2016 Formation World Tour of
The Formation World Tour. "Freedom" was part of the set list of
The Formation World Tour, with the first performance taking place in Miami at the
Marlins Park on April 27, 2016. The song was performed during the concert's closing act, in a large pool of water on the tour's secondary
B-stage. Beyoncé and her dancers performed a choreographed dance, splashing in the water. On the July 7, 2016 show in
Glasgow,
Scotland, Beyoncé held a
moment of silence for Black people in America who had been killed by
police brutality. Behind her, the
'monolith' screen displayed names of the hundreds of people who had been killed by police, including
Alton Sterling and
Philando Castile, who were killed in the previous two days. She then sang an
a cappella version of "Freedom".
Pitchfork's Liz Tracy noted that though the choreography's tone was "serious and powerful given the song's strong Civil Rights message", the way the dancers "splashed as they marched and stomped was also playful—and just incredible to watch, visually".
BET Awards Beyoncé performed "Freedom" with
Kendrick Lamar as the opening number at the
2016 BET Awards on June 26. It opened with a voice-over of
Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 "
I Have a Dream" speech as female dancers marched towards the main stage. For the performance, Beyoncé was backed by dancers wearing tribal patterns, and performed a stomping choreography in a pool of water, similar to the one performed during The Formation Tour. The stage was illuminated by red and yellow lights, and filled with pyrotechnics and smoke. Toward the end, Lamar joined Beyoncé in the pool, where he performed his part and they both stomped in the water.
Time writer Nash Jankins noted the "intense, thoroughly choreographed" performance of the song, with the King snippet, furthered Beyoncé becoming more politically involved in her music.
The Daily Beasts Marlow Stern called "Freedom" the show's "shock opener" with its themes of
slavery and the
Black Lives Matter movement, and noted how seeing the duo perform together was "truly a sight to behold".
2018 Beyoncé later performed "Freedom" during her
2018 Coachella performance, which according to Mikael Wood from the
Los Angeles Times "rode a heavy groove played on sousaphones"; the song then transitioned into "
Lift Every Voice and Sing", commonly known as the Black National Anthem, whose lyrics "depict the trials and triumphs of Black people in the United States from the
Middle Passage to now". The number was subsequently included in the 2019
Homecoming film and
live album. The same year, "Freedom" was performed during the
On the Run II Tour, Beyoncé's second co-headlining, all stadium tour with her husband
Jay-Z. For
Pasadena Star-Newss Kelli Skye Fadroski, the singer "brought down the house" with the number. The song was on the set list for her and Jay-Z's performance at the 2018
Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 charity concert in Johannesburg, South Africa, which commemorated
Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday.
2023 Beyoncé performed "Freedom" on January 21, 2023, as part of
her performance in Dubai.
2024 On December 25, 2024, Beyoncé sampled "Freedom" to transition "
Blackbiird" into "
Ya Ya" as part of her
2024 NFL Halftime Show set list.
2025 "Freedom" was a part of the
Cowboy Carter Tour setlist, with the first show taking place in Los Angeles at
SoFi Stadium on April 28, 2025. ==Credits and personnel==