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

In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena and Pasadena’s music community have really shown up to support fire survivors, especially fellow musicians who lost instruments and record collections.

That effort continues this weekend with a special donation concert at a Pasadena record store, with the aim of getting vinyl records back in the hands of survivors who lost their collections.

“You know, our name is Healing Force of the Universe, and I think that gives me a pretty clear direction… especially after the fires,” said Austin Manuel, founder of Pasadena record store, where Sunday’s show will be held.

The record donation effort is the brainchild of musician Brandon Jay, who founded the nonprofit Altadena Musicians after losing his home and almost all of his family’s instruments in the Eaton Fire. Through Altadena Musicians’s donation and registry platform, Jay said he and his partners have helped some 1,200 fire survivors get their music instruments back.

Brandon Jay.

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Robert Garrova

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Now, that effort has fanned out to restoring vinyl record collections.

“All of that stuff evaporated for thousands of people,” Jay said. “Look at your own record collection and be like, ‘Wow, what if that whole thing disappeared?’”

You might know Jay from several bands over the years, including Lutefisk, a 1990s alt-rock band based in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Gwendolyn Sanford, composed music for TV shows, including Orange is the New Black and Weeds.

Jay plans to play some holiday tunes at Sunday's record donation show (which LAist is the media sponsor), along with fellow musician Daniel Brummel of Sanglorians. Brummel, who was also a founding member of Pasadena’s indie-rock sensation Ozma, said he was grateful to Jay for his fire recovery work and to Manuel for making Healing Force available for shows like this.

Brummel, who came close to losing his own home in the Eaton Fire, recalled a show he played at Healing Force back in March.

Ryen Slegr (left) and Daniel Brummel perform with their band, Ozma, on the 2014 Weezer Cruise.

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Even Keel Imagery

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“The trauma of the fires was still really fresh,” Brummel said. After playing a cover of Rufus Wainwright’s “Going to a Town,” that night — which includes the lyrics “I’m going to a town that has already been burnt down” — Brummel said his neighbors in the audience told him the rendition hit them hard. “It felt really powerful. And without that space, it just wouldn’t have occurred.”

Details

Healing Force of the Universe Record Donation Show
Featuring: Quasar (aka Brandon Jay), Sanglorians (Daniel Brummel) and The Acrylic.
Sunday, Dec. 14; 2 to 5 p.m.
1200 E. Walnut St., Pasadena
Tickets are $15 or you can donate 5 or more records at the door. More info here.

Topline:

The case: In September, the city settled a lawsuit brought forward by two brothers in their 70s who said they suffered serious injuries after an LAPD officer crashed into their car. Days before the $18 million settlement was reached, lawyers for the brothers said Feldstein Soto called an expert witness testifying for the plaintiffs and “attempted to ingratiate herself with him and asked him to make a contribution to her political campaign,” according to a sworn declaration to the court by the plaintiffs’ attorney, Robert Glassman.

The response: Feldstein Soto did not respond to an interview request. Her spokesperson said the settlement “had nothing to do” with the expert witness. Her campaign manager told LAist the city attorney had been making a routine fundraising call and did not know the person had a role in the case, nor that there were pending requests for her office to pay him fees.

What Jurado says: In a statement to LAist, Jurado said she wants to “make sure that the city’s legal leadership is guided by integrity and accountability, especially when their choices affect public trust, civic rights and the city’s limited resources."

What’s next: The motion needs to go through a few committees before reaching the full City Council. If it passes, the motion calls for the city attorney to “report to council in closed session within 45 days regarding the ethics breach violation and give updates to the City Council."

Every year in Santa Ana, Luis Cantabrana turns the front of his home into an elaborate altar in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe that draws hundreds of visitors.

Along the front of the house, the multi-colored altar is filled with lights, flowers and a stained-glass tapestry behind a sculpture of the Lady of Guadalupe. Cantabrana’s roof also is lit up with the green, white and red lights that spell out “Virgen de Guadalupe” and a cross.

Visitors are welcomed with music and the smell of roses as they celebrate the saint, but this year’s gathering comes after a dark year for immigrant communities.

Luis Cantabrana stands in front of the stunning altar he built in front of his home in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe. Every year, his display draws hundreds of visitors.

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Destiny Torres

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Why do they celebrate? 

In 1513, the Virgin Mary appeared before St. Juan Diego between Dec. 9 and Dec. 12, asking him to build a church in her honor. Her image — a brown-skinned woman wearing a green veil with her hands together in prayer and an angel at her feet — miraculously appeared on his cloak.

To celebrate in Santa Ana, worshippers gathered late-night Wednesday and in the very early hours Dec. 12 to pray the rosary, sing hymns and celebrate the saint.

Cantabrana has hosted worshippers at his home for 27 years — 17 in Santa Ana.

The altar started out small, he said, and over the years, he added a fabric background, more lights and flowers (lots and lots of flowers).

“It started with me making a promise to la Virgen de Guadalupe that while I had life and a home to build an altar, that I would do it,” Cantabrana said. “Everything you see in photos and videos is pretty, but when you come and see it live, it's more than pretty. It's beautiful.”

The Santa Ana home's elaborate altar in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe draws hundreds of visitors each year.

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Destiny Torres

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LAist

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Gathering in a time of turmoil 

Many also look to the Lady of Guadalupe for protection, especially at a time when federal enforcement has rattled immigrant communities.

“People don’t want to go to work, they don’t want to take their kids to school, but the love we have for our Virgen de Guadalupe,” Cantabrana said. “We see that la Virgen de Guadalupe has a lot of power, and so we know immigration [enforcement] won’t come here.”

Margarita Lopez of Garden Grove has been visiting the altar for three years with her husband. She’s been celebrating the Virgencita since she was a young girl. Honoring the saint is as important now as ever, she said.

“We ask, and she performs miracles,” Lopez said.

Claudia Tapia, a lifelong Santa Ana resident, said the Virgin Mary represents strength.

“Right now, with everything going on, a lot of our families [have] turned and prayed to the Virgen for strength during these times,” Tapia said. “She's a very strong symbol of Mexican culture, of unity, of faith and of resilience.”

See it for yourself

The shrine will stay up into the new year on the corner of Broadway and Camile Street.