The Pinkprint Tour

The Pinkprint Tour
Tour by Nicki Minaj
Associated album The Pinkprint
Start date March 16, 2015 (2015-03-16)
End date August 23, 2015 (2015-08-23)
Legs 4
No. of shows
  • 26 in Europe
  • 24 in North America
  • 50 in total
Box office $22 million (38 shows out of 50)
Nicki Minaj concert chronology

The Pinkprint Tour was the third concert tour by Trinidadian recording artist Nicki Minaj in support of her third studio album, The Pinkprint (2014). The tour was officially announced a week before the album's release, on December 8, 2014. The tour began on March 16, 2015 in Stockholm, Sweden and concluded on August 23, 2015 in Wantagh, New York, finishing with a total of fifty shows over the span of six months. The first European leg of the tour was supported by Trey Songz and Ester Dean and received mixed to positive reviews from critics, while the second North American leg was supported by Meek Mill, Rae Sremmurd, Tinashe, and Dej Loaf. The Pinkprint Tour grossed $22 million from 38 shows.

Background

In August 2014, when promoting "Anaconda", Minaj confirmed plans of a tour in support of The Pinkprint in an interview with Carson Daly on AMP Radio. When speaking of the tour, Minaj said, "We’re actually going to start the tour at the top of 2015, we’re going to start a European run and then we will back in America for a summer run." Also in the interview, Minaj hinted at a special guest joining her on tour by saying, "I can’t wait for them to find out who I’m going on tour with. I can’t say [who it is], but I know that my fans love this person. It's just going to make sense. I think our fan bases are very similar so I think its going to work out really good."[1]

On December 8, 2014, three days after Minaj received two nominations for the 57th Grammy Awards and a week before the release of The Pinkprint, the tour was officially announced with seventeen dates scheduled across Europe in the spring of the following year. The announcement of the tour also revealed that R&B artist Trey Songz would be the special guest joining Minaj on the European leg of the tour to promote his latest studio album, Trigga (2014).[2]

Development

When speaking of the tour on the day of its announcement, Minaj said, "It's been way too long since I've seen my European Barbz. I can't wait to get back and party with all of you with Trey Songz. We have more than a few surprises in store, and I promise this will be my biggest and best tour yet!"[3]

Pre-sale tickets and VIP packages for the tour were available to Minaj's fan club starting on December 10, 2014, followed by the general public sale beginning on December 12, 2014.[4] Within hours of being on sale, the show at Zénith de Paris in Paris, France on March 25, 2015 sold out, prompting Minaj to add another date in Paris on March 26, 2015 at the same venue.[5] During a Q&A session with her fans on Twitter, Minaj began to reveal more details about the tour, which includes that the European leg of the tour will be extended, the North American leg will be announced in March, and that the tour will also visit Australia and Brazil.[6]

About a month before the tour began, an altercation between Minaj's tour manager, De'Von Pickett, and a local citizen, Pierce Boykin, erupted at a local bar in Philadelphia. The argument resulted in the stabbing of Pickett and another crew member of the tour, ultimately killing Pickett and injuring the other crew member.[7] In response to the tragedy, Minaj expressed her grief mainly through social media outlets such as Twitter and Instagram, but as time passed it was revealed that Minaj considered canceling the entire tour after the incident occurred. However, Minaj stated that canceling the tour wouldn't be the right thing to do. She elaborated by saying "I can’t let anything stop us from putting on the show because that would be quitting. So we’re going to continue the tour in his memory."[8]

On March 16, 2015, the opening day of the tour, Minaj finally announced the North American tour dates along with its opening acts. The North American leg was initially announced with a total of nineteen dates between July and August 2015, however Minaj stated that additional dates will be added as the tour progresses. Tickets started to become available beginning on March 18, 2015 with the exclusive pre-sale to members of Minaj's fan club, which was followed by the general public sale starting on March 20, 2015. Opening acts for the North American leg include Hip-Hop artists Meek Mill and Rae Sremmurd, who will be promoting their latest studio efforts, Dreams Worth More Than Money (2015) and SremmLife (2014), and R&B artists Tinashe and Dej Loaf, who will be promoting their latest musical endeavors, Aquarius (2014) and Sell Sole (2014).[9]

