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Lil Nas X Dazzles With ‘Montero’ Tour Opener In Detroit

Lil Nas X reminded the Detroit audience a couple of times that this was his first-ever tour.

By Gary Graff

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Lil Nas X turned a small catalog (to date) into a big show as he opened his first-ever concert tour on Tuesday night (Sept. 6) at the Fox Theatre in Detroit .

Over 65 minutes, three acts and more than a dozen songs, the Long Live Montero Tour production was designed to dazzle — no surprise, really, to anyone who’s seen the Georgia-born hitmaker’s extravagant performances for awards shows and other events.

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It was designed to be, as he wrote in the Playbill-style program handed out to fans, “a play about me, starring me as me, with music by me…about my journey, what I’ve been through, me being out of breath while performing and my aspirations to continue on my path in life.”

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Coach creative director Stuart Vevers added in his own note that “the looks we created together explore tensions between past, present and future…a reflection how inspiring individuals like Montero (Hill, Lil Nas X’s birth name) are defining (and redefining) our American story for today — and a celebration of the optimism for the future we share.”

That high concept was acted out by Lil Nas X and eight dancers with an elaborate video production on a three-panel screen behind the stage.

The show, which was moved from the smaller Fillmore Detroit due to high ticket demand, moved briskly from segment to segment, narrated by The Wizard of Naz, a woman whose image was beamed onto the curtain between the show’s three acts (“Rebirth,” “Transformation” and “Becoming”). Meanwhile, the instrumental music and some voices, including Doja Cat’s feature on “Scoop,” were all recorded to track.

Introduced as “one of those special souls,” Lil Nas X got things started alone on stage with “Panini,” sporting the first of six outfits — shirtless with gold pants — before the dancers joined him for some precise and athletic choreography.

Production numbers with titles such as “A Visit From a Friend” and a dance interpretation accompanied by Beyonce’s “Pure/Honey” flitted between songs from his EP  (7)  and 2021 album  Montero , with the song selection heavy on big hits. “Old Town Road” was paired with “Rodeo,” “Sun Goes Down,” “That’s What I Want” and “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” while the set also slotted in deeper cuts such as “Don’t Want It,” “Tales of Dominica” and “Lost in the Citadel.”

Lasers and smoke jets accented a few of the songs, while a Coach-designed horse, operated by a couple of the dancers, accompanied him on stage for the beginning of “Old Town Road.” Lil Nas later donned a pair of giant butterfly wings briefly during “Call Me By Your Name” — after which scores of animated Lil Nas X butterflies flitted around the video screen.

At the end of Act Two, an elaborately staged short film titled “You Are Going to Hell” addressed the spiritual homophobia he encountered in his life.

The emphasis, however, was on performance and precision, whether it was the cowboy-themed routine of “Old Town Road”/”Rodeo” or the exuberant expositions of “That’s What I Want” and “Scoop.”

He reminded the Detroit audience a couple of times that this was his first-ever tour, and during “Down Souf Hoes” ordered the crowd to “get the f*** up and shake your ass or you’re gonna be escorted out of the building.”

He was loose enough to crack, “Who’s of legal age here and wants to f***” before quickly adding “no, no, that’s a joke” and following up with a self-effacing borscht-belt styled “What’s the deal with airline food?”

“Industry Baby” closed the main set and “formal” part of the show in a muscular, full-length rendition while confetti blasted over the crowd’s heads, and Lil Nas X encored with the recent “Star Walkin’,” which was received as enthusiastically as any of the evening’s other songs.

The Long Live Montero Tour continues Wednesday night (Sept. 7) back at the Fox Theatre and continues with 20 more shows — including an Atlanta homecoming Sept. 27-28 — through Oct. 23 in San Francisco. The seven-date European leg of the tour begins Nov. 8 in Amsterdam.

Lil Nas X’s full opening night setlist included: “Panini” “Tales of Dominica” “Sun Goes Down” “Old Town Road”/”Rodeo” “Dead Right Now “Don’t Want It” “That’s What I Want” “Lost in the Citadel” “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” “Down Souf Hoes” “Scoop” “Industry Baby” Encore: “Star Walkin'”

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Entertainment | Lil Nas X opens first-ever tour with Fox…

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Entertainment | lil nas x opens first-ever tour with fox theatre spectacle.

Lil Nas X reminded fans at Detroit’s Fox Theatre Tuesday night, Sept. 6, a couple of times that it was the first concert of his first-ever tour.

But as anyone who’s seen the Grammy Award-winning rapper-singer perform at televised awards shows and other events, the guy does know his way around a stage.

So it was an assured if slightly nervous Lil Nas X (nee Montero Hill) who kicked off his Long Live Montero Tour with an action-packed 65-minute show that fused conventions of theatrical experience and club-style banger that had fans at the Fox — where his two dates were moved from the Fillmore Detroit due to high ticket demand — dancing from the general admission orchestra pit to the last rows of the balconies, even to relatively new fare such as the encore “Star Walkin’.”

