Beyoncé battled rain, empty seats and sky-high expectations as she kicked off the UK leg of her Cowboy Carter tour at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night joined by her daughters Blue Ivy , 13, and Rumi, 7, in a moment of family showbiz theatre.

It was a dramatic, slightly damp start to her six-night London residency, and, yes, there were visible gaps in the 62,000-seat venue - because it’s usually a sold-out affair for the pop star.

More than 500 seats were still available on the day, mostly in the restricted-view sections where fans were asked to cough up up to £71 to glimpse the diva behind a lighting rig. Some seats topped £278.

Still, the show went on - even with a wardrobe malfunction - with Beyoncé sweeping onto the stage in cowgirl chaps and declaring, “We won’t

See Full Page