Fashion

Throughout the tour, Minaj has incorporated multiple outfits into the show that correlate with the major themes of The Pinkprint. The show usually consists of four major outfits, each of which stylistically represent different segments of the show.[10] For the first section of the show, Minaj is dressed in black lingerie covered with a black polka dot mesh catsuit, and is supported by an all female group of dancers who are also dressed in solid black mesh catsuits. The second section of the show sees Minaj performing in a gold-dipped skirt with matching thigh-high boots, and a gold bra, while her dancers, now both male and female, are dressed in gold attire as well. The designers of the second segment outfit were later revealed to be The Blonds, who created the costume especially for Minaj to perform in while on tour.[11] The third and fourth portions of the show have seen multiple changes in wardrobe throughout the extent of the tour. For the third segment, Minaj has either worn a frilly black dress or a solid pink dress depending on the date of the show. And for the fourth and final segment for the tour, Minaj's ensemble either consists of a jumpsuit that can be described as looking like "a broken pink disco ball" on the front with an all mesh back, or a frilly pink bra with a shiny tutu and pink lace tights. Marissa G. Muller from MTV described the latter of the two outfits as "50% Barbie, 50% Ballerina", while also adding that Minaj looked like "the prettiest ballerina Barbie of them all" alongside her female dancers who were almost identically dressed. Muller also noted that the outfit was reminiscent of Minaj's look around the time she released her debut album, Pink Friday (2010).[12] Overall, Nadeska Alexis, also from MTV, greatly praised Minaj's wardrobe choice for the tour stating that the outfits were "sexy", "elegant", and "sweet".[13]

Critical response

Europe

The European leg of the tour received mixed to positive reviews throughout the duration of its run. In review of the show in London, England, Nick Levine from NME praised Minaj's overall performance throughout the night. Levine noted that the beginning of the show "seemed detached" and "uncomfortable" with the performances of "All Things Go" and "I Lied", but quickly smoothed out when Minaj was in "full flow, spitting out fierce rhymes on 'Moment 4 Life' and 'Beez in the Trap', slut-dropping to 'Anaconda' and chatting about 'scones and jam' in a ridiculous English accent." He went on to comment about Minaj's versatility by saying that "Minaj is a much better rapper than singer, but because she invests slowies 'Marilyn Monroe', and 'Save Me' with real emotion, a mid-set ballads section is surprisingly gripping." Levine also commended Minaj's personality stating "it's the 32-year-old's fiery attitude that really impresses." Levine criticized an "unnecessary audience participation segment", but greatly praised the final segment of the show comparing the atmosphere to a "New York basement sweatbox."[14] Alice Vincent from The Daily Telegraph gave a differing review of the same show in London stating that "this [the show] was a 90-minute struggle of a set." In opposition to Levine, Vincent favored the beginning of the spectacle rather than the end stating "Her Minajesty was imperious for the first six songs, viciously spitting the quickfire rhymes of 'Only', purring through the languorous reflection of 'I Lied'." Vincent went on to criticize the huge gaps between segments and the finale of the show stating "Minaj mostly felt just out of reach – especially during an overbearing climax of EDM synths and beats, into which she virtually vanished." Overall, Vincent awarded the show three out of five stars stating "In The Pinkprint, Minaj bore her soul: she should have done more of it on stage."[15]

Irish Independent writer Eamon Sweeney was particularly unsatisfied with the show in Dublin, Ireland stating "the production as a whole is flawed. It sorely lacks pace and punch." Sweeney continued to criticize various elements of the show such as audience interaction and the beginning of the show in which he said "lacked spark and pizazz." Sweeney did however commend Minaj's flow by saying "There [were] fleeting moments when she [was] on fire." Sweeney concluded that "Minaj is still an extremely talented performer, it's just a pity that at this Dublin stopover she isn't a brilliant one."[16]

Minaj received four out of five stars from many reporters throughout the European leg of the tour, including Katie Fitzpatrick from the Manchester Evening News, Kirsty McHale from the Liverpool Echo, Lisa-Marie Ferla from the Herald Scotland, and Simon Duke from Chronicle Live. Fitzpatrick greatly applauded Minaj and the overall feel of the show stating "[Minaj's] rapping is on fire" and that "the costume changes are just as exciting as her rhymes." Fitzpatrick also praised the final portion of the show saying it was "irresistibly fun" and that Minaj "had us all leaving the arena still in full flight with joyous abandon."[17] McHale also gave positive feedback of Minaj's performance, versatility, and nature of the tour saying "For all of the outrageous costume changes and dance moves (of which there were many), there were also moments of substance where she showcased her vocal talents, such as 'Save Me' and 'Marilyn Monroe'. And her rapping was flawless all night long." She extended her praise by saying "when you go to see Nicki Minaj, you go to be entertained, and that's exactly what we got."[18] Ferla in particular praised the slower section of the show stating that "'Pills n Potions' featured a breathtaking vocal performance, while Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded's 'Marilyn Monroe' gave me [Ferla] chills."[19] Duke also commended Minaj's versatility by stating "We all know she can rap with the best of them but she also has a rather useful set of pipes with their shining moment coming in the epic 'Marilyn Monroe' from Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded." Duke also highly praised the final quarter of the show and its uplifting feeling when he said "I don’t think I’ve witnessed a more inspired back to back than 'Va Va Voom', 'Pound the Alarm', 'Turn Me On' and 'Bang Bang' – the quartet of chart smashes got everyone in the party mood." He further proclaimed the show was a success and stated "The enthusiastic crowd were sent on their way home with a swagger in their step thanks to a thumping encore of 'Starships' which capped a stellar showing from their idol."[20]

