On August 29th, Megan Thee Stallion performed her first full show following her feature on “WAP” with Cardi B, snatching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, shortly after being #1 for “Savage Remix” featuring Beyoncé. Megan has had an impressive year with record breaking releases, putting on an incredible show at the 2020 BET awards, and co-anchoring HBO Max’s reality show competition, Legendary. Known for her bold unapologetic femininity, she upheld her brand of confident “Hot Girl” energy with supporting dancers, (literal) fire visuals, quick witted lyricism and an unstoppable flow.
Opening up with “Realer,” she said “What’s up Hotties? First day back, Hot Girl Summer is not cancelled, and we in this bitch!” In a mesh body suit adorned with jewels and gems, matching gloves and knee-highs, high heels and a sleek braid, Megan was glittering and glowing. Since she didn’t have a live show audience to invite fans on stage, there were brief intermissions featuring each of her dancers shaking it in their own unique styles. They danced to both new and old hip-hop songs like “Phatty” by CCB, “Salt Shaker” by Ying Yang Twins and “Who’s That Girl” by Eve.
The energy was immaculate. She frequently shouted words of encouragement to viewers and “day ones” to shake their own asses at home: “Turn up! From your house, on your couch! … I need all my Hotties to stand up, wherever you’re at, and shake that ass!” She shouted. During “Simon Says” the lyrics gave listeners clear instructions on how to accomplish that.
In addition to many of her own hits like “WAP,” “Hot Girl Summer,” “Savage” and much requested “Captain Hook,” she also performed several of her guest verses. “Right now what I want to do is get into some of my favorite features from some of my favorite people,” she said. “And I want you to turn the fuck up with me while you’re at home.” She killed her verses on Lil Uzi’s “Pose,” Tyga’s “Freak,” “Nasty” by DaBaby, Young Dolph’s “RNB” and more. Megan brought out her choreography skills for “WAP” when she bounced in sync with her dancers as sparks rained down and the music video played in the background.
“I’m from the motherfuckin’ southside of Houston, Texas…So I had to make a song for all my girls in the hood,” She said introducing “Girls In The Hood.” As if her body language didn’t send a big enough message, her lyrics tell just how confident she is, and that she’s proud of how she’s come up. From “I go shopping by myself so they know I don’t need a n****” in “Captain Hook” to “I think I should be in museums/ ‘Cause this body a masterpiece” in “Sex Talk,” it’s clear that Megan really is on her “Hot Girl shit.” She doesn’t need a man to define her when she’s got her own money bags, but sometimes she likes to spend their cash just for fun.
After “Big Booty,” all of the pyrotechnics and displays went black. The words “THIS SHIT IS EXHAUSTING” were displayed on the screen. In a moment of standing in solidarity to honor names of those lost to police brutality and white supremacy, the screen showed:
“ERIC GARNER, Suffocated to death from a chokehold for allegedly selling loose cigarettes, by the police. July 17, 2014
MICHAEL BROWN, Shot and murdered while walking with a friend, by police. August 9, 2014
AURA ROSSER, Shot and murdered in her home, by police. November 9, 2014
TAMIR RICE, Shot and murdered for playing with a toy gun in a park, by police. November 22, 2014
FREDDIE GRAY, Arrested and brutally beaten to death, by police. April 19, 2015
ALTON STERLING, Shot and murdered for selling CDs and DVDs, by police. July 5, 2016
PHILANDO CASTILE, Shot and murdered during a traffic stop, by police. July 6, 2016
STEPHON CLARK, Shot and murdered while standing in his grandmother’s backyard, by police. March 18, 2018
BOTHAM JEAN, Shot and murdered at home while eating, by an off duty police officer. September 6, 2018
ELIJAH MCCLAIN, Suffered cardiac arrest after being put in a chokehold, by police. August 24, 2019
ATATIANA JEFFERSON, Shot and murdered through the window of her home in the presence of her eight-year-old nephew, by police. October 12, 2019
AHMAUD ARBERY, Shot in the back and murdered while jogging through his neighborhood, by white supremacists. February 23, 2020
BREONNA TAYLOR, Shot 8 times to death while sleeping at home with her boyfriend, by police. March 12, 2020
GEORGE FLOYD, Murdered from knee on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, by the police. May 25, 2020
JACOB BLAKE, Shot 7 times in his back paralyzing him for life, by the police. August 23, 2020.”
These are the names and tragic stories of the unwarranted deaths of black men and women all over the country. She left viewers with one last thought on the screen: “WHY IS IT SO HARD BEING BLACK IN AMERICA?” The dancers on stage began raising their fists in the air.
In a recent interview with NME, Megan spoke about how she is using her platform to be vocal on anti-racism and provide information to those who support Black Lives Matter. “Sometimes being a public figure, you don’t wanna say the wrong thing because you don’t want to be insensitive to people or get too opinionated,” she told NME. “But I will always say what I feel. I don’t speak on things that I don’t know about, and I won’t speak on things I don’t believe in.”
Set List:
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