Review & setlist: Nicki Minaj takes fans to 'Gag City' during second sold-out night in Boston (2024)

Concert Reviews

The Queen of rap's Pink Friday 2 tour took fans on a glamorous journey through her five studio albums.

By Faith Pinnow

April 11, 2024

Nicki Minaj at TD Garden, Boston, April 10, 2024.

Buckle up, Barbz.

Nicki Minaj took her fans from TD Garden to Gag City on Boston’s second night of her Pink Friday 2 tour on Wednesday.

The Queen of rap journeyed through a 33-song setlist which spanned all five of her studio albums. The show was Minaj’s own “Era’s tour,” if you will, complete with outfit and set changes that made nods towards her evolution as an artist.

The ride to “Gag City” — Minaj’s fictionalized world created by fans who used AI to dream up the Pepto-pink utopia ahead of the “Pink Friday 2” release in early December — was delayed by two hours. Even still, everyone was on their feet ready to greet the Trinidadian-born rapper with open arms.

After an opening set from DJ Boof that featured mid-2000s R&B hits like Young Money’s “Bedrock” and Chance the Rapper’s “Problems,” the crowd was warmed up for the subsequent two hours of dancing.

“This is your captain speaking, please prepare for your trip to Gag City,” Minaj’s voice rang out over the Garden moments before she took the stage. The call elicited a chorus of shrieks from middle schoolers to moms alike, and not a seat was filled by time the lyricist emerged from the center stage floor to sing “I’m The Best,” an OG “Pink Friday” hit.

As the screens behind her displayed images of a pink-saturated Oz-like city, the rhinestone-clad Minaj strutted in between dancers during “FTCU” (decidedly a crowd favorite) and “Hard White.”

The only question to be asked was, “Who wanna play with Nicki?” And last night, BIA did.

The Massachusetts native joined Minaj on stage for “Whole Lotta Money,” which had every fan screaming for Fendi and Bottega. The two twirled around each other before utilizing the catwalk for the first time of the evening. Strutting towards the center of the arena to Russ’ “Best On Earth,” the duo took turns remixing the track before Minaj launched into a solo rendition of “Big Difference.”

Fans got down to “Beez In The Trap” before The Queen went lower, vanishing through center stage for her first outfit change of the night. She emerged to “Feeling Myself,” this time in a black unitard with life-size gold hands appropriately affixed to her chest. Indeed, she did feel herself, showing that at 41 years old she’s staying true to her sex-positive image.

The steamy vibe continued when all four of Minaj’s shirtless male backup dancers joined her for “Cowgirl,” donning leather pants and cowboy hats. The scene, which felt like it was straight out of a Vegas production of Chippendales, had the mostly female crowd gasping for air as they tried to sing along.

A second four-minute-plus interlude caused a mild lull in the momentum of the show, but fans forgave the disappearing singer when she returned from an outfit change in a Barbie-inspired box that read “Harajuku.” They knew what was coming next, as the dancers flanked each side of the set in glowing Asian conical hats. Minaj launched into “Chun-Li,” the bar-spitting anthem that showed she’s still carrying her chip-on-the-shoulder attitude with pride.

“They need rappers like me. They need rappers like me. So they can get on their f—n’ keyboards and make me, the bad guy,” she sang, looking ready for a fight in her bedazzled boxing robe.

Minaj would return after “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” with a full 180-degree twist, this time personifying Barbie for the crowd-pleasing “Barbie World.” The drastic shift was executed seamlessly, and her mod-inspired pink blazer-skirt combo lent itself perfectly to the more pop-inspired hit. The fuschia getup was short for this world, however, and one song later Minaj stripped down to another black playsuit for “Roman’s Revenge” and “Monster.”

A little over an hour into the set, Minaj peeled back her glam exterior for a stripped down “Fallin 4 U” and “Right Thru Me.” She looked ethereal in her floor-length chiffon gown with a matching hood, although appeared encumbered making her way up the stairs where she would perch for the majority of the two songs. There wasn’t a dry eye to be found as fans swayed along, feeling each of Minaj’s raw lyrics.

“If a person fumbles you and you know you’re a great person, then that makes them a f–kin’ fool,” Minaj said as she wrapped up her last song, “Save Me,” of the ballad trio. “And then they spend the rest of their lives stalking you! Send them this particular part of this song so you know — and they know.”

The next 15 minutes of the show was dedicated to Monica, who performed five songs in what felt like should’ve been an opening act. Still, the over-25 crowd loved it and remained on their feet as the 43-year-old R&B artist sang a stellar five-song set. Dancing in and out of the spotlight to “So Gone” and “Before You Walk Out of My Life,” she glowed for TD Garden in an all-white ensemble.

While the energy undoubtedly reached a serious low as fans watched the crew assemble a train-like structure on the stage, Minaj brought it back to life with a group rendition of “Super Freaky Girls” that brought BIA back.

“I just wanna say, to everyone that’s been riding out with me for years and years, that I love you. I will always remember tonight. I will always remember the feeling in this room. I’ll never forget it.” Minaj said before “Moment 4 Life” started, drowned out by the loudest screams of the night.

Ready to bring it home with a string of classics, Minaj resumed her solo act and brought the house down with songs like “Anaconda,” “Super Bass” and “Starships.” It induced the type of care-free dancing that was reminiscent of bar mitzvah dance floors circa 2012.

The Barbz weren’t ready to leave Gag City when the clock struck midnight, but Minaj finished off her show with a banger, singing each word of “Everybody” with the same conviction and power she hit the stage with two hours before. On her first tour in eight years, Minaj proved — again — she still wears the crown.

Setlist for Nicki Minaj at TD Garden on April 10, 2024

1. “I’m the Best”
2. “Barbie Dangerous”
3. “FTCU”
4. “Hard White”
5. “Win Again”
6. “We Go Up”
7. “Big Difference”
8. “Beep Beep”
9. “Pink Birthday”
10. “Feeling Myself”
11. “Favorite”
12. “Cowgirl”
13. “High School”
14. “Needle”
15. “Chun-Li”
16. “Red Ruby Da Sleeze”
17. “Barbie World”
18. “Roman’s Revenge”
19. “Monster”
20. “Fallin 4 U”
21. “Right Thru Me”
22. “Save Me”
23. “Here I Am”
24. “Let Me Calm Down”
25. “”Nicki Hendrix”
26. “Super Freaky Girl”
27. “Anaconda”
28. “Pink Friday Girls”
29. “Super Bass”
30. “The Night Is Still Young”
31. “Moment 4 Life”
32. “Starships”
33. “Everybody”