Nothing can spoil ‘s fantasy world — not even Meek Mill. In Minajland, the world is pink, it’s an unpredictable palette of characters, like an adult-themed cartoon. We the audience are just outside observers as we watch her bound across the stage in various costumes, taking on whatever persona her shuffling mind lands on.
On stage at the in Denver on Tuesday, Minaj showed she is a reckoning force on the microphone as well as in charisma. Bouncing onto the stage to “All Things Go,” there were some sound issues that took away from the emotional dynamic of the song, but she worked through them, heading straight into “Feeling Myself” where her 24-inch ponytail took center stage. Minaj, clad in sheer tights and thong writhed and thrusted, strutted and sauntered around the stage like it was her bedroom and she, in front of her trusted mirror. The concert production was stripped down for the second half of the show for ballads such as “I Lied” and “Grand Piano,” allowing for vice grip control of the stage as she tip-toed around the stage princess style wearing a hot pink mini-ball gown.
It was during the show’s transitions where the different styles of Nicki Minaj fans showed their preference. Her pop singles and Donna Summer breathy vocals for “Super Bass” and “Moment For Life” were all the rage among the young fans and their squealing counterparts, while “Did It On Em” found her more underground rap fans twitching with happiness. She was comfortable on stage, appearing to enjoy the interaction with the fans, saying jokingly if no one knew the words to “Whip It” she would “beat their asses.” Rae Sremmurd made a special appearance in Nicki’s for “Throw Sum Mo” and of course, Meek Mill was the highlight of “Big Daddy.” His presence seemed overshadowed, coming after a wildly dynamic medley of underground mixtape hits that proved Nicki stands alone in her own prowess. No matter, because the two mouthed the words to each other’s rhymes for “Buy a Heart,” and the chemistry of their reported love affair was apparent — though she’s clearly the star of the relationship.
The crowd was in the palm of her hand from the moment she rose from the depths of the stage, ponytail swinging, booty shaking and rhyme slaying. She filmed the audience while “The Night is Still Young,” played in the background before hop-scotch skipping off the stage, vanishing into a cloud of pink smoke, leaving behind only her imprint on the hearts of adoring fans.