The concert — which began an hour after its advertised 7:30 start time — was certainly high on ambition and concept. “You will see me in a play about me,” Lil Nas X wrote in the Playbill-style program handed out at the venue, “starring me as me, with music by me…about my journey, what I’ve been through, me being out of breath while performing and my aspirations to continue on my path in life.” And through a combination of tight choreography and filmed and animated imagery the 23-year-old, accompanied by eight dancers (all of the instrumental music and some voices were on pre-recorded tracks) told his story of challenges and redemption, coming to terms with and finally reveling in his sexuality. The tale was divided into three acts (“Rebirth,” “Transformation,” “Becoming”) and narrated by a filmed female narrator dubbed The Wizard of Naz, who offered a few plot points between them.

The theme was seldom heavy-handed, however, save for a “You Are Going to Hell,” a short depicting religious homophobia, and some sexually semi-explicit dance routines. There was plenty for those so inclined to absorb, but fans who just wanted to see Lil Nas X shake it could just as easily immerse in a party that started with him bare-chested and sporting gold pants during “Panini.” He led the entourage through hits such as a pairing of “Old Town Road” and “Rodeo” (which included a bit of the Black Eyed Peas’ “Pump It,” “Sun Goes Down,” “That’s What I Want,” “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and “Industry Baby,” and he also offered some deep digs like “Tales of Dominica,” “Don’t Want It” and “Lost in the Citadel.” Beyonce’s “Pure/Honey,” meanwhile, provided the soundtrack for one of the dance production numbers.

There was, also not surprisingly, plenty of visual dazzle, from Lil Nas X’s six outfits to some light props — a bed, a divan and a Coach-designed horse at the start of “Old Town Road” — and lasers, smoke jets and confetti. But the focus was primarily on performance, with Lil Nas X in commanding voice (though often buried in the bottom-heavy mix) as muscular as the torso he bared during most of the show. During “Down Soul Hoes” he commanded the Fox crowd to “get the…up and shake your ass or you’re gonna be escorted out of the building” and cracked a couple of Borscht Belt style jokes, but he kept talk to a minimum while concentrating on the choreography and sonic cues.

By the time he got to “Star Walkin'” the mood was triumphant and somewhat relieved while clear Lil Nas X had taken a new step in a career that’s already been feted not only by the Grammys but also by Time and Forbes magazines. Montero, as the show established, is already living large and has a pretty fair chance of living long, too.

Tickets are still available for Lil Nas X’s second show, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com .

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Entertainment

Lil Nas X Announces Long Live Montero , His First Headlining Tour

The two-month trek will take him across North America and Europe.

It’s hard to grasp that Lil Nas X, who’s seemingly been famous for a long while, has never headlined his own tour. Coming up during a pandemic, the star has brought down countless award show stages but virtually none of his own. That’ll be changing this fall as he makes his touring debut with Long Live Montero , his first-ever tour that will take him across North America and Europe to ballrooms and auditoriums along the way.

Long Live Montero will kick off its two-month run in September at The Fillmore in Detroit. While there aren’t many musicians who can claim filling out New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on their first tour, Lil Nas X will be one of the few as he plays the iconic venue on September 20, alongside other legendary settings across the U.S.

At the top of November, Lil Nas X will venture to Europe for the last leg of his tour. He’ll have performances in the Netherlands, Germany, the U.K., France, and Belgium, before ending his run in Barcelona, Spain at the Sant Jordi Club.

Long Live Montero will be in support of his 2021 debut album, Montero , and the slew of excellent singles it spawned including “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” “Industry Baby,” and “That’s What I Want.” For everything we know about attending Long Live Montero , including the full tour schedule, dates, and how to score tickets, read on.

Where is the 2022 Long Live Montero tour playing?

For his touring debut, X will be playing theaters, ballrooms, and auditoriums throughout the U.S. and Europe. His international run kicks off on September 6 in Detroit, MI at The Fillmore, and concludes on November 17, in Barcelona, Spain at the Sant Jordi Club.

See the full Long Live Montero tour schedule below.

North American Dates

• Tue Sep 06 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore
• Sat Sep 10 - Chicago, IL - Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
• Thu Sep 15 - Toronto, ON - HISTORY
• Sun Sep 18 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway
• Tue Sep 20 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
• Thu Sep 22 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met
• Sun Sep 25 - Washington, DC - The Anthem
• Tue Sep 27 - Atlanta, GA - Coca-Cola Roxy
• Sat Oct 01 - Nashville, TN - Nashville Municipal Auditorium
• Mon Oct 03 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
• Tue Oct 04 - Miami, FL - James L Knight Center
• Tue Oct 18 - Los Angeles, CA - YouTube Theater
• Fri Oct 21 - Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Federal Theatre
• Sun Oct 23 - San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

European Dates

• Tue Nov 08 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - AFAS Live
• Wed Nov 09 - Berlin, Germany - Max-Schmeling Halle
• Thu Nov 10 - Hamburg, Germany - Sporthalle
• Sat Nov 12 - London, U.K. - Eventim Apollo
• Mon Nov 14 - Paris, France - Zenith
• Tue Nov 15 - Brussels, Belgium - Palais 12
• Thu Nov 17 - Barcelona, Spain - Sant Jordi Club

Who is opening on the Long Live Montero tour?

