After seeing her open for Britney Spears last year, it was obvious she was headed for a solo tour and almost stole the show back then, in my opinion.
She brought that act to a sold-out crowd at the Chicago Theatre on Pink Monday, July 16. Many of the fans dressed in neon or wore fuchsia wigs, dancing in the aisles and screaming loudly. There has not been that much dressing up at a concert since Katy Perry was in town. The audience was composed of many gay attendees, skewing to a younger demographic in general.
She entered to kick off this first stop on a massive world tour wearing a black hood in front of a castle set, chanting her dramatic song “Roman’s Revenge.” Her budget must have been through the roof and she worked the stairs, giving herself a high-heeled workout throughout the evening.
Her opener, 2 Chainz, returned to the stage for a guest appearance for “Beez in the Trap” that will surely be released as a single at some point.
“Stupid Hoe” was a surprise as a success single, with some tough-to- censor lyrics that may not have been the best example to set with such a young audience.
“Starships” has been the longest-running single of the summer and, live, she proved why.
With confetti cannons to finish the concert with “Super Bass,” Minaj proved that she is ready for even bigger venues. Maybe Britney will open for her one day!
Keep up with the tour at mypinkfriday.com/events#tour and more local concerts at www.livenation.com.