After two concerts at Friends Arena in Stockholm, world star Beyoncé went with an entourage to Brussels.
In a shared clip from the concert on Twitter, she says:
– You are the best audience so far on the tour.
A statement that has been interpreted as a nod to the fact that Belgium's audience was better than Sweden's.
"You don't deserve this audience"
On platforms such as Tiktok and Instagram, pictures and videos of Swedish audiences standing still or sitting, without singing along to the songs, are also shared. Seemingly moderately amused.
"Beyoncé, you don't deserve this audience, please come to Latin America, we will give you everything!" writes a Tiktok user who flew to Sweden from Mexico. In one video, he appears to be the only one dancing and singing in his stands.
But according to cultural journalist Ayan Jamal, it's not necessarily that the Swedish fans didn't appreciate the concert, but rather culture.
"We tend to see concerts as just entertainment, something you take in. Like sitting in a theater. It's not often you feel part of the show itself," she says.
Can be about finances
Beyoncé's most loyal fan base is called "Beyhive" and is known for singing loudly and dancing wildly in themed attire. In the comments section on social media, the fan base promises to offer a better audience at upcoming concerts in London, Paris, New York and Houston, Beyoncé's hometown.
But the concert tickets are expensive and have sometimes cost several thousand kronor. Something that Ayan Jamal also believes can explain the Swedish audience's "rigidity".
"If you pay for a regular grandstand seat, you might not be Beyhive sitting at home sewing up an outfit. Then you can afford to see culture in this way. You don't see it as the only show you're going to see, that you want to give it your all on.
In response to the Swedish criticism, the artist Zara Larsson wrote on Twitter: "I am so ashamed. Please come back next tour, I beg you".
Beyoncé continues her tour in Europe and North America.