Commercial performance

Shortly after the tickets for the North American leg of the tour went on sale, Forbes reported outstandingly positive ticket sales with high ticket prices on the secondary markets. Jesse Lawrence from the business magazine reported that the average ticket price accumulated to a total of $194 per ticket on the secondary market. Lawrence noted that the price of the tickets on the secondary market were 24.4% more expensive than the tickets on the secondary market for her previous tour, the Pink Friday Tour (2012). Lawrence also mentioned that the most expensive tickets of the tour are for the show on July 26, 2015 in Brooklyn, New York with a price of $380 per ticket, which is 94% above the tour's average ticket price. The second priciest show is on August 16, 2015 in Vancouver, Canada with an average price of $197 per ticket. The two cheapest shows of the North American leg are in Clarkston, Michigan and Burgettstown, Pennsylvania with prices of $109 and $116 per ticket, which are about 43.5% below the tour's average ticket price. Lawrence greatly commended Minaj on the huge increase of ticket prices on the secondary market from her previous tour to her current tour stating that the current tour "has raised the bar for the 32-year-old Queens native."[21]

After the conclusion of the North American leg, Minaj topped Billboard's Hot Tours chart for the week of September 1, 2015. Minaj achieved the top position on the chart with a total gross of $13,010,440 and a total ticket count of 293,036 from seven arena shows and thirteen amphitheatre shows across North America. Highlights from the North American leg include the show in Brooklyn, New York, which produced the highest single-night gross of $1.3 million from 14,186 sold seats, and the show in Chicago which grabbed the largest audience of the tour with 22,700 fans present.[22] Furthermore, North America's leg scored 10 sold-out shows.

At the end of 2015, the tour placed at number 80 on Pollstar's "2015 Year-End Top 100 Worldwide Tours" list, grossing $22 million from 38 shows with a total attendance of 429,672.[23]

