Beyoncé supports Kamala Harris rally in Houston but doesn't sing

HOUSTON – Beyoncé, accompanied by family and friends, endorsed Kamala Harris for president at a campaign rally at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston on Friday night.

Beyoncé chanted “H-Town” when she took the stage in a black blazer dress alongside fellow Destiny’s Child member and Houston native Kelly Rowland to thunderous applause.

“I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother, a mother who cares deeply about the world that my children and all our children live in, a world that we have. Beyoncé, the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we are not divided,” she said.

He encouraged Texans and people watching across the country to vote before introducing his vice president.

Harris participated in Beyoncé’s song “Freedom,” which has been the theme song of her presidential campaign since its release this summer.

“Everyone here knows that freedom never comes easy,” Harris said. “There has never been a moment of our progress as a country that did not come without a fight.”

More than 30,000 people attended the rally, Harris’ largest campaign event to date, a campaign official said. She was in Texas to discuss reproductive rights and support U.S. Rep. Colin Allred’s attempt to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz.

News broke on Thursday that Beyoncé would attend the rally, and by Friday the event sometimes looked more like a concert than a political event. At 7 p.m., the lights went out as the crowd surged. Participants wore light-up bracelets often seen at concerts by the likes of Beyoncé or Taylor Swift.

But the only live music would come from country music legend Willie Nelson. Fans have been anticipating the Harris-Beyoncé collaboration ever since the rumors failed to materialize at the Democratic National Convention in August. They were excited to see the superstar, but they definitely wouldn’t have been disappointed if she had included a musical performance along with her appearance.

Evening full of stars

Actress Jessica Alba kicked off the event around 7:30 p.m. Before Beyoncé’s statements, her mother Tina Knowles and Rowland addressed the audience.

“We cannot accept a country where our daughters and future grandchildren will no longer have the basic freedom that I have enjoyed most of my life,” Tina Knowles said.

Rowland wore an oversized pinstripe suit with a burgundy tie.

“Houston, you already had a hand in creating destiny,” he said. “Then do whatever you do and do this thing again.”

Nelson, who collaborated with Beyoncé on her latest album “Cowboy Carter,” performed earlier in the evening.

“Are we ready to say, Mr. President?” Nelson asked the question before singing “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Cowboys” and “On the Road Again.”

Election Day is approaching

The rally focused on reproductive rights and featured doctors and women affected by anti-abortion regulations. Josh Zurawski and Amanda Zurawski of Austin described how Amanda’s water broke when she was only 18 weeks pregnant. She had to wait three days until she became septic before doctors terminated her pregnancy.

“I finally came close enough to death to qualify for health care in Texas,” he said.

Senate candidate Allred also took the stage. A recent poll shows his race against Senator Cruz in an almost dead heat.

“Everything is bigger in Texas, but Ted Cruz is too small for Texas,” Allred told the crowd.

There are 11 days left until election day on November 5th.

Contributed by Rebecca Morin

Evening full of stars

Election Day is approaching

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