Pink Friday 2 World Tour

The Pink Friday 2 World Tour (also known as the Gag City World Tour)^[1][2] was the fourth solo, and fifth overall, concert tour by the American rapper Nicki Minaj, in support of her fifth album Pink Friday 2 (2023). With a gross of over $108.8 million based on 70 shows, it is the highest-grossing concert tour by a female rapper and the fourth-highest-grossing tour by a rapper or hip hop artist in history.^[3][4][5]

The Pink Friday 2 World Tour

World tour by Nicki Minaj
Promotional poster for the tour
Location	Europe Morocco North America
Associated album	Pink Friday 2
Start date	March 1, 2024
End date	October 11, 2024
Legs	2
No. of shows	79
Supporting acts	Monica Tyga Bia Skillibeng
Attendance	787,000 (70 shows)
Box office	$108.8 million (70 shows)
Nicki Minaj concert chronology

Consisting of 79 shows across three continents, the Pink Friday 2 World Tour was the most extensive tour of Minaj's career. It began on March 1, 2024, in Oakland, California, and concluded on October 11, 2024, in Elmont, New York. It was her first concert tour in over five years, following The Nicki Wrld Tour (2019), and her first tour within North America in over nine years, with her previous being The Pinkprint Tour (2015). Monica was the supporting act for the first North American leg of the tour, while Bia, Tyga, and Skillibeng supported the second leg.

Background

On June 29, 2023, Nicki Minaj announced her fifth studio album Pink Friday 2.^[6] The album was originally slated for release on October 20, 2023, but was eventually delayed to November 17.^[7] In her announcement, Minaj revealed that a concert tour supporting the album would begin "around the first quarter of 2024". During an Instagram live stream on October 11, she stated that the "approach" and "feel" of the tour would be "very different". She said: "This will be a very different feeling tour, even if you've been to every Nicki Minaj tour that's ever existed".^[8] In late October, she announced that the album's release was ultimately delayed to December 8, 2023;^[9] and that details of the tour would be revealed on November 17 – the previously iterated release date of the album.^[10]

On November 17, 2023, Minaj announced the Pink Friday 2 Tour and released a roster of 40 cities in the United States, Canada, and Europe that the tour would visit in 2024.^[11] A webpage on her website and Laylo, a fan engagement online platform, was made available for fans to sign up for the ticket presale.^[12] Minaj's website crashed for a short time, minutes after her announcement. She stated that "about [thirty thousand] [users]" were on the virtual queue of the sign-up page.^[13] Alec Ellin, CEO of Laylo, revealed via his social media that it "drove the single most site traffic we've ever seen at once" and "hundreds of thousands of fans" signed up within the first hour of the announcement.^[14] The rapper revealed that dates, venues, and the ticket sale for the tour would be announced in December.^[15]

On December 7, Minaj announced the European tour dates via her Twitter account, beginning in May 2024 in Manchester.^[16] Presale for the European dates commenced exclusively to fans who signed up, on December 8, 2023.^[17] Tickets went on general public sale on December 15, 2023.^[18]

On December 11, 2023, Minaj announced the US and Canada dates. The North American leg includes her headlining slots at the Rolling Loud California and Dreamville festivals in March and April 2024.^[19] Citi cardholders were granted presale access on December 12, followed by a Live Nation presale which was held on December 14.^[20][21] On December 14, second dates were added in Boston, Chicago, Amsterdam, and Manchester due to high demand.^[22] Public on-sale for the North America leg began on December 15 via Minaj's website and Ticketmaster.^[18] A second Paris date was added on December 18; it went on sale the day after.^[23] 13 more shows were announced on January 16, 2024.^[24]