At this time, there are no confirmed openers for tour.

How to buy tickets to the Long Live Montero tour

Tickets for all North American shows go on sale to the general public starting Friday, April 29 at 10 a.m. local time via Lil Nas X’s website . All tickets for European dates go on sale on Friday, May 6 at 10 a.m. local time.

Lil Nas X is also teaming up with Cash App for an exclusive ticket presale opportunity for fans. Starting Wednesday, April 27 at 10 a.m. local time through Thursday, April 28, 10 p.m., new and existing Cash App users can use the first nine digits of their Cash Card to purchase presale tickets on Ticketmaster. The tickets must also be purchased using the Cash Card. New users can download Cash App and sign up for a free Cash Card on Cash App’s website .

Lil Nas X Just Announced His First Tour, And I'm "Dead Right Now"

The presale starts so soon.

Lil Nas X is officially coming to a city near you. On April 26, the “Industry Baby” singer announced he’ll be hitting the road later this year on the Long Live Montero Tour , which will see him perform in 21 different cities across North America and Europe.

The star shared the exciting announcement on social media in the most Lil Nas X way possible by tossing out some jokes. “I’m having my very first tour, and all of [you] better come or I will cry on Instagram Live,” he tweeted. Meanwhile, over on Instagram, he wrote, “WELCOME, LONG LIVE MONTERO TOUR! 🦋💙🌃 and [you] better come. Or don’t IDC lol...JK I do care please come ok? Deal?”

It’s been a busy year for Lil Nas X. His tour announcement comes just over a month after he returned to social media on March 16. To celebrate his return, the singer revealed he’s planning on releasing a new album and even teased his project. In an Instagram video, he shared a snippet of a new song seemingly called “Lean On My Body.”

Lil Nas X then made his big comeback performance at the 2022 Grammys, where he performed hits off his debut album Montero like “ Dead Right Now ,” " Montero (Call Me By Your Name) ," and “ Industry Baby .”

Now, Lil Nas X is preparing to perform for all his fans on tour . Here’s what to know before tickets go on sale.

Long Live Montero Tour Dates

Lil Nas X will kick off the North American leg of his tour this fall on Sept. 6 in Detroit, Michigan. He’ll perform in cities like Chicago, Toronto, Nashville, and Los Angeles before finishing his concerts in the United States and Canada on Oct. 23. Lil Nas X will then embark on the European leg of his tour on Nov. 8 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He’ll finish his tour on Nov. 17 in Barcelona, Spain.

Long Live Montero Tour Ticket Info

Tickets for the North American dates will go on sale on April 29 at 10 a.m. local time, while tickets for the European dates will go on sale a week later on May 6, at 10 a.m. local time. Fans can find more info on his tour website, LongLiveMontero.com . Cash App users with a Cash Card can access pre-sale tickets for the U.S. dates beginning on April 27 at 10 a.m. local time.

Long Live Montero Tour Setlist

According to a press release by Columbia Records, Lil Nas X’s tour will “celebrate the massive success of his critically acclaimed and Grammy-nominated debut album Montero, ” which hints that the setlist will almost certainly include plenty of tracks off the album.

Long Live Montero Tour Teasers

Lil Nas X shared a teaser for his upcoming tour on social media. The clip highlighted different moments from his Montero era, including his breathtaking music videos, showstopping live performances and jaw-dropping red carpet appearances.

Long Live Montero Tour Opening Act

So far, Lil Nas X hasn’t announced if any special guests will join him on tour, but it’s possible he could share more details later on.

The Long Live Montero Tour sure looks like it will be epic.

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Lil Nas X Announces First World Tour for “Everyone Except Gay People”

By James Factora

Lil Nas X hive is eating good today, with the singer’s announcement that he is set to embark on his first world tour.

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

The “Industry Baby” singer announced his upcoming “Long Live Montero” tour via a slickly-produced video that he shared to Twitter on Tuesday morning. In a booming voiceover that played alongside a montage of iconic moments from his music videos and red carpet appearances, Lil Nas declares that “Everyone is allowed… except gay people.” Naturally, this was followed by clips of him dancing naked in a men’s locker room in the “ Industry Baby ” music video and making out with a background dancer at the BET Awards.

“All of u better come or I will cry on Instagram live,” Lil Nas X wrote in the tweet accompanying the video.