Set list

Shows

List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, opening acts, tickets sold, amount of available tickets, and gross revenue
Date City Country Venue Opening acts Attendance Revenue
Europe[30][31]
March 16, 2015 Stockholm Sweden Ericsson Globe Trey Songz
Ester Dean		 15,340 / 15,987 $1,894,687
March 17, 2015 Oslo Norway Oslo Spektrum N/A N/A
March 19, 2015 Amsterdam Netherlands Ziggo Dome
March 20, 2015 Frankfurt Germany Festhalle Frankfurt
March 22, 2015 Brussels Belgium Palais 12
March 23, 2015 Oberhausen Germany König-Pilsener-Arena
March 25, 2015 Paris France Zénith de Paris 6,234 / 6,234 $678,989
March 26, 2015 N/A N/A
March 28, 2015 London England The O2 Arena 17,199 / 17,702 $1,248,320
March 31, 2015 Dublin Ireland 3Arena N/A N/A
April 1, 2015 Belfast Northern Ireland Odyssey Arena
April 3, 2015 Birmingham England Barclaycard Arena
April 4, 2015 Manchester Manchester Arena 9,914 / 10,765 $642,496
April 6, 2015 Liverpool Echo Arena N/A N/A
April 7, 2015 Nottingham Capital FM Arena
April 9, 2015 Leeds First Direct Arena
April 10, 2015 Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
April 12, 2015 Glasgow Scotland The SSE Hydro 8,483 / 8,640 $537,471
North America[32][33]
May 30, 2015[A] Las Vegas United States Caesars Palace N/A N/A N/A
June 5, 2015[B] Austin Circuit of the Americas
June 26, 2015[C] Los Angeles Staples Center 11,998 / 14,744 $1,088,090
Europe[30]
July 3, 2015[D] Lahti Finland Mukkula N/A N/A N/A
July 4, 2015[E] Roskilde Denmark Animal Showgrounds
July 5, 2015[F] London England Finsbury Park
July 7, 2015[G] Nîmes France Arena of Nîmes
July 8, 2015[H] Milan Italy Estathé Market Sound
July 10, 2015[I] Frauenfeld Switzerland Grosse Allmend
July 11, 2015[J] Liège Belgium Astrid Park
July 12, 2015[K] Gräfenhainichen Germany Ferropolis
North America[32][34]
July 17, 2015 Dallas United States Gexa Energy Pavilion Meek Mill
Rae Sremmurd
Tinashe
Dej Loaf		 19,946 / 19,946 $750,272
July 18, 2015 Houston Toyota Center 10,018 / 11,498 $745,687
July 20, 2015 Miami Klipsch Amphitheatre 9,100 / 9,100 $380,436
July 22, 2015 Bristow Jiffy Lube Live 17,834 / 22,583 $644,021
July 24, 2015 Holmdel PNC Bank Arts Center 16,818 / 16,818 $754,035
July 26, 2015 Brooklyn Barclays Center 14,186 / 14,186 $1,313,809
July 28, 2015 Toronto Canada Molson Canadian Amphitheatre 15,185 / 15,185 $735,762
July 29, 2015 Montreal Bell Centre 7,214 / 8,920 $473,681
July 31, 2015 Clarkston United States DTE Energy Music Theatre 15,170 / 15,170 $615,437
August 2, 2015 Atlanta Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood 18,917 / 18,917 $784,294
August 4, 2015 Charlotte PNC Music Pavilion 15,720 / 18,747 $486,170
August 6, 2015 Camden Susquehanna Bank Center 22,597 / 22,597 $748,756
August 8, 2015 Burgettstown First Niagara Pavilion 19,670 / 22,939 $537,595
August 9, 2015 Tinley Park Hollywood Casino Amphiteatre 22,700 / 28,630 $732,677
August 11, 2015 Denver Pepsi Center 10,037 / 12,089 $631,921
August 13, 2015 Chula Vista Sleep Train Amphitheatre 14,389 / 19,406 $471,553
August 14, 2015 Concord Concord Pavilion 12,501 / 12,501 $537,950
August 16, 2015 Vancouver Canada Rogers Arena 10,750 / 10,905 $592,311
August 18, 2015 Calgary Scotiabank Saddledome 8,718 / 10,020 $496,602
August 19, 2015 Edmonton Rexall Place 9,159 / 10,098 $577,073
August 23, 2015[L] Wantagh United States Nikon at Jones Beach Theater N/A N/A N/A