A Citi presale for the North American dates and a website presale for the European dates were held on January 16 and 17, before the general sale on January 19.^[1] In the following weeks, Minaj was announced as a headliner at nine festivals across Europe and North Africa.^{[note 1]} The nine slots were added as dates to the Europe and North African leg. On February 8, 2024, Monica announced on The Jennifer Hudson Show that she would serve as the opening act on the North American leg of the tour.^[34] On February 26, a date in Dublin was announced. Tickets for the show went on sale via Minaj's website on March 1, 2024.^[35] On May 24, 2024, Minaj announced a second US leg, including 22 additional dates in the country, beginning in September. Fans were provided access to sign up for the ticket presale,^[36] which took place on May 30, before the general sale the day after.^[37] On May 25, Minaj was arrested in Amsterdam for suspicion of marijuana possession as she was about to board a plane for a concert in Manchester.^[38][39] The Amsterdam arrest and brief detainment resulted in the tour's concert in Manchester's Co-op Live arena being rescheduled to June 3.^[38][40] On May 31, Dutch concert organizer and promoter Mojo announced that the tour's second Amsterdam show—scheduled for June 2—had been canceled "due to the events of [the previous week]".^[41]

On July 7, 2024, hours prior to her Saga Festival slot in Bucharest, Minaj announced its cancellation after having "been advised by [her security team] [not to travel to the city] due to safety concerns regarding protests in the area".^[42] Her decision to cancel the performance was heavily lampooned on social media, as no protest was scheduled for that day. Instead, a protest of accountants against the government's fiscal policies was to take place the next day, following her departure from the country.^[43] Minaj was also criticized for the reason given which suggested Eastern Europe as a dangerous place.^[44][45]

On August 16, Minaj announced rappers Tyga, Bia, and Skillibeng as the supporting acts for the second US leg of the tour, subtitled "Gag City Reloaded". The leg contained an updated setlist and new wardrobe.^[46] Minaj also debuted music from the third and final deluxe version of Pink Friday 2, titled The Hiatus, released on December 13, 2024,^[47] which was originally announced as Gag City Reloaded, during the trek.^[48]

Critical reception

The tour received highly positive reviews from critics, who praised the spectacle of the show and Minaj's overall dominance.

Reviewing the tour's opening night in Oakland, California, Gabe Meline wrote that "Nicki's resurrected herself," praising the rapper's performance after a period of controversy in the lead-up to the tour. The review highlighted the setlist's inclusion of both "smash hits and deep cuts" and Minaj's showcasing of the various sides of her persona, including "inspirational Nicki" and "sex-positive Nicki".^[49] Shawn Grant of The Source highlighted that "Minaj mesmerized over 25,000 fans at the Oakland Arena, setting a new record as the venue's second-highest-grossing single night by a hip-hop artist."^[50] Melissa Ruggieri of USA Today reviewed her tour stop in Monday's Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., writing "Nicki Minaj delivers spectacle backed up by skill on biggest tour of her career," and stated that "Pink Friday 2 tour offers fans everything: Hits, deep cuts, attitude and lots of pink" and that "Still, Minaj is the Queen of Rap for a reason."^[51]

Reggie Mathalone of the Houston Press claimed that the "production value under-promised and over-delivered," with the stage being a spectacle fit for Minaj and her promise of Gag City during the Houston, Texas show on May 9. Mathalone described that where the album truly delivers is "live stage with the incredible performance and production value" and that despite some hiccups, "Pink Friday 2, and all its special guests, are well worth the trouble."^[52]

Hip-hop reporter Armon Sadler of Vibe reviewed Minaj's show in her hometown of New York City at Madison Square Garden, sharing "[she] gave her native New York crowd a night to remember", and that for Minaj, "there's no place like home". Sadler went on to claim that "There wasn't a single dry eye in the arena when Minaj belted "Save Me". You could not find a single silent person when she claimed her destiny on "Moment 4 Life", and later concluded that "[Nicki] has an undeniable love for her fans and a knack for putting on a fantastic concert".^[53] Evening Standard's Emma Loffhagen reviewed Minaj's London tour stop at The O2 Arena, sharing that when the show started, "[Nicki] was the slick image of confident professionalism". Loffhagen also stated that, "At times, the energy in the almost two-and-half hour show did sag slightly – some of the deeper and slower cuts felt a little lackluster in their delivery", and included the fact that "a whopping eight costume (and wig) changes to accommodate Minaj's famous alter egos interrupted the flow a little". However, Loffhagen concluded that when it comes to Minaj, "the Pink Friday 2 tour has proved she needn't worry about her crown shifting. No doubt the London Barbz were left sufficiently gagged".^[54] Dallas Observer's Vanessa Quilantan reviewed the Dallas, Texas show during the second leg of the tour, stating that throughout the show "the mood was high, the excitement was palpable and the vibe was convivial." Quilantan concluded that despite the late start "[Nicki] proved without a doubt last night at [American Airlines Center] that pop culture absolutely needs entertainers like her."^[55]

