Megan Thee Stallion, GloRilla show love for Memphis during sold-out show: 'I love you, Memphis hotties!'
Megan Thee Stallion's Hot Girl Summer was in full force Thursday night at the FedExForum.
The sold-out Memphis tour stop brought in fans from across the Mid-South to see not only Megan but also Bluff City rap queen GloRilla. The two stars delivered quite a show and much love for their fans — and Memphis.
Prior to the start of the concert, attendees danced and conversed during a DJ set list that featured mostly female rap songs. Coordinated or even matching outfits were the move for night, as many opted to embrace either Megan's Texas roots or GloRilla's Memphis hometown.
Many girl-gangs, sisters and mother-daughter duos dressed up to see the female rappers. Sisters Tuquania Williams and Tuquala Williams "needed a night out" as they gathered in a group of 13 before the show. Friends Keelee Carroll and Erin Fleke drove from central Arkansas to see Megan. “We have been waiting like five years for this moment," they said excitedly.
Megan's set brought the oohs and aahs with multiple costume changes, coordinated dances and, of course, lots of twerking. Megan dominated the stage, and even during lulls in the performance, she kept all eyes on her.
While rapping and dancing through her multitude of hits, the three-time Grammy Award-winner gave some love to her fans by taking photos on their phones and signing her tour merch.
"I love you, Memphis hotties," Megan told fans at one point, and their reception showed they loved her right back.
This is not the first time the hip-hop star has graced the stage in Memphis. In 2019 she performed at Yo Gotti’s annual Birthday Bash at FedExForum and headlined the Beale Street Music Festival at Liberty Park in 2022.
But the Hot Girl Summer Tour marks Megan's first headlining concert tour. It kicked off May 14 in Minneapolis and will take in 30 cities across the U.S. and Europe.
A staple of the show is the twerk off, during which Megan hand selects fans to join her on stage to dance and twerk. Fans gave it their all during the spectacle and received loud cheers and encouragement from the other "hotties" in the audience.
Megan performed some of her top hits including "Savage," "Kitty Kat," "Cognac Queen" and one of her latest releases, "BOA."
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During the set, Megan brought out GloRilla to perform their song "Wanna Be" and after the song shouted out GloRilla for her hometown show.
"Before you go, I wanna give you love in your city," Megan said.
GloRilla is a special guest on Megan's domestic leg of the Hot Girl Summer Tour. The Memphis native, who is signed to Yo Gotti's CMG label, is most known for hits including “F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” “Yeah Glo!" and Tomorrow 2,” a remix collaboration with hip-hop queen Cardi B.
When GloRilla took the stage, FedExForum was noticeably full for the opening performance. The set had a distinct Memphis-like feel, and the pride GloRilla takes in her hometown manifested itself throughout her performance, and the audience picked up on it.
With fewer pyrotechnics and sparkles than Megan, GloRilla managed to bring out a sense of solidarity in the high-energy audience. People were at the concert for GloRilla almost as much as they were for Megan, and GloRilla made sure to shout out her hometown before performing one of her songs.
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"I love y'all so much," GloRilla told fans. "Y'all ready to get ratchet?"
Several guests joined GloRilla on stage, including Memphis-bred rapper Big Boogie, her CMG labelmate.
GloRilla, who was raised in Frayser, told the crowd that she came from "humble beginnings," and if life ever gets you down, hold your head up high.
"I think GloRilla is this next best thing to come out of Memphis," said Marisa Williams, who drove in for a girls night from St. Louis.
Nell Rainer is a news intern with The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter, @NellRainer96433.
Brooke Muckerman covers Shelby County Government for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter, @BrookeMuckerman.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Megan Thee Stallion, GloRilla show love for Memphis at sold-out show
