Beyoncé Receives Cease + Desist Letter Over Cowboy Carter Tour

After kicking off the first round of dates on her hotly-anticipated Cowboy Carter Tour this week, Beyoncé received a “cease and desist” letter from the owner of Las Vegas venue The Sphere, according to a report from The New York Post.

The trouble came from one of the many visuals that played across the backdrop of her show. The video in question shows a towering version of the singer walking over the Las Vegas skyline, pending down to pick up a glowing orb that resembles the Sphere.

The giant version of Beyoncé holds it in the palm of her hand and taps it with one finger in the clip.

Footage of the moment was quickly posted to TikTok, with some users speculating that she might be planning a Sphere residency.

But apparently, the venue itself wasn’t in on this particular planning detail.

The Post reports that Sphere Entertainment Group — owned by James Dolan, who also owns the New York Knicks and is the CEO of Madison Square Garden Entertainment Group — wrote a “cease and desist” letter to Beyoncé’s production company demanding that she stop using the video.

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They accused Beyoncé of “prominently featuring and manipulating imagery” of the venue without asking permission, and accused her of “impermissible use and violation” of intellectual property rights, which “has resulted in significant speculation that Beyoncé will end her tour with a Sphere residency,” according to a letter obtained by the Post.

A source tells Billboard that James Dolan was previously in talks with Beyoncé’s camp about the singer potentially performing at the Sphere. The source says that Dolan was upset to see the video as part of Beyoncé’s tour visuals.

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour is indeed coming to Las Vegas in 2025, though not to the Sphere: She’s booked to play two shows at the city’s Allegiant Stadium in July.