Set list

This set list is representative of the show in Oakland, on March 1, 2024. It is not representative of all concerts for the duration of the tour.^[56]

1. "I'm the Best"
2. "Barbie Dangerous"
3. "FTCU"
4. "Beep Beep"
5. "Hard White"
6. "Press Play"
7. "Win Again"
8. "We Go Up"
9. "Big Difference" (contains elements of "Beez in the Trap")
10. "Pink Birthday"
11. "Feeling Myself"
12. "Favorite"
13. "Cowgirl"
14. "RNB"
15. "High School"
16. "Needle" (contains elements of "Hold You")
17. "Ganja Burn" (Interlude)
18. "Chun-Li" (contains elements of "Bahm Bahm" and "Darling Nikki")
19. "Red Ruby da Sleeze" (contains elements of "Freaks")
20. "Forward From Trini" / "Black Barbies" (Dancers Interlude)
21. "Barbie World"
22. "Roman's Revenge"
23. "Monster"
24. "Are You Gone Already" (Interlude)
25. "Fallin 4 U"
26. "Right Thru Me"
27. "Save Me"
28. "Here I Am"
29. "Let Me Calm Down"
30. "Nicki Hendrix"
31. "Super Freaky Girl"
32. "Anaconda"
33. "Pink Friday Girls"
34. "Super Bass"
35. "The Night Is Still Young"
36. "Moment 4 Life"
37. "Starships"
38. "Everybody"

Notes

• During the shows in Paradise, Seattle, Cleveland, and Phoenix, Tyga was a guest performer.^[57]
• During the show in Newark, Fivio Foreign joined Minaj on-stage to perform "We Go Up".^[58]
• During the shows in New York City, Washington D.C. and Houston, 50 Cent joined Minaj on-stage to perform "Beep Beep".^[59]
• During both shows in Boston, Bia joined Minaj on-stage to perform "Whole Lotta Money".^[60]
• During the second show in Boston, JT, Bia, Katie Got Bandz, Akbar V, and Maliibu Miitch joined Minaj on-stage to perform "Super Freaky Girl".^[61]
• During the show in Detroit, Big Sean joined Minaj on-stage to perform "Dance (A$$)". Sada Baby joined Minaj on-stage to perform "Whole Lotta Choppas".^[62]
• During both shows in Chicago, G Herbo joined Minaj on-stage to perform "Chi-raq". Jeremih joined Minaj on-stage to perform "Favorite" and "Want Some More". Jeremih performed "Birthday Sex".^[63]
• During the second show in Toronto, Drake joined Minaj on-stage to perform "Needle". Drake performed "Rich Baby Daddy".^[64]
• During the second show in Brooklyn, Cyndi Lauper joined Minaj on-stage to perform "Pink Friday Girls". Kai Cenat joined Minaj on-stage during "Everybody".^[65]
• During the show in Houston, 50 Cent, Kirko Bangz, T-Wayne and Clubgozilla were guest performers.^[66]
• During the show in London, Giggs, Stylo G and Beenie Man were guest performers.^[67]
• During the first show in Manchester, Afro B and Central Cee were guest performers.^[68]
• During the show in Stockholm, 1.Cuz was a guest performer.^[69]
• During the show in Elmont, the final date of the tour, 50 Cent, Sexyy Red, Skillibeng, Skeng, and Young M.A were guest performers; Red performed "Bow Bow Bow (F My Baby Dad)" and her collaboration with Minaj, "Pound Town 2".^[70]

Tour dates

List of 2024 shows^[71][72][73]

