Nicki Minaj, Arena Birmingham - review
You might be forgiven for turning up late to your own gig if, perhaps, you glide on to stage on a giant, glistening unicorn.
Well, self-proclaimed Queen of Rap Nicki Minaj did just that when she brought her 'Nicki Wrld Tour' to Arena Birmingham last night.
Donning a spiked crown on her wavy golden locks, the Greek goddess-themed entrance was nothing short of extravagant but, bizarrely serene.
She glossed over her slightly late arrival, making no mention of it, but her legion of fans bowed down to her anyway as she raced into hit song Majesty.
A relentless barrage of raps ignited her army of followers throughout the set, which seemed to last almost two hours.
The stalls were slippy, no doubt with wasted alcohol, as revellers vigorously bounced in their spots, uncontrollably shaking the stalls all night.
Faithful fans proved their allegiance, spitting lyrics with just as much fire, force and swag as Minaj brought while she paraded her voluptuous figure across the stage in barely-there outfits.
The risqué routines were turned up a notch, if that's even possible, when the Trinidadian-born rapper got unsurprisingly close with her backing dancers for 2014 tune Anaconda.
In a rare moment to the crowd, the star tried her best British accent and said: "I would like to say thank you very, very much for coming tonight.
"What I love about my crowds is the diversity, I love that."
A quick outfit change saw DJ Boof steal the spotlight ready to hit the crowd with a mix of hits. But apparent microphone issues brought a touch of awkwardness to the arena, with Minaj strutting on and off stage as the technical issues brought everything to an embarrassing standstill.
Minutes later, though it seemed much longer, she was back in full swing, with floor-fillers Pound The Alarm, Starships and Turn Me On. A quick hometown cameo from Brummie Lady Leshurr also fired up the crowd.
Leaving her fans with a few words of wisdom before ending with Moment 4 Life and Super Bass, she said: "May you continue to chase your dreams. Know you are beautiful no matter what."
Whatever the latest controversy surrounding Minaj, there's no denying she has a knack for rapping. What's for sure though, her live gigs are certainly not for the faint-hearted.
