Cardi B a hit in SPAC debut
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Cardi B made her debut headlining appearance at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Friday night, drawing fans from all around the region for the show.
The concert, originally slated for Memorial Day weekend, was cancelled and rescheduled for this late summer date as one of the last events on SPAC’s 2019 calendar.
The 26-year- old rapper, hailing from The Bronx, brought two fellow female artists on tour with her Friday to Saratoga Springs as part of LiveNation’s Femme It Forward 2019 event series.
Netherlands native Nicole Bus, once a quarter-finalist on The Voice of Holland, started off the show with a short set including latest reggae-inspired single “Mr. Big Shot.”
Next up, Teyana Taylor took the spotlight. Along with appearing on MTV’s “My Super Sweet Sixteen,” starring in Kanye West’s music video for “Fade” and landing a reality TV series “Teyana and Iman” on VH1, the Harlem-based artist also has her own music career.
Taylor, along with about a dozen dancers, gave a choreography- f ocused performance that progressively became more and more risqué as the evening continued. The singer’s set featured songs such as “Hurry”and “Touch Me” as well as a number dedicated to late rapper Nipsey Hussle.
While these opening acts got the crowd warmed up, audience members were most excited to see Cardi B get on up stage.
The celebrity made her entrance on a large golden staircase, wearing a light blue leotard with feathers and holding a sparkly microphone.
After a few songs, she threw off her heels and went barefoot for the rest of the night.
With a little help from her DJ and dancers, Cardi B cruised through her hits, playing abbreviated versions of her songs.
For Migos’ “Motorsport,” she hopped on a f lashy three-wheel motorcycle on the side of the stage.
Much of Friday’s setlist came from Cardi B’s 2019 Invasion of Privacy, which won Best Rap Album at the 61st annual Grammy Awards back in February.
Cardi B also performed her snippets in other artists’ songs such as Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You,” “Finesse” by Bruno Mars and her husband Offset’s “Clout.”
“This is one of the best shows,” Cardi said to the audience, conferring with her DJ that the concert was among their top three.
The Cardi party ended with her breakout 2017 hit “Bodak Yellow,” for which fans went wild.
Despite including all of her well-known songs, Cardi B’s performance was less than an hour long, and it left some fans wanting more.
“Cardi B’s set was one of the shortest I’ve seen at SPAC,” said attendee Larissa O’Neil of Charlton, who was originally planning to attend the concert in May but had to wait for its postponed date. “However, it was nonstop energy throughout that time.”
Instead of a musical encore, Cardi B returned on stage in her Slides sandals and gave the crowd one last twerk.