The Milwaukee Barbz who sold out Fiserv Forum had waited 13 years for this night – so in the grand scheme of things, they could wait 53 minutes longer.
For the first time in her illustrious career, Nicki Minaj headlined a concert in Milwaukee on Saturday. The show, part of her “Pink Friday 2” tour, came 13 years after her only performance in the city, opening for Britney Spears at Summerfest.
She was supposed to take the stage at the Milwaukee Bucks arena at 9 p.m., an hour after her longtime friend DJ Boof’s set. But he didn’t take the stage himself until 9 p.m., and the lights didn’t go down for Minaj’s set until 9:53 p.m.
But every Barb (for the uninitiated, Minaj’s fan nickname) in attendance would probably tell you that her tardiness wasn’t frustrating, but fashionable.
It was, in terms of numbers, the most ornate concert audience this city has seen since Lady Gaga more than a decade ago. Barbie Dreamhouse dominated shirts, dresses, makeup, cowboy hats, fur jackets and much more. There was probably nothing that could have crushed the spirit of an explosive crowd that Boof accurately called “Ratchet” at the start of his set.
But when Minaj finally ascended to the top of a dramatic three-tiered stage dominated by a video wall, she gave her patient Milwaukee fans the electrifying spectacle they long deserved — and cemented her reign as queen rap.
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And she did so instantly with “I’m The Best,” the first of 30 songs she tackled during her one-hour, 46-minute set Saturday. Wearing a metallic armor-like top with pom-poms on the shoulders, her waist wrapped in lush white fabric, Minaj pronounced her imposing, puffy chest lines with minimal physical inertia – much like Darth Vader defeating a subordinate with just a light squeeze of her hand – her body trembling and bursting ever so subtly, as if she were a cyborg come to life.
It was a fitting image for an artist who often seemed so perfect. She didn’t sweat “I’m the best”; she didn’t sweat at all on Saturday.
That didn’t happen during a sultry solo routine for “Feeling Myself,” sequin-adorned mic and stand in hand, that featured her delivering a jaw-dropping verse amidst twisting and writhing. flip the hair. That didn’t happen every time she briefly reunited with her eight dancers, most notably for the track “Cowgirl” from “Pink Friday 2,” which fits perfectly with Beyoncé’s current domination of pop culture.” Cowboy Carter.”
Minaj’s eight dancers delivered some of the most demanding choreography staged in a Milwaukee arena in recent years, but the jaw-dropping spectacle didn’t stop there. The animation on “Blade Runner’s” towering video screens, transformed into animated cityscapes, serene surreal waters and cotton candy pink clouds, was an extension of the fan-created digital utopia “Gag City” and generated by AI. The pre-recorded songs were enhanced by live drums and keyboards, and a breathtaking backing vocalist who made understated but striking appearances beginning with “Right Thru Me” 21 songs into the set.
And there were Minaj’s outfits, which were vibrant extensions of her personality — or more accurately, her personalities.
There was a ’50s-style pink costume for “Barbie World” from the “Barbie” soundtrack, with Minaj matching the aesthetic with doll-like moves, wide-eyed childish exuberance and happy calls of “Hi Barbie” à la Greta. Gerwig’s blockbuster. For the merciless “Chun Li,” she wore a boxer dress, then quickly changed moments later into an ornate green kimono for “Red Ruby Da Sleeze.”
And there was a stunning pink Versace dress that Minaj wore for a rare set of vulnerable songs that seemed to come straight from the Met Gala, and a set of wigs – including one with this dress that made Minaj look like a Stepford wife, a two-tone flowy hairpiece with hot pink on one side and red on the other – it was just as memorable.
All of these snappy touchpoints suited Minaj, who precisely and vividly proclaimed during “Feeling Myself” Saturday that she not only has punchlines and flow, but also an empire. And at the heart of that empire is a groundbreaking artist – an undeniably polarizing artist, with her share of controversies – who nevertheless changed music as we know it, who left a lasting legacy, who created a safe place for women, for the LGBTQ community, who may not have always felt welcome at the testosterone-rich hip-hop party.
All of this was clear at Fiserv Forum on Saturday, as was the talent that made it all possible. From her verse on Kanye West’s “Monster” to her rendition of “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” on “Pink Friday 2,” Minaj Saturday has demonstrated a versatility of voice perhaps only rivaled by Kendrick Lamar, changing her pace and tone so quickly, seamlessly and brilliantly, it was almost as if Minaj was in a rap battle with herself. Although she reserved some space for the Barbz to accompany throughout the set, Minaj didn’t call him out once – and the queen of rap demonstrated during “Save Me” that she had also a surprisingly soulful voice when singing live.
It all culminated with Minaj, hair down and in her most casual look in ripped jeans and a white top, leading her fans through an explosive and exuberant journey of her biggest hits – her first Billboard Hot 100 hit “Super Freaky Girl. ‘, the Sir Mix-a-Lot-sampling “Anaconda”, “Pink Friday” crushes “Super Bass”, “Moment 4 Life” and “Starships” – with the pyro, animations and dancers all working overtime.
But it was Minaj’s passion and personality that shone brightest.
And just minutes after leaving the stage on Saturday, Minaj, one of our most social media-savvy superstars (and one of the main reasons the Barbz are among pop music’s most devoted fans), hopped on X to share his feelings about this evening.
“#GagCityMilwaukee, you just left a LASTING IMPRESSION on me,” she posted. “Thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much. Wow.”
Arguably, for the Milwaukee Barbz, the feeling was mutual. And I hope Minaj gives Milwaukee another chance to make another lasting impression.
3 takeaways from Nicki Minaj’s Milwaukee concert, including special guest Monica
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If I had one gripe with Minaj’s Milwaukee show (besides the late start), I have to admit that the video interludes, longer than usual, sapped a bit of the momentum. That said, if they had to be this long to give Minaj enough time to nail her dynamic look, then they were justified.
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Minaj didn’t say much to the crowd between songs for much of the show — and, unlike Drake during his long-delayed debut in Milwaukee last year, she didn’t seem to acknowledge the importance of this leg of the tour. But she did offer some pearls of wisdom later in the series. Among them: “Don’t waste another minute of your life worrying about people who don’t worry about you.”
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Monica was on the bill at Minaj’s concert in Milwaukee – but she wasn’t opening. Instead, like what Drake did with guest 21 Savage last year, the R&B veteran showed up in the middle of the night for a 16-minute set to sing “U Should’ve Known Better” and ” So Gone.” Considering Minaj’s slower songs that preceded it, Monica’s appearance wasn’t that shocking. And while the Barbz didn’t really need a warm-up on Saturday, it was a gracious gesture to let Monica take the stage while the crowd was already roaring instead of at the start.
Nicki Minaj’s Fiserv forum setlist
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“I’m the best”
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“Dangerous Barbie”
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“FTCU”
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“Beep beep”
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“Hard white”
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“Press PLAY”
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“We’re going up.”
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“Big difference”
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“Pink Birthday”
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” Feel “
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“Favorite”
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“Cowgirl”
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“High school”
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“Needle”
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“Chun Li”
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“Ruby Red Da Sleaze”
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“Barbie’s World”
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“Roman Revenge”
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“Monster”
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“Fall 4 U”
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“Right through me”
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“Save me”
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“Let me calm down.”
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“Super Freaky Girl (Queen Mix)”
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“Anaconda”
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“Super bass”
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“The night is still young”
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“Moment 4 Life”
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“Spaceships”
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“Everyone”
Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or [email protected]. Follow him on @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.
This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Nicki Minaj’s first headlining show in Milwaukee is more than worth the wait