The tour comes a month after the end of Lil Nas X’s three month social media hiatus , during which all of his accounts went dark. When he returned to the Internet in mid-March, he joked that he had been on “maternity leave” following the release of his debut album, Montero . Between dropping one of the buzziest albums of 2021, announcing a world tour for the first time, and teasing new music , Lil Nas X’s break was well-deserved. But in his own words, we’re so happy he’s back on the internet.

The Long Live Montero tour will kick off in Detroit, Michigan on September 6, with dates across the U.S., Canada, and Europe before concluding in Barcelona, Spain. The general sale for tickets will begin this Friday at 10 a.m. at each date’s respective local time, with European tickets going on sale the following Friday, May 6 at 10 a.m. local time. However, Cash App users that have a Cash Card, which is a debit card connected to your Cash App account, will be able to get tour tickets before anyone else, with their presale opening tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. local.

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• September 6, 2022 Setlist

Lil Nas X Setlist at Fox Theatre, Detroit, MI, USA

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Tour: Long Live Montero Tour Tour statistics Add setlist

• ACT I: REBIRTH
• Song played from tape The Wizard Of Naz I Play Video
• Panini Play Video
• TALES OF DOMINICA ( Live debut ) Play Video
• SUN GOES DOWN Play Video
• Song played from tape A Visit From A Friend Play Video
• Old Town Road / Rodeo ( Contains elements of "Pump It" by The Black Eyed Peas ) Play Video
• ACT II: TRANSFORMATION
• Song played from tape The Wizard Of Naz II Play Video
• DEAD RIGHT NOW Play Video
• DONT WANT IT Play Video
• Song played from tape PURE/HONEY ( Beyoncé  song) Play Video
• THATS WHAT I WANT Play Video
• LOST IN THE CITADEL Play Video
• Song played from tape You Are Going To Hell Play Video
• ACT III: BECOMING
• Song played from tape The Wizard Of Naz III Play Video
• MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name) Play Video
• Down Souf Hoes ( Live debut ) Play Video
• SCOOP Play Video
• INDUSTRY BABY Play Video
• ENCORE: A NEW ERA
• STAR WALKIN' ( Live debut ) Play Video

Note: First ever full headline gig

Edits and Comments

12 activities (last edit by Hlbass , 23 Sep 2022, 17:26 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• DEAD RIGHT NOW
• DONT WANT IT
• INDUSTRY BABY
• LOST IN THE CITADEL
• MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)
• SUN GOES DOWN
• TALES OF DOMINICA
• THATS WHAT I WANT
• Down Souf Hoes
• STAR WALKIN'
• Old Town Road / Rodeo

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Coolest + Creative Covers: Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road"

Lil nas x gig timeline.

• Dec 10 2021 Z100 Jingle Ball 2021 New York, NY, USA Add time Add time
• Apr 03 2022 64th Grammy Awards Las Vegas, NV, USA Add time Add time
• Sep 06 2022 Fox Theatre This Setlist Detroit, MI, USA Add time Add time
• Sep 07 2022 Fox Theatre Detroit, MI, USA Start time: 9:00 PM 9:00 PM
• Sep 10 2022 Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom Chicago, IL, USA Add time Add time

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Review: Lil Nas X brings his ‘Long Live Montero’ tour to the Met Philly

The world's biggest openly gay rap star's first tour stop on North Broad Street was presented as a play in three acts, and lived up to its promise to not be "your regular a— show."

If Lil Nas X had come and gone with “Old Town Road,” the rapper whose sold-out Long Live Montero tour came to the Met Philadelphia on Sept. 22 would still have had a remarkable story to tell.

To recap: That country-rap song was built on a beat the suburban Atlanta teenager born Montero Hill bought for $30 from a Dutch producer who constructed it out of a sample of a Nine Inch Nails song.

“Old Town Road” exposed the racial hypocrisy of Nashville gatekeepers and cleared the way for Black country artists to emerge in its wake. And oh yeah, it became the longest running number one hit in Billboard history.

But that was only the beginning, a starting point in a spectacular rise from obscurity. On Thursday, “Old Town Road” was included in the opening section of the joyous celebration of sexual freedom and queerness that is Long Live Montero, with Lil Nas X performing the song — which included a brief snippet of Dick Dale’s surf-rock classic “Miserlou” — after entering the stage riding a mechanical horse.

Long Live Montero is structured as a three-act play, Rebirth, Transformation, and Becoming, a coming of age bildungsroman that follows our hero, who came out as gay in 2019.

The concept was playful, likable, and self-aware — like everything Lil Nas X does. (In the last week, he’s been in the news for sending pizza to protesters outside his show in Boston , and commenting on his surprisingly convincing Madame Tussaud’s likeness: “Never thought I would get the pleasure of meeting myself. The sexual tension was too much to bear.” )

But the Long Live Montero show was also executed with serious intent and trademark marketing savvy. As the young, diverse, queer-and-straight crowd entered the North Broad Street venue, they were handed glossy programs that emphasized the theatrical nature of the hip-hop popera, promising “this isn’t your regular a— show.”

