Nicki Minaj Kisses Meek Mill On Stage

Nicki Minaj didn't waste any time announcing a key point of her Pinkprint Tour at its local debut at PNC Bank Arts Center Friday.

“Yo, I had to reinvent,” she declared at the top of her opening song, “All Things Go.”

True to her word, much of what followed tried — woefully, it turned out — to recast, or at least significantly broaden, the star’s essential persona. Following the pattern of her “Pinkprint” album, her like-named tour tried to move Minaj from her former role — as a Barbie Doll Barbarella — to a woman of flesh and blood needs.

To that end, Minaj opened the show with three ruminative ballads, including the regretful “I Lied” and a yearning “The Crying Game.” Shorn of her more garish make-up, the star appeared in solemn black in these numbers, even if she did sport S&M mesh, a plunging neck line and sky high heels.

Minaj also sang a bit more during this, her third major tour, than at any of its predecessors. Still, on her attempts at bravura ballads, like “Save Me” or “Grand Piano,” she had to rely on a more sure backup singer, or support tapes, to make the vocal elements remotely credible.

As clearly as the star yearned to grow her character, the staging of her event showed barely any effort at all. It presented no intriguing lighting or video enhancements.

It gave its four female, and two male, dancers scant choreography to work with, beyond what you’d find in your more dire strip clubs. And no thought whatsoever seemed to have been given to how the show would move.

During the four main costume changes, the stage fell dark, leaving the audience to talk amongst themselves or mill about. When the fresh frocks finally did appear, they had none of the wit, invention or sass of Minaj’s video get-ups.

Even the staging of one of the star’s most animated songs, “Anaconda,” simply plopped a few puzzling tree stumps on the stage for the dancers to rest their ample rumps upon.

For a star who has shown such imagination in her videos and photo shoots, the inert staging surprised. It almost seemed like an over-correction of her earlier, cartoonish m.o.
Minaj did perform most of her raps dutifully, if rarely with the fire of her most impressive records. Only in a blow-out like “Super Bass” did she display the motor-mouth skills that make her best records a blast.

Luckily, a number of the songs have striking enough beats, and sufficiently fetching melodies, to stand on their own. “Hey Mama” brought Minaj’s Caribbean roots to the fore, while “Turn Me On” tapped the cream of pop-EDM.

For a special guest, Minaj brought out boyfriend Meek Mill toward the end of the 90-minute event. Together, they punched out songs they’ve recorded together, like “Buy A Heart” and “Bad for You,” showing real chemistry.

Earlier in the night, Minaj flashed what may have been a giant engagement ring — a likely gift from Mill. That could be one more sign of her eagerness to change and grow. But if she wants to match her peers in the concert arena, she’s got a long way to go.

Nicki Minaj plays the Barclays Center Sunday.

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