It’s officially “Hot Girl Summer” time. Megan Thee Stallion’s first-ever headlining tour—in arenas, no less—has dominated the last few weeks as the independent, three-time Grammy award winning, chart-topping rapper brings her linguistic charades and twerking parade across the country. Last night in Tampa, the salacious, three-act, 90-minute show found its place at Amalie Arena, inciting scores of her “hotties” to descend downtown.
The uniformity in festive, western,vibes from concertgoers exemplified the 29-year-old as an artist who’s properly cemented her brand into pop-culture consciousness. As a defining figure of the modern rap era, the rapper born Megan Jovon Ruth Pete has earned a wide-spanning fan base with her lyrical dexterity, empowering lyrics, and charisma. Kicking off with much anticipation, Ms. Stallion rose from beneath the stage and with the flicker of the arena spotlight, appeared in unison with dancers flanked on her left and right. Opening with her recent single “Hiss,” her third Billboard Hot 100 chart topper (which made her the first-ever independent female rapper to debut No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200) the show was underway. From there, amongst pillars of flames and heart-stopping lyricism, Megan worked in eight more songs—“Freak Nasty,” “Hot Girl,” and “Cobra” among them—along with an extended dance break in a mere 30 minutes. With energy bursting from both the stage and the audience, the first act proved to be unabashedly fun with Megan’s large, but relatively simple, circular stage, which had cutouts on either side for VIP sections filled with dancing and fist-pumping fans.
The second act began with a dramatic shift in tone. As the music swelled, dancers in hooded cloaks appeared on stage, kneeling in a circle and lifting their arms to behold their leader. Re-emerging from an amethyst crystal cocoon, dazzling the audience in a lavender butterfly bodysuit with matching boots and dripping crystals, Megan Thee Stallion ripped into fan favorites like "Sex Talk" and "Pop It," as well as her most recent single, "Boa.” Throughout the show Pete’s occasional dancing, squatting, and twerking, kept the audience enthralled, proving to be so infectious that fans couldn't resist joining and dancing along.
Returning to the stage for their recent collaboration, "Wanna Be," GloRilla closed out the second act in proper hottie fashion. However, before transitioning to the final act, the show moved into its well-known staple; the twerk off. Here, Megan hand-selected fans to join her on stage to dance and twerk, sending the chosen fans into a flurry of splits and handstands as they gave it their all.
In an energetic finale, dressed in a latex, nude, corset bodysuit, the rapper delivered fan-favorite hits like "WAP," "Body," and the song that broke her into the mainstream, "Savage." The crowd went wild, singing and dancing along, celebrating the culmination of an unforgettable night and an impressive performance from the rapper.
For many artists, it can be a chore to tell a cohesive story that translates to a live performance, but it’s not something that Pete struggles with. In fact, it’s something she excels at. Her ability to connect and tell a story with every aspect of her live shows including the setlist, set production, costumes, choreography, and charisma, is an art form. Megan Thee Stallion has proved that she has found her lane—a massive lane at that—despite controversy and stereotypical discrimination amongst women in the music industry.
Earlier in the evening, Grammy nominated rapper GloRilla set the stage ablaze in a yellow, white, and black cargo-style bikini and pants. Her powerful presence and dynamic setlist energized the audience, setting things off with infectious energy as a perfect prelude to Megan's performance.
GloRilla’s set had a distinct gritty feel, and the pride GloRilla takes in her artistry manifested itself throughout her performance. With fewer pyrotechnics and sparkles than Megan, GloRilla managed to bring out a sense of solidarity in the high-energy audience, making the atmosphere feel like people were at the concert for GloRilla almost as much as they were for Megan.
"I didn’t know Tampa was this lit!” GloRilla exclaimed. "Y'all ready to get ratchet?"
One most memorable moment was when GloRilla told the crowd about her humble beginnings; “if life ever gets you down, hold your head up the f*** high,” as she sang Tamela Mann’s “Take Me To The King” as an interlude to her hit song “Blessed,” which highlighted her triumphs over varying crises in her life.
Megan Thee Stallion setlist
Hiss
Ungrateful
Thot Sh—
Freak Nasty
Megan’s Piano
Gift & A Curse
Hot Girl
Kitty Kat
Cobra
—
Plan B
Cognac Queen
Big Ole Freak
Girls In The Hood
Boa
Sex Talk
Eat It
What’s New
Captain Hook
Southside Forever Freestyle
Ride Or Die
Pop It
Wanna Be
—
WAP
NDA
Don’t Stop
Stalli Freestyle
Cash Sh—
—
Body
Savage
Glorilla setlist
Yeah Glo!
Tomorrow 2 ft. Cardi B.
F.N.F. (Let's Go) Produced by Hitkidd
Lick Or Sum
Big Boogie - Finesse (feat. GloRilla)
Blessed
All Dere (feat. Moneybagg Yo)
On Wat U On
Wanna Be ft. Megan Thee Stallion
Nut Quick
Out Loud Thinking
Uh Uh
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