A Beyhive war is raging at Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour. Fans’ weapons? Total silence.
In the song Energy, Beyoncé sings, “Big wave in the room, the crowd gon’ move / Look around, everybody on mute.” During the live performance, the singer and the backup dancers freeze for a few seconds after the line, signaling to the crowd to go mute by putting a finger over their lips.
Concertgoers took it as a challenge.
@kyledgordon #stitch with @renaissance tour MUTE, like how iconic would that be #beyonce #renaissancetour #renaissance #nashville ♬ original sound – Kyle Gordon
“When Beyoncé says mute you mute!” one TikTok user commented.
Since the May start of the Renaissance Tour in Stockholm, competition between cities has only grown, with each crowd trying to out-quiet the last.
From sharing videos online to giving out business cards with instructions, fans have taken it upon themselves to make sure that everybody goes mute when Beyoncé says so.
The 20-year-old influencer Justin Fuko told the Daily Dot that the trend was born out of a desire to “make Beyoncé proud.”
@justinfukoo If that was you i hope your pillow stays hot for eternity #beyonce #beyoncerenaissance #everybodyonmute #charlottenc ♬ original sound – justinfuko
“Beyoncé could wave her hand and the whole crowd would go crazy, but to have Beyoncé get everyone to go silent, it’s hard,” Fuko said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen an artist do that before, make a whole stadium full of 40,000+ people go silent.”
One of Fuko’s friends even walked around different sections with a poster instructing people to stay quiet after the line, he told the Daily Dot.
Since the start of the tour, fans have been catching on to the trend and increasingly telling each other to zip it during the song, turning it into a competition of which city can be the quietest.
“As the tour dates go on, it gets harder and harder,” Fuko told the Daily Dot. “By the end of the tour, you’re not going to hear a peep in the audience, which is going to be a really cool thing to experience on my phone or social media.”
Competition only spiked after Beyoncé’s official website declared the Aug. 6 show in Washington, D.C., the “eerbody on mute war winner.”
@daishaview Feels good to be a winner! #beyonce #beyoncewashingtondc #beyoncedc #everybodyonmutechallenge ♬ original sound – DaishaView | Lifestyle & Home
Fuko attended the show in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wednesday night, which Beyoncé’s website later crowned as the latest winner of the competition, calling it “number 1, 1 of 1, only 1” (a reference to the song I’m That Girl from Renaissance).
“DC dethroned,” tweeted BeyLegion, the biggest Beyoncé fan account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
On the singer’s website, pictures show fans wearing shirts and holding signs reading the “everybody on mute” line.
Some, however, fail to follow such instructions.
“Do y’all not know what mute means,” a TikTok commenter wrote.
“Why do people cheer? There’s ONE assignment,” another added.
Those who break the silence risk side eyes and people shouting at them to shut up.
@lyin_kvng EVERYBODY ON MUTE! Side eye! #clubrenaissance #renaissanceworldtour #beyhive #bombasticsideeye ♬ original sound – lyin_kvng
“That death stare hunny. They betta act according tonight for real. #mute,” a commenter wrote.
“She was a nice woman. Very kind. I was just so serious about this part,” the creator cleared up in the comments.
“We understand friend. its a serious moment lol,” another user replied.
For Beyhive members like 25-year-old background singer and vocal coach Te’Quan Seabrooks, the moment means more than just a pause in cheering.
@justquany Not bad Charlotte 🤭 #renaissanceworldtour #beyonce #energy #everybodyonmute #mute @Beyoncé ♬ original sound – ✨Your Neighborhood Vocalist✨
“As dedicated fans, we just want to give something back to someone that gives us so much with her work ethic and her dedication and her just music in general,” Seabrooks told the Daily Dot. “This little token of like, ‘let us try to make you proud’ is a very big driving force of people really being serious about being quiet.”
Seabrooks, who has been a fan as long as he can remember and has even performed in front of the singer, told the Daily Dot that Beyoncé’s music has helped him feel empowered and stand up for himself, especially working in the music industry.
Once he arrived at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, he saw fellow fans in the VIP “Club Renaissance” section talking to each other about being quiet during those few seconds. And they were.
“It was really uplifting to see her smile after that,” Seabrooks told the Daily Dot. “It was a really good feeling.”
Despite the call-outs and dirty looks at those who fail to quiet down, Seabrooks thinks it’s all in friendly competition.
“You’ll probably get somebody who’s gonna yell at you in the moment, but it’s not like they’re gonna hate you afterwards,” he told the Daily Dot. “It really all is in good fun, just to make Mother happy.”
