Welcome to Bey town! Fans line up and dress up for Renaissance Tour in Minneapolis

Huntington Bank Stadium hasn't seen this much silver since the Detroit Lions played the Vikings there in 2015. And there was a lot more excitement in this case.

Fans decked out in opulent, shiny outfits befitting a queen took over Huntington Bank Stadium on Thursday — "Bey Day" in Minneapolis, according to a proclamation from Mayor Jacob Frey. Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour arrived in town with a buzz and a fashion display second only to Taylor Swift's own megatour touchdown last month at U.S. Bank Stadium.

In many of these fans' painted and bejeweled eyes, this one was actually the biggest show of summer — never mind Swift drew a bigger crowd two nights in a row than the roughly 35,000 people on hand for Thursday's concert by the hitmaker of "Single Ladies," "Crazy in Love" and "Halo."

"Beyoncé is the most talented female performer out there, period," said Izzy Gardner, 21, of Stillwater, who lined up at 3 p.m. wearing a glittery mesh dress.

Standing in line behind Gardner minutes before the gates opened at 5 p.m. — more than three hours ahead of showtime, with no opening act — Brandon Lem of Burnsville echoed the vote for Queen Bey's superiority.

"She checks all the boxes you want in a performer: voice, body, energy," said Lem, 38, who was glad Thursday's concert also checked one more box.

"I'm happy it's outside. It just seems more fun, more of an event."

The last major concert at the University of Minnesota's football palace actually was Beyoncé in 2016. That's the year the Vikings left Huntington Bank Stadium — then named for TCF Bank — after two interim seasons awaiting the completion of U.S. Bank Stadium.

Since then, tour promoters such as Beyoncé's big backer Live Nation have banked on the Vikings' new stadium over the Gophers', which holds around 15,000 or more people for concerts and has a roof to shield from bad weather.

Beyoncé gave U.S. Bank Stadium a chance in 2018, when she played there on a "co-headlining" tour with her husband Jay-Z (everyone knew there was really only one headliner). But she purportedly wanted a summery vibe on her Renaissance Tour. Thus came her return to the site of her well-received 2016 performance.

After watching the 2016 show from high up in the upper decks, Kathreen Smith of St. Anthony ponied up a lot more money to be on the floor Thursday.

"She shines a light on Black culture, and is such a positive force, I'm happy to support her," said Smith, wearing a white spangle-covered mini-dress.

Unlike with Swift's concerts, ticket prices for Beyoncé actually declined in the days leading up to the concert, with upper-level seats down to $50 and lower-level seats around $125 via Ticketmaster. However, the tickets nearest the stage went for more than $500 and went up to more than $3,000 for VIP options.

Amira and Malikah Stafford, sisters from Atlantic City, flew into Minneapolis for the concert because tickets were much more affordable than at the Philadelphia concert nearest them.

"She's an iconic figure I've looked up to for so many years," said Amira Stafford, 26. "I didn't want to miss this tour."

Inside the stadium, fans waited until the sun set behind the looming video backdrop for the star of the show to rise from under the mega-sized main stage, which had a circular runway sticking out from it deep into the crowd.

"Minneapolis, I love you," she said as she launched into "Dangerously in Love." Several more ballads followed for a long, mellow start, including "Flaws and All," "1 + 1," and a downcast cover of "River Deep, Mountain High" in honor of Tina Turner, who died in May. The queen lovingly took note of her court before that one.

"I want to thank you all for dressing up," Beyoncé said, wearing a bodysuit coated in — what else? — silver. "Y'all look so beautiful."