Date (2024)	City	Country	Venue	Opening acts	Attendance	Revenue
March 1	Oakland	United States	Oakland Arena	Monica	13,907 / 13,907	$2,340,673
March 3	Denver		Ball Arena		12,731 / 12,731	$1,971,813
March 8	Paradise[a]		T-Mobile Arena		14,644 / 14,644	$2,078,871
March 10	Seattle		Climate Pledge Arena		14,344 / 14,344	$2,078,906
March 13	Phoenix		Footprint Center		12,354 / 12,354	$1,890,824
March 15[b]	Inglewood		Hollywood Park	—
March 20	Atlanta		State Farm Arena	Monica	22,117 / 22,117	$3,586,119
March 21
March 22	Orlando		Kia Center		12,689 / 12,689	$2,139,338
March 24	Nashville		Bridgestone Arena		10,295 / 10,295	$1,255,627
March 26	Charlotte		Spectrum Center		14,704 / 14,704	$2,278,267
March 28	Newark		Prudential Center		12,960 / 12,960	$2,153,537
March 29	Philadelphia		Wells Fargo Center		14,173 / 14,173	$2,337,474
March 30	New York City		Madison Square Garden		13,702 / 13,702	$2,857,908
April 1	Washington, D.C.		Capital One Arena		14,418 / 14,418	$2,396,682
April 2	Baltimore		CFG Bank Arena		11,660 / 11,660	$1,681,718
April 4	Brooklyn		Barclays Center		13,977 / 13,977	$2,219,596
April 5	Hartford		XL Center		11,527 / 11,527	$1,630,643
April 7[c]	Raleigh		Dorothea Dix Park	—
April 8	Boston		TD Garden	Monica	25,463 / 25,463	$3,802,582
April 10
April 12	Columbus		Value City Arena		13,103 / 13,103	$2,108,931
April 13	Milwaukee		Fiserv Forum		11,761 / 11,761	$1,700,144
April 17	Montreal	Canada	Bell Centre		14,145 / 14,145	$1,710,239
April 18	Toronto		Scotiabank Arena		13,671 / 13,671	$1,893,557
April 20	Detroit	United States	Little Caesars Arena		13,534 /13,534	$2,259,691
April 24	Chicago		United Center		27,857 / 27,857	$4,250,318
April 25
April 27	Minneapolis		Target Center		13,392 / 13,392	$1,870,634
April 30	Toronto	Canada	Scotiabank Arena		14,088 / 14,088	$1,703,497
May 1	Brooklyn	United States	Barclays Center		14,120 / 14,120	$2,066,232
May 8[d]	New Orleans		Smoothie King Center		12,342 / 12,342	$1,474,519
May 9	Houston		Toyota Center		11,666 / 11,666	$2,025,277
May 10[e]	Dallas		American Airlines Center		12,764 / 12,764	$2,119,572
May 12	Austin		Moody Center		11,495 / 11,495	$1,859,375
May 13	Oklahoma City		Paycom Center		9,656 / 9,656	$1,298,320
May 23	Amsterdam	Netherlands	Ziggo Dome	—	11,608 / 11,608	$1,346,907
May 26	Birmingham	England	Resorts World Arena		10,859 / 10,859	$1,428,110
May 28	London		The O2 Arena		15,590 / 15,590	$2,306,260
May 29	Glasgow	Scotland	OVO Hydro		9,940 / 10,262	$1,166,038
May 30	Manchester	England	Co-op Live		11,290 / 11,290	$1,358,602
June 1	Paris	France	Accor Arena		13,748 / 13,748	$1,429,138
June 3[f]	Manchester	England	Co-op Live		—	—
June 5	Cologne	Germany	Lanxess Arena		14,522 / 14,522	$1,447,333
June 7	Berlin		Uber Arena		11,587 / 11,635	$1,365,966
June 8[g]	Warsaw	Poland	Sluzewiec Horse Racing Track		—
June 9	Paris	France	Accor Arena		13,585 / 13,585	$1,429,135
June 11	Copenhagen	Denmark	Royal Arena		6,693 / 9,127	$701,383
June 12	Stockholm	Sweden	Tele2 Arena		7,951 / 9,420	$738,452
June 27[h]	Portimão	Portugal	Praia da Rocha		—
June 28[i]	Rabat	Morocco	OLM Souissi
July 3[j]	Milan	Italy	Fiera Milano Rho
July 5[k]	Ebreichsdorf	Austria	Magna Racino
July 6	Dublin	Ireland	Malahide Castle		16,879 / 20,000	$1,706,544
July 12[l]	London	England	Finsbury Park		—
July 13[m]	Frauenfeld	Switzerland	Grosse Allmend
July 14[n]	Liège	Belgium	Astrid Park
September 4	Philadelphia	United States	Wells Fargo Center	Bia Skillibeng	10,376 / 10,376	$1,126,526
September 6	Pittsburgh		PPG Paints Arena		8,588 / 11,030	$873,548
September 7	New York City		Madison Square Garden		10,512 / 11,866	$1,587,182
September 9	Washington, D.C.		Capital One Arena	Tyga Bia Skillibeng	9,848 / 9,848	$1,188,358
September 12	Buffalo		KeyBank Center		7,414 / 7,414	$867,922
September 13	Cleveland		Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse		8,480 / 9,506	$1,108,597
September 15	Birmingham		Legacy Arena		6,748 / 8,000	$803,407
September 17	Dallas		American Airlines Center		6,156 / 6,902	$850,128
September 18	San Antonio		Frost Bank Center		7,007 / 8,427	$923,003
September 21	Los Angeles		Crypto.com Arena		9,784 / 11,537	$1,476,648
September 22	Inglewood[o]		Kia Forum		7,700 / 8,250	$1,093,642
September 23	San Francisco		Chase Center		7,648 / 9,516	$984,757
September 26	San Diego		Viejas Arena		6,038 / 7,434	$770,140
September 28	Paradise[p]		MGM Grand Garden Arena		5,891 / 7,776	$886,430
October 1	Kansas City		T-Mobile Center		7,799 / 9,572	$823,364
October 2	St. Louis		Enterprise Center		8,103 / 10,742	$895,972
October 4	Jacksonville		VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena		8,613 / 10,155	$969,819
October 5	Tampa		Amalie Arena		10,123 / 10,123	$1,251,715
October 6	Miami		Kaseya Center		11,253 / 11,253	$1,482,409
October 8	Raleigh		Lenovo Center		8,026 / 11,105	$909,679
October 9	Columbia		Colonial Life Arena		7,092 / 8,569	$834,755
October 11	Elmont[q]		UBS Arena		13,505 / 13,505	$1,866,590
Total					786,840	$108,801,334 (70 shows)

