The Brief

Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour officially kicked off this week, with the first stop at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The highly anticipated concert, which lasted for nearly three hours, marked the beginning of a five-night run at the venue.

For fans like Dillian Frelow, an emcee and stylist better known as Dillian the Celebrity on social media, the tour could not come soon enough.

"Going to this opening night was literally like waking up for Christmas. I laid out my clothes — every single piece that I was wearing was custom-made from the top of the hat, all the way to the bottom of the boot," he said.

From the archive: Beyoncé fans slay in silver at LA's 'Renaissance' show

It took months for the designer of Dillian the Celebrity's boots to bedazzle his footwear with more than 11,000 different crystals, according to Dillian. And the opulence didn't stop there. He also commissioned a custom grill embedded with diamonds, a big bedazzled belt buckle wrapping around the circumference of his 10-gallon hat, and a custom one-piece Western jumpsuit adorned with rhinestone and laced with gold fringe.

Dressing to the nines was an important aspect of the tour for him, "because whenever you go to a Beyoncé show, it's like going to the Met Gala," he said. "So you have to make sure you show up correct."

Dillian the Celebrity isn't the only one focusing on fashion. Many fans seem to have planned outfits to match the aesthetic of Cowboy Carter.

Dillian the Celebrity tells NPR every single item he wore to the opening night of Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" tour was custom-made.

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Dario Tejada

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Dillian Frelow

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USA Today Network's Beyoncé reporter, Caché McClay, saw concertgoers sporting Western wear of all kinds. She was also at SoFi Stadium on opening night.

"There were lots of cowboy hats, cowboy boots, denim on denim," she said.

The trend of Western wear coming into the mainstream is one that McClay has been following closely in her reporting. It's a trend, she says, that has been driven by the album.

Following the release of Cowboy Carter in March 2024, McClay noted, "we saw a spike in searches for cowboy core items like cowboy hats and fringe, in Western fashion. And even now, we're still seeing that being at the forefront of fashion trends."

Western wear brands have been enjoying an influx of traffic and sales growth over the last year, with some retailers having reported a rise in first-time buyers. Tecovas, an American boot and Western-style apparel brand, reported a growth of 24% in 2024, surpassing $250 million in revenue. And American Western wear retailer, Boot Barn, logged an increase in purchases of basic black and brown styles, suggesting that many shoppers were trying out Western wear for the first time, according to Boot Barn's senior vice president of marketing, Isa Nicole, in an interview with Business of Fashion.

Smaller bespoke brands are also experiencing a similar Cowboy Carter retail effect.

Mercedes Matz, founder of the luxury cowboy hat brand Maya James, said her custom-made cowhide hats, typically priced at $285, are selling out fast.

"Since the announcement of her tour, I've honestly been trying to keep up with the demand for the hats, and that has been a challenge — a good challenge," Matz said. "There was a slew of people who bought all of the hats my last drop."

In the two weeks after "Levii's Jeans," a song on the album referencing the well-known American denim brand, came out, Levi's sales were boosted by an extra $1.2 million, according to the data analytics company LaunchMetrics.

Beyoncé (center) performs during a halftime performance of the NFL's Christmas Day 2024 game with dancers dressed in Western wear.

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Maria Lysaker

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Dillian the Celebrity has noticed upscale brands hitching themselves to the Beyoncé wagon.

"I mean, look at Louis Vuitton. I went into Louis Vuitton and Louis Vuitton is selling a cowboy hat. That has Beyoncé all over it," he said. "They got people that have probably never seen a cow wearing a cowboy hat, you know what I mean?"

Another Beyoncé fan, Bri Giger, has noticed "cowboy core" attire popping up on a lot of retail sites she visits, and is celebrating the growing popularity of Western wear.

"And it's not only Western, it's Black Western," she said. "It's definitely welcomed me into cowboy culture in the sense of honoring ancestors and the history of it, and kind of honing in on the culture that it is American culture."

The Cowboy Carter tour is scheduled to run for 32 shows in major cities across the U.S. and Europe through the end of July.

"Baby, this is a tour to go to," Dillian the Celebrity said. "Go get your looks ready, girl, and go to the rodeo."

Barry Gordemer edited the radio version of this story.
Copyright 2025 NPR

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.