In a handwritten note addressed to “ladies and gentlemen & nonbinaries, and bottoms,” the star wrote “so much has led to this moment in your life where you somehow decided you want to see a 6′ 2″ homosexual perform on stage.”

“This play is about my journey, what I’ve been through, me being out of breath while performing and my aspirations to continue on my path in life.” The booklet included bios of eight male dancers, QR codes to buy merchandise, and a spread displaying the tour’s various leathery looks designed by Coach, for which the entertainer is global brand ambassador.

At the Met, he opened with the slight party-starter “Panini,” from the 2019 EP entitled 7 , the only uncertain misstep of his career. That was followed by similarly upbeat “Domenica” from last year’s impressively realized full-length debut Montero , with the star and similarly buff dancers in matching gold belly-shirts, moving under the watchful gaze of the face of a golden sun atop the proscenium arch.

“Before we turn up more, we have to do some sad a— music,” he then said, turning to Montero’s “Sun Goes Down.” That song lays out his childhood trauma, and the power of music — and specifically Nicki Minaj — as a consoling force.

“Since 10, I was feeling lonely, had friends, but they was pickin’ on me,” he rapped. “These gay thoughts would always haunt me, I prayed God would take it from me … Stannin’ Nicki from morning till dawn, only place I felt like I belonged.”

The story arc moved toward self-acceptance, but not without struggle. One of the video interludes that allowed for costume changes was a short film set in church, with an actor playing young Lil Nas X and the bewigged rapper as a preacher promising fire would rain down on the wicked.

The transformative moment came when Montero’s “Dont Want It” was followed by an extended showcase for the dancers while Beyoncé’s “Pure / Honey” played, and then Lil Nas X’s catchy “Thats What I Want.”

What Lil Nas X wants and needs, it turns out, is simply “someone to love,” and the pop song put the desperation of that plea across with universal resonance. It ended with the star and a dancer in silhouette, locked in embrace behind the curtain.

Long Live Montero is an impressive pop spectacle, but not super slick. All music was supplied by an offstage DJ. Lil Nas X is only an adequate dancer; it’s a stretch to call the show a “play.” And it was easy to tell his vocals were sometimes electronically reinforced, because you could still hear him when he held his mic by his side.

Did any of that matter, as the adoring crowd went wild for third-act hits “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” “Scoop,” a pink confetti “Industry Baby,” and the laser-lit video game tie-in encore “Star Walkin’”? Not a bit.

Long Live Montero — words Lil Nas asked the audience to shout out, before leaving to “go eat one of those cheesesteaks I’ve heard so much about” — is a tale of an outsider defying odds to transform himself into the world’s biggest openly gay rap star. The imperfections of his first concert tour only make the unlikely success story that much more compelling.

Lil Nas X’s Tour Documentary Doesn’t Pretend to Be Something It’s Not

By Mankaprr Conteh

Mankaprr Conteh

As a subgenre of music film, tour documentaries naturally have a solid boundary – the tour. This clear and limited objective seems fitting for Lil Nas X , who looks a bit uncomfortable with the premise at points in his first feature-length doc, Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero . Streaming on Max starting Jan. 27, it follows the young, Grammy-winning firestarter from the summer of 2022, when he says he has just a month to put together his debut world tour of the same name. It then moves through opening night in Detroit and highlights stops in New York, his hometown of Atlanta, his new home Los Angeles, and San Francisco, the end of the U.S. leg. 

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This makes it a little funny that an official HBO description of Long Live Montero is so hyperbolic, leaning into the way a generation of music docs feel more like marketing propaganda. 

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Most of this language does way too much. I didn’t see a creative dynamo , I saw someone who stumbled into a hobby with enough earnestness and charm to make it a lucrative career. Nas himself says he made a song out of boredom in college and embraced it as an escape from the anxiety that plagued him after the death of his grandmother, a woman who saw him as a star well before he ever thought to be one. I didn’t really see star power that was as effortless and innate as that sounds. I saw a scared young man work like hell to do something he wasn’t sure he could. He frets during rehearsals – he frets a lot. A day before the first show, he wonders if he’ll succeed or “freeze up and go back inside of my dad’s balls.” I saw a community he was grateful for – Bankhead, his creative director, his dancers, his family – as the thing that really shot him into the stratosphere with their own effort and love.

Nas’s desires are less clearly to inspire his fans than they are to not fuck up or be misconstrued. He’s largely a fan himself – in his LA home, he shows off a massive pop culture shrine on a bedroom wall, a sprawling collage including photos of Viola Davis (who, he says, didn’t recognize him when he giddily greeted her on the street), Alexa Demie as Maddy in Euphoria , and Bad Bunny. He more clearly wants to make sure the people who think of him similarly are proud of him – he says as much when he sings “Sun Goes Down.”