Cancelled dates

List of cancelled concerts showing date, city, country, venue and reason

Date (2024)	City	Country	Venue	Reason
June 2	Amsterdam	Netherlands	Ziggo Dome	Detained in Amsterdam[77][41]
June 4	Cologne	Germany	Lanxess Arena	Scheduling problems[78]
July 7[r]	Bucharest	Romania	Romaero Baneasa	Protest in Bucharest[42]

Footnotes

1. Labeled as Las Vegas in promotional material.
2. This concert is part of Rolling Loud California.
3. This concert is part of Dreamville Festival.
4. Rescheduled from March 18, 2024.
5. Rescheduled from May 11, 2024.
6. Rescheduled from May 25, 2024, following Minaj's arrest for alleged drug possession.^[74]
7. This concert is a part of the Orange Warsaw Festival.^[75]
8. This concert is a part of the Afro Nation festival.^[76]
9. This concert is a part of the Mawazine festival.
10. This concert is a part of Fiera Milano Live.
11. This concert is a part of Rolling Loud Europe.^[29]
12. This concert is a part of the Wireless Festival.
13. This concert is a part of the Openair Frauenfeld.
14. This concert is a part of the Les Ardentes.
15. Labeled as Los Angeles in promotional material.
16. Labeled as Las Vegas in promotional material.
17. Labeled as Queens in promotional material.
18. This concert was set to be a part of Saga Festival.

1. The nine festivals in the Europe and North Africa legs of the tour were:
   The Orange Warsaw Festival in Warsaw, Poland,^[25] Afro Nation festival in Portimão, Portugal,^[26] Mawazine Festival in Rabat,^[27] Fiera Milano Live in Milan, Italy,^[28] Rolling Loud Europe in Ebreichsdorf, Austria,^[29] Openair Frauenfeld in Frauenfeld, Switzerland,^[30] Saga Festival in Bucharest, Romania,^[31] Wireless Festival in London, England,^[32] and Les Ardentes in Liège, Belgium.^[33]