Notes

References

  1. ↑ Daly, Carson (August 4, 2014). "Nicki Minaj Talks With Carson Daly About "Anaconda", Beyonce, "Bang Bang", & More!". 97.1 AMP Radio. CBS Local. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  2. ↑ Szubiak, Ali (December 8, 2014). "Nicki Minaj Announces 2015 The Pinkprint European Tour Dates". Pop Crush. Pop Crush Network. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Nicki Minaj Reveals UK Arena Tour For The Pinkprint". MTV UK. Viacom International Media Networks. December 8, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Announcing 'The Pinkprint Tour' in UK/EU". My Pink Friday. December 8, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  5. ↑ "The Pinkprint Tour: New Date Added at Zénith". My Pink Friday. January 7, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Nicki Minaj Spills Album and Tour Details in Twitter Q&A". My Pink Friday. December 11, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  7. ↑ Zaslow, Alexandra (March 5, 2015). "Man Charged With Murder in Fatal Stabbing of Nicki Minaj's Tour Manager". People. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  8. ↑ McKnight, Jenni (March 6, 2015). "Nicki Minaj EXCLUSIVE: I wanted to axe Pinkprint tour over stabbing death". Metro. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  9. ↑ Walker, John (March 16, 2015). "Somebody Hold Me: Nicki Minaj Just Revealed The Opening Acts For The U.S. Leg Of The Pinkprint Tour". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  10. ↑ Muller, Marissa G. (March 17, 2015). "Here's The First Look At Nicki Minaj's Pinkprint Tour Wardrobe". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  11. ↑ Muller, Marissa G. (March 23, 2015). "See The Original Sketch For Nicki Minaj's Golden Pinkprint Tour Look". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  12. ↑ Muller, Marissa G. (April 6, 2015). "Nicki Minaj's New Pinkprint Tour Outfit Is 50% Barbie, 50% Ballerina". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  13. ↑ Alexis, Nadeska (April 7, 2015). "Dear America — Here's What You've Been Missing On Nicki Minaj's Pinkprint Euro Tour". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  14. ↑ Levine, Nick (March 30, 2015). "Nicki Minaj, The 02 Arena, London". NME. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  15. ↑ Vincent, Alice (March 29, 2015). "Nicki Minaj, O2 Arena, review: 'out of reach'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  16. ↑ Eamon, Sweeney (April 1, 2015). "Nicki Minaj at 3Arena, Dublin review: 'The production is flawed – it sorely lacks pace and punch'". Irish Independent. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  17. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Katie (April 5, 2015). "Review: Nicki Minaj @ Manchester Arena, Saturday April 4, 2015". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  18. ↑ McHale, Kirsty (April 6, 2015). "Review: Nicki Minaj at Liverpool ECHO arena". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  19. ↑ Ferla, Lisa-Marie (April 13, 2015). "Review: Nicki Minaj, SSE Hydro, Glasgow". Herald Scotland. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  20. 1 2 Duke, Simon (April 10, 2015). "Review: Nicki Minaj at Metro Radio Arena Newcastle". Chronicle Live. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  21. ↑ Lawrence, Jesse (March 20, 2015). "Following Friday's On Sale, Nicki Minaj Tickets Nearing $200 Average On Secondary Market". Forbes. Forbes LLC. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  22. ↑ Allen, Bob. "Nicki Minaj, Shania Twain & AC/DC Lead Latest Highest-Grossing Tours Tally". Billboard. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Pollstar Top 100 Worldwide Tours 2015" (PDF). Pollstar. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  24. ↑ Platon, Adelle (July 27, 2015). "Review: Nicki Minaj Takes The Lead And Owns It At 'Pinkprint Tour' Stop In Brooklyn". Vibe. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Nicki Minaj Brings Out Meek Mill in Paris". Rap-Up. March 27, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Nicki Minaj Joined By Jessie Ware To Perform 'The Crying Game' In London". Capital Xtra. March 30, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Watch Chris Brown And Nicki Minaj Perform At iHeartRadio Summer Pool Party". Capital Xtra. Global Radio. June 1, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  28. ↑ Webb, Eric (June 6, 2015). "Nicki Minaj crashes X Games Austin with a butt-shaking feminist party". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  29. ↑ Kennedy, Gerrick D. (June 27, 2015). "BET Experience 2015: Nicki Minaj fails to impress". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  30. 1 2 European leg information for The Pinkprint Tour:
  31. ↑ European leg boxscore:
  32. 1 2 North American leg information for The Pinkprint Tour:
  33. ↑ North American leg boxscore:
  34. ↑ North American leg boxscore:
  35. ↑ Maloni, J. (April 20, 2015). "Nick Jonas, Kelly Clarkson, Shaggy, Echosmith to perform live at iHeartRadio 'Summer Pool Party' at Caesars Palace Las Vegas". Niagara Frontier Publications. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  36. ↑ Frydenlund, Zach (January 21, 2015). "Nicki Minaj to Headline the 2015 Summer X Games In Austin". Complex. Rich Antoniello. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  37. ↑ Mitchell, Gail (June 27, 2015). "BET Experience 2015: Nicki Minaj Brings 'The Pinkprint' Tour to Los Angeles". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  38. ↑ M, Danny (April 3, 2015). "Nicki Minaj To Perform At The 2015 Summer Up Music Festival In Finland". Young Money Entertainment. Wordpress. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  39. ↑ M, Danny (March 27, 2015). "Nicki Minaj To Perform At The 2015 Roskilde Festival In Denmark". Young Money Entertainment. Wordpress. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  40. ↑ Denham, Jess (January 30, 2015). "Wireless Festival 2015 line-up: Nicki Minaj, Avicii and Drake set to perform". The Independent. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  41. ↑ "Nicki Minaj in concert July 7th in the Nîmes Arena". Midi Libre (in French). April 11, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  42. ↑ M, Danny (April 10, 2015). "Nicki Minaj To Perform At The 2015 Estathe Market Sound Music Festival In Italy". Young Money Entertainment. Wordpress. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  43. ↑ M, Danny (April 3, 2015). "Nicki Minaj To Headline The 2015 Openair Frauenfeld Festival In Switzerland". Young Money Entertainment. Wordpress. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  44. ↑ M, Danny (March 20, 2015). "Nicki Minaj To Headline The 2015 Les Ardentes Festival In Belgium". Young Money Entertainment. Wordpress. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  45. ↑ M, Danny (April 28, 2015). "Nicki Minaj To Perform At The 2015 Splash! Music Festival In Germany". Young Money Entertainment. Wordpress. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  46. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 Music Festival Lineup: See Who's Playing the Inaugural Fest!". Billboard. July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
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