The sold-out crowd Saturday night at Minneapolis’ Target Center was ready and waiting for Nicki Minaj. In the 14 years since the Trinidadian rapper/singer first broke through, she’s become the best-selling female hip-hop star in the world while maintaining side gigs acting in films and succeeding as an entrepreneur.
Somewhat shockingly, the Pink Friday 2 World Tour is Minaj’s first U.S. tour in nearly a decade and Saturday served as Minaj’s debut headlining a Twin Cities arena. Those facts brought an extra charge to the audience, many of whom wore pink, Minaj’s favorite color. With all of that waiting, well, perhaps Minaj thought they could wait a little bit longer.
Despite an advertised start time of 8 p.m., Minaj didn’t take the stage until 10:10 p.m. in the noticeably stuffy basketball arena. If that sounds familiar, it’s also the way Madonna does it. One could make the argument that a musical act with the outsized success of Madonna, or Minaj, makes it worth it.
Well, Minaj delivered a top-notch show with more than 30 songs along with fog, fire, lights and a massive stage that served double duty as a screen flashing custom animations throughout. Even with all that razzle and dazzle, Minaj commanded the attention, and devotion, of the crowd — when she was actually on stage, that is.
For all the attention clearly paid to the concert’s visual presentation and its generous set list, somebody forgot about pacing. In order to facilitate Minaj’s many costume changes, a series of lengthy interludes brought the momentum to a screeching halt. During the first hour, every time it seemed like Minaj was really hitting her stride, one of four interludes interrupted, each seemingly longer than the one before.
After a mini set of songs that showcased her singing, Minaj ceded the stage to her “opening” act Monica. While the R&B vocalist’s time in the spotlight fell way back in the latter half of the ’90s, her voice has more than just held up and her short set had Gen Xers in the audience swooning. When she finished, the crowd had to endure yet another interlude.
Again, when she was on stage, Minaj shined. For much of the evening, she held the posture of royalty, standing in place and making grand gestures with her arms. A backup dancer held her hand and guided her down the two flights of steps whenever she decided it was time to find a new space to rule on the stage.
She didn’t dance as much as one might expect, but when she did, she delivered, like during “Cowgirl” when she swayed seductively flanked by four muscular male dancers in Stetsons. She laid down on the stage and performed “Pink Birthday” writhing and thrusting to the beat and never missing a line. Indeed, Minaj impressed with her fluid, dynamic rapping and her uncanny ability to keep each word distinct, even during the fastest bits.
Minaj noticeably loosened up after the Monica mini-concert when she tore through a run of her biggest hits, including “Super Freaky Girl,” “Anaconda,” “Super Bass” and “Starships.” The latter earned the strongest reaction of the night from the crowd, who walked out glowing, likely to forgive and/or forget about the slow moments.
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