé’s album “Renaissance” released a year ago as a love letter to queer people, Black people, and Black femmes. She expressed her awe at witnessing this album come to life on stage.
Fans exhibited determination in attending Beyoncé’s first solo tour in seven years. Some traveled across oceans to secure cheaper tickets, while New Yorkers only needed to cross the Hudson – a feat not always natural to them. Camila Grisel, a 25-year-old living in Manhattan, and her fiancée Linda Garcia, a 28-year-old kindergarten teacher, learned from their experience attending the Taylor Swift concert and used that knowledge to find their way to MetLife. They found themselves lost in Penn Station, enjoying an ice cream cone from a subterranean Häagen-Dazs, but were guided by the track number announcement.
Upon reaching the platform, they encountered a sea of glittery cowboy boots and flashy outfits. Stetsons turned into disco balls, reflecting light onto fans sporting silver bikinis and football jerseys with the song title “Thique” instead of surnames. Unique alien-inspired looks, including buglike shades and neon green accessories, stood out amidst the surroundings. A pair of sisters wearing silver and black bustiers posed in front of an image of Judy Blume, symbolizing their own boldness and self-expression at the concert.
Hannah Wheeler, a 58-year-old wearing a floral maxi dress, felt like an oddball among the flashy crowd. She captured an image of the concertgoers to show her husband their “flashy flashy bling-bling” as she returned home from her high school reunion. Jair Fonseca, wearing a cowboy hat, was not heading to see Beyoncé but to Rahway, New Jersey. Nonetheless, he expressed excitement at seeing people from New York and beyond coming to his area for the concert.
As the train passed through a tunnel under the Hudson River, fans debated who the show’s special guests would be, speculating whether they would be good like Jay-Z or great like Grace Jones. Before they could reach a conclusion, the train arrived at Secaucus Junction, where the crowd had to transfer to the Meadowlands Rail Line for the final stretch to the stadium.
The sequined parade passed by a sign dedicating the station to former U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg. New Jersey Transit employees, sporting khakis, stood in front of a closed Sbarro, holding signs that read “Queen B” with a red arrow. Kyalo Mulumba, a spokesperson for New Jersey Transit, explained that the signs were part of the extensive planning efforts made by the system to ensure smooth transportation for the event. Nearly 100 additional employees were deployed by New Jersey Transit to assist with customer service.
Vinette Pryce, a 74-year-old retired resident of Brooklyn, convinced her nephew to avoid taking an Uber by warning him about the heavy traffic expected in the parking lot after the show. This was Ms. Pryce’s third time seeing Beyoncé, and she dressed in head-to-toe blue as a tribute to Beyoncé’s daughter, Blue Ivy, who would be performing later that night. Ms. Pryce believed that Beyoncé’s boldness inspired her fans to be bold and feel worthy of participating.
By 8 p.m., the crowd had thinned out, but traces of the BeyHive were still evident. Ethan Lin, a 20-year-old student from Los Angeles, stumbled upon one of the “Queen B” signs on the ground at Secaucus Junction while he was heading back to Manhattan from a pool party. He found it amusing and commented on the effort put into creating the sign by a full-time New Jersey government employee. His friend Alan Gao, a 21-year-old intern in Manhattan, even suggested they reroute to catch the Beyoncé concert.
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