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When Nas considers the relentless attacks against him, alleging he’s satanic and connived to hypersexualize little kids by coming out as gay after the massive success of “Old Town Road,” he’s concerned and mousy. As he came out, he says, he worried his nephew – an adorable little boy named Chase who he calls his first fan – would look at him differently too. He’s uncomfortable on stage catching ass from Saucy Santana. He freaks out about wearing a skirt in front of his family. He says he originally wanted to be “the acceptable gay person… ‘this is the one that doesn’t shove it down our throats.’” He chose differently, though, and the world is better for it.

All of this is a reminder that we make celebrities out to be bigger than they are with our hyperbole, condemnations, and standoms. It’s not always them hierarchizing themselves – on tour, Nas is just putting on a play, and even just about says as much. Like SZA’s SOS tour, Long Live Montero, the roadshow, really does give theater kid. And sometimes things are falling apart behind the curtain. Lil Nas X is much more regular than HBO gives him credit for, when relatability is what really sells. 

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Lil Nas X takes his horse (and other props) to an Uptown show that’s as much play as concert

Digital-age star tells his story in a three-act production complete with choreography, glamorous looks and an expert crew of dancers..

Lil Nas X performs Saturday in Chicago, the second stop of his “Long Live Montero” tour.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Opening the playbill handed out at the Lil Nas X concert Saturday night at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, attendees were informed, “This isn’t your regular a- - show.” Truer words have never been spoken.


The Atlanta-bred rapper has never done anything conventionally since the start, so his first tour shouldn’t be expected to be any different. After the kickoff in Detroit on Sept. 6, the second stop is a double-header in Chicago (returning Sunday night) where Lil Nas X has transformed the historic Uptown ballroom into a supernova musical-theater stage.

The three-act performance lives somewhere between Shakespeare’s debauched fairy tale “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and a classic rock opera, with a dose of Madonna’s “Truth or Dare” tour thrown in, thanks to the eight talented dancers who are as sassy as they are skillful and are just begging for their own behind-the-scenes rock doc.

Since 2019, Lil Nas X — born Montero Hill — has come to define virality in the digital age. His wildly unexpected country-trap hit “Old Town Road” still owns the title as the longest-running No. 1 song ever on the Billboard chart. He’s also the only artist to come out as gay while having a No. 1 record and the only LGBTQ+ Black artist to take home an award from the notoriously conservative Country Music Association.

The epitome of an underdog success story, that journey is the crux of the “Long Live Montero” Tour. The artist explained the idea in the playbill, through a personal letter on Page One. “Hello ladies and gentlemen and nonbinaries and bottoms: Welcome to the Long Live Montero Tour. So much has led up to this moment in your life where you somehow decided you want to see a 6’2” homosexual perform on stage.”

The letter continued, “You will see me in a play about me, starring me as me, with music by me. … This play is about my journey, what I’ve been through … and my aspirations to continue on my path in life.” Through three acts — “Rebirth,” “Transformation” and “Becoming” — the audience has the unique chance to see the evolution of the artist up close and personal.

The setlist fit well into this narrative plot. In Act I, we see Lil Nas X reconciling with identity on the vulnerable ballad “Sun Goes Down,” then watching the social media metamorphosis of “Old Town Road” that inked his stardom. By Act II, a more confident character emerges behind the affirming pop punk anthem “That’s What I Want.” As the song ends, the curtain drops, superimposed with the silhouette of Lil Nas X and one of his dancers kissing.

By Act III, there is the shedding of an alter ego to reveal his true self in “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” while he wears a giant pair of butterfly wings (a motif of the tour) to signify the complete transformation. It ends with the song that has become his new identity, “Industry Baby.”

Dancers back up Lil Nas X during his Saturday show at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom.

It’s hard to fathom that, at only 23 years old and just on his first tour, Lil Nas X already has a show that comes off like a big Vegas residency. It takes a village to raise an artist of this caliber and the rapper thanked many of them in the playbill with five full pages of credits. An additional two were devoted to the costuming from Stuart Vevers, creative director of luxury brand Coach, who supplied the looks, described as “American West romance,” Versailles splendor and “glam varsity.” All lived up to Lil Nas X’s rep as a style icon who constantly shakes up every red carpet.

Enough cannot be said about the dancers and choreography on this tour that genre-blended just as much as Lil Nas X does in his music. Gymnastic hijinks, formal ballet and twerking were combined in a display of the sheer power of the human body. Each of the eight talents got their own intro towards the end of the show, as a backing band might be acknowledged in a traditional concert. With no live band, they were the backbone Lil Nas X needed for the multi-sensory feast.

There were some technical difficulties throughout the night with cues and props (like an awkward entrance and exit of a giant metal horse during “Old Town Road”). Lil Nas X apologized for the snafus, but no one seemed to notice as the sold-out crowd was swept up in each moment of the short, one-hour set. First impressions still matter, and with his inaugural tour, Lil Nas X comes across as an icon in the making.

