‘Kamala Is Political Beyoncé’: DNC Attendees Not Let Down by Lack of ‘Surprise’ Performance

The biggest surprise of the fourth and final night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention may have been that it came and went without a big surprise performance.

Amid a swirl of speculation and high expectations, prompted by TMZ’s reporting earlier Thursday that pop star Beyoncé would turn up, the DNC concluded with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech followed by a balloon-drop in the Chicago convention center, without any unscheduled surprise musical performance.

Rumors had swirled for days that Beyoncé or Taylor Swift might grace the DNC stage. Other suggestions of surprise speakers, such as former President George W. Bush or former Republican presidential nominee Sen. Mitt Romney, for the final night emerged but proved untrue. Romney quickly dashed any expectations with a post on X: “Contrary to fake news posts, I am not the surprise guest at the DNC tonight. My guess is that it will be Beyoncé or Taylor Swift. So disappointing, I know!”

But in the end, there was no “surprise guest,” as the event unfolded largely as scheduled. Attendees, however, weren’t disappointed. 

“It would have been nice to have Beyoncé here, but it wasn’t about Beyoncé,” says Kristin Broner of Florida, who attended the convention as a guest of delegates. “It was about our democracy. And so her being here would have been lovely, but also we were here to do something, and that was to nominate Kamala Harris to be our Democratic nominee to be the next President of the United States of America.” 

“Yes, it would have been great to have Beyoncé. I mean, you know, I love Queen B,” Broner added. “But this isn’t about us being entertained.”

Speculation that Beyoncé might appear at the DNC was fueled by a series of clues, including a sound check at the United Center that featured Beyoncé’s hit song “Cuff It” and Harris’ use of Beyoncé’s 2016 track “Freedom” in campaign videos and throughout the convention. About an hour before Harris took the stage, Beyoncé’s recent hit song “Texas Hold ’Em” played over the arena loudspeakers as the crowd waved American flags, many cheering in anticipation of a live performance, and some donning rhinestone cowboy hats in the style of Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour outfit.

What seemed like subtle hints, combined with Beyoncé’s criticisms of former President Donald Trump and past support for Democratic causes, led many to believe that her presence was all but guaranteed. Others wondered if fellow chart-topping icon Swift, who recently wrapped up the European leg of her highly successful Eras Tour and was the subject of a fake endorsement of Trump earlier this week, might also make an unexpected appearance.

That neither ended up appearing left many viewers at home feeling shortchanged, as expressed by social media users—some of whom blamed TMZ for being misled, others who joked about what the real surprise of the night turned out to be:

But Democrats in attendance said that it was “probably best” that Harris, whose speech at the convention was a major test after only assuming her presidential candidacy less than a month ago after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, wasn’t upstaged by a pop superstar.

“Beyoncé is everybody’s favorite celebrity’s favorite celebrity,” one person, who asked not to be named, told TIME. “So it [would] take that moment away from Kamala.”

Despite neither Beyoncé nor Swift showing up—The Hollywood Reporter reported that Beyoncé was never scheduled to be there—the convention’s final night still included a high-profile lineup of performers on Thursday. The Chicks opened the primetime portion of the event with a stirring a cappella version of the national anthem, and later P!nk gave an electrifying performance of her protest anthem “What About Us,” joined by her daughter Willow Sage Hart. The DNC, under the leadership of chair Minyon Moore who has sought to engage diverse and younger demographics, also already featured performances earlier in the week by John Legend, Stevie Wonder, and Lil Jon, whose energetic sets have been credited with creating an electrifying environment.

“Kamala is the world’s Beyoncé,” another attendee said of the woman who ended up being the true headliner. “She is the political Beyoncé. What else can you ask for?”