Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" Tour Sparks Legal Showdown with Sphere Boss, 'Put Our Venue Down!'

The industry already says Beyoncé is bigger than life, so the people behind Las Vegas' famous visual stand don't think she should take that in the actual sense. The music community is abuzz, and not just because of the boom that opened Queen Bey's Cowboy Carter tour at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., but from a legal lasso that had been thrown the singer's way by the Sphere Entertainment Group (SEG). The issue is a larger-than-life tour image with Beyoncé towering over a high-tech Sphere, about as casually handled as a souvenir snow globe.

Fans roared as part of an epic multimedia performance and Mission accomplished. But it also caused some skepticism at SEG headquarters. Say hello to attorney Kathleen McCarthy, who sent a cease-and-desist letter directly to Beyoncé's camp and right to her production company, Parkwood Entertainment.

For McCarthy, the sight of Beyoncé gazing down at and helping to raise the Sphere was not just amazing but unauthorized. "Beyoncé that beast, the size of many orders of magnitude bigger than the Sphere venue, leans over, picks up the venue, and towers over it," she wrote in a voice that sounded not just less like a compliment but more like a setting of opening arguments.

SEG was never asked permission to include their futuristic billion-dollar venue in the tour visual; they are unhappy about the unsolicited cameo, as you can see in an official MGK video for a different song. Even more than the depiction itself, SEG is concerned about the rumor mill working itself into a frenzy. McCarthy wrote that the images have led to "considerable speculation" that Beyoncé is considering a residency at the Sphere, and it's a juicy tale that's been percolating since discussions were said to have cooled down last year.

Now, the company is demanding it all be removed, not only from the tour visuals but also from merch, marketing stuff, anything that could go on any films in the future, or anything tour-related. The message is loud and clear: Parkwood had better stop delivering the Sphere shots or prepare for the wrath of SEG's legal team.

This dust-up is an uncommon misstep, publicly, in Beyoncé's otherwise flawless performance rollouts. Renowned for its controlled aesthetics and surprise album drops, her tour is typically an impervious fortress of branding brilliance. But not even a music industry titan could have missed the little bit of due diligence, such as securing the green light to include one of the most famous buildings in the world in a music-heavy tour spectacle.

As of press time, neither Parkwood Entertainment nor Beyoncé has yet to respond publicly. But as anyone who's ever followed Queen Bey on this planet or any other knows, the Houston native knows how to handle controversy with grace, power, and a remix; maybe people are watching to see how this one turns out. Will Beyoncé top this with an even bigger Sphere, perhaps on the moon? Cowboy Carter is already one ride to remember.