Beyonce and James Dolan have beef after the former chose not to perform at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Their newfound rivalry took a new twist over the weekend while The Cowboy Carter wrapped its first weekend at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
The artist formally known as Sasha Fierce was forced to change her graphics package after being threatened with a lawsuit.
Beyonce, who entered into the world of country music with the release of Cowboy Carter last March, was actively considering a residency at the Sphere around the same time. Both Jay-Z and Tina Knowles took separate tours. She reportedly asked for a huge sum of money to perform at the newest entertainment venue in Las Vegas. There were even some rumors that she was considering a 100-night run.
However, negotiations ultimately fell through last July. Beyonce wanted the Sphere to go dark for at least two weeks for rehearsals. James Dolan, the Executive Chairman and CEO of Sphere Entertainment Co., and his team were unwilling to do so. The revenue hit from the temporary closure was too great.
Neither side budged. Their discussions stalled indefinitely.
Now fast forward to last week. Beyonce began The Cowboy Carter Tour at the home of the Chargers and Rams in Inglewood. One of her interlude videos featured the Sphere.
In the video, a 400-foot tall Beyonce picked up the Sphere. You are welcome to interpret the moment however you so choose, but the most popular theories about the symbolism suggests that the Sphere is too small of a venue or that she has it in the palm of her hand.
James Dolan did not like the message, whatever it meant. He, through Sphere Entertainment lawyer Kathleen McCarthy, hit Beyonce with a ‘Cease and Desist’ letter over the weekend. It accused Parkwood Entertainment of prominently featuring and manipulating imagery of the Sphere without permission, which “has resulted in significant speculation that Beyonce will end her tour with a Sphere residency.”
Sphere Entertainment gave her until Monday to remove the Sphere from her video. If the singer failed to comply, it “reserved all rights to take further action as deemed appropriate without notice.”
Parkwood Entertainment complied. The Sphere was replaced with Allegiant Stadium— where Beyonce will close out her tour in July.
Unless this is one of the most elaborate and confusing publicity stunts of all-time, that settles that. Beyonce will not be performing at the Sphere in Las Vegas and James Dolan stays petty.
To be fair, I am sure the two parties could put their differences aside to get a residency in place if they are both willing to come down off of some of their demands. That seems unlikely right now. They have beef!
Content shared from brobible.com.