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Lil Nas X Is Going On His First Tour: All The Details On 'Long Live Montero'

29 April 2022, 16:21

By Capital FM

Everything you need to know about Lil Nas X's first world tour, Long Love Montero – from when it kickstarts to when he's coming to the UK.

Listen to this article

Lil Nas X is going on tour! The 23-year-old star announced that he will soon be embarking on his first-ever stadium tour in support his debut studio album, ' Montero '.

The Long Live Montero World Tour was announced by the hit-maker on April 26, taking to social media to share the incredible news with his loyal fan base.

Lil Nas X Made The Most Epic TikTok With Stars Including Olivia Rodrigo & Avril Lavigne

The ' Industry Baby ' musician posted a trailer to Twitter, teasing what he has in store for his curated show. In the clip, the star can be heard calling the concerts “my world, my universe” where “everyone’s allowed, except gay people”.

Lil Nas X announces very first tour

When speaking about the upcoming tour, Lil Nas affectionately wrote to his whopping 12.4 million followers on Instagram: "And u better come. or don’t idc lol.. jk i do care please come ok? deal? [sic]"

Initially, there were 21 dates included in the global tour before his team added six more shows due to popular demand!

Nas – whose real name is Montero –  took to Instagram to announce the bonus dates, writing: "Since tickets are selling out i will be adding more dates in new york, chicago, atlanta, detroit, toronto and la [sic]."

To celebrate his smash-hit debut record, the rapper will be jet setting across the globe, completing legs in North America and Europe.

When does Lil Nas' Long Live Montero World Tour begin?

The 'Old Town Road' singer will embark on his tour on September 6, kickstarting the Long Live Montero in Detroit, Michigan.

Lil Nas X will conclude his hotly-anticipated first tour two months later on November 17 in Barcelona – however, tickets are selling out so quickly that fans are already theorising that he could add more dates...

View this post on Instagram A post shared by MONTERO (@lilnasx)

When does Lil Nas X's tour come to the UK?

At the time of writing, Lil Nas has only one show lined up for the UK, performing at the Eventim Apollo in London on Novemebr 12.

The 'Montero (Call Me By Your Name)' star has announced seven dates in Europe thus far, he will be taking audiences by storm in Amterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Paris, Brussels as well as the aforementioned Barcelona and London dates.

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Lil Nas X Vogued To Beyonce’s ‘Pure/Honey’ At His Tour Opener And Fans Couldn’t Get Enough Of It

When Beyonce released Renaissance at the end of July, a major talking point was how heavy it leaned into dance music. Many listeners stated that she would be instrumental in bringing back voguing, a dance style popular in the 1980s that evolved from the Harlem ballroom scene of the 1960s. Well, those people were right, but they may not have anticipated it being done on such a large stage as Lil Nas X commanded on the opening night of his Long Live Montero Tour .

Yall @lilnasx voguing to Pure/Honey was everything I didn’t know I needed 😩 pic.twitter.com/IHhQ6Yvteu — I appreciate you. (@DeeLaSheeArt) September 8, 2022

In two separate videos shared on Twitter on Tuesday (September 6) and Wednesday (September 7), the “ Industry Baby ” artist can be seen vogueing to Beyonce’s “ Pure/Honey .” One of those who tweeted captioned their video “Yall @lilnasx voguing to Pure/Honey was everything I didn’t know I needed.” The pop star wasn’t alone either, as his backup dancers joined in. The crowd erupted with excitement, singing along to the lyrics and encouraging the 23-year-old to “cut a rug,” as they would popularly say in the 1920s and 1930s.

https://twitter.com/ichoseviolences/status/1567326915920539650

Lil Nas X is a talented showman on his own, but infusing Beyonce songs and such a popular dance style into his set likely made that a night that attendees will never forget.

Check out the videos of Lil Nas X voguing to “Pure/Honey” above.

Kevin Abstract, Lil Nas X Premiere New Song ‘Tennessee' at Coachella

Kevin Abstract , the Brockhampton founding member and solo artist, surprised fans during his solo set at Coachella Weekend Two on Saturday with an appearance from Lil Nas X . The pair dropped a new collab called "Tennessee."

Abstract's setlist included a mix of his newer songs and Brockhampton hits, opening with "Empty" off the 2016 EP American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story . Then he shared he had a surprise for guests and asked the crowd to pull out their phones to record the first performance of his song with Lil Nas X. "This is the first time I've ever publicly put out a song with the person I'm about to bring out," he said. "He means a lot to me and he means a lot to the culture and I'm very lucky to know him."

The song started with low, bassy synths and a verse from Abstract before he shouted, "Make noise for Lil Nas X!" Lil Nas X came in from the back of the stage and dove into his part of the track. At the end of the song, the two shared a hug as the crowd cheered them on.

Earlier this week, Lil Nas X released " Lean on My Body," a couple of years after it was first teased. He also recently dropped " Light Again " and later " Right There, " all on Soundcloud. The songs are seemingly part of an upcoming mixtape, titled  Nasarti 2 .

Brockhampton announced their " indefinite hiatus " in 2022, and their final albums The Family and TM one day later of that same year in November. Meanwhile, Abstract released solo album Blanket in November 2023, which includes the song " Running Out." It's his first solo release since 2019's  Arizona Baby .

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First Thing: Historic Donald Trump criminal trial to hear opening statements

Jury to consider testimony related to $130,000 payment from Trump fixer Michael Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Plus, Louisiana’s flagship university lets oil firms pay to influence its research

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Good morning.

Donald Trump’s historic hush-money case is due to begin in earnest on Monday with opening statements that mark a momentous day in US history.

Not only is Trump the first American president, former or sitting, to face a criminal trial but the proceedings also play out against a 2024 presidential race in which he is almost certain to be the Republican nominee to face Joe Biden.

The jury will decide whether Trump’s alleged efforts to bury damaging information about extramarital sex with Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, to safeguard his shot at the 2016 election, were illicit.

The Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg’s case relies on a $130,000 payment made to Daniels by Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen. The prosecution argues that Trump masked the reason for the payment in business records by labelling it as a valid legal expense.

Trump has denied having sex with Daniels, and insists that the payments to Cohen were for legal expenses.

What other legal difficulties does Trump face? Three other criminal cases: federal charges related to the January 6 insurrection and his handling of classified documents, and state-level charges in Georgia for allegedly attempting to undermine the 2020 election results. However, the hush-money case is likely to be the only one to come to trial before the presidential election in November.

Netanyahu vows to fight US sanctions on IDF unit accused of violations in West Bank

Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will resist any sanctions on Israeli military units amid reports that the US is poised to impose sanctions on an Israel Defense Forces battalion that has been accused of severe human rights breaches in the West Bank.

US state department officials have confirmed they are preparing to impose sanctions on the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda battalion, according to a report on Saturday in the US outlet Axios . The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Sunday that the US was also considering similar action against other police and military units.

“If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the IDF – I will fight it with all my strength,” the Israeli prime minister said. “I’ve been working in recent weeks against the sanctioning of Israeli citizens, including in my conversations with the American administration.”

How significant would sanctions be? Very – it would be the first time the US government has targeted an IDF unit.

What is the latest from Israel? The Israeli military intelligence head, Aharon Haliva, has resigned over the Israeli military’s failure to prevent the 7 October attack.

Poland is ready to host nuclear weapons, says president

Poland is prepared to host nuclear arms if Nato decides to deploy the weapons in the face of Russia’s bolstering of its armaments in Belarus and Kaliningrad, the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, has said.

“If our allies decide to deploy nuclear arms on our territory as part of nuclear sharing, to reinforce Nato’s eastern flank, we are ready to do so,” Duda said in an interview published in the Fakt daily. Talks between Poland and the US on nuclear cooperation have been happening “for some time”, he said.

“Russia is increasingly militarising Kaliningrad. Recently it has been relocating its nuclear weapons to Belarus,” Duda added. Both Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave and Moscow ally Belarus share a border with Poland.

What is Russia saying? Its foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, warned that the west was “teetering dangerously” on the brink of a clash between nuclear powers, referring to support for Ukraine from the US, Britain and France.

In other news …

Global military spending has soared to a record $2440bn after the highest year-on-year rise in arms expenditure since 2009, according to a report .

A Chinese military official has said countries should not use the sea to flex their “gunboat muscles”, as the Philippines and US begin three weeks of drills in the South China Sea.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee intends to spend $100m this year, primarily targeting Democrat congressional candidates and members of Congress critical of Israel. Here’s our explainer on the lobby group.

The US journalist Terry Anderson, who was held captive by Islamist militants for between 1985 and 1991 in Lebanon, has died aged 76 .

Stat of the day: Cancer risk doubles in Beirut as diesel generators poison city

After Lebanon’s economic collapse in 2019 brought down the state energy grid, dependency on diesel generators soared. Now, researchers have found that this over-reliance over the past five years has directly doubled the risk of developing cancer in Beirut, while oncologists in the capital estimate that cancer rates have been increasing by 30% annually since 2020.

Don’t miss this: Sean Bankhead on his raunchy dances for Beyoncé, Cardi B, Lil Nas X and more

Sean Bankhead, the choreographer behind dances for stars including Beyoncé, Cardi B and Lil Nas X, shares his influences. “I could call myself a switch-hitter,” he says. Bankhead, 35 and from Atlanta, would rotate around gay clubs, “hood” clubs, white clubs, and reggae clubs, picking up moves that later influenced his routines. “I would always follow the party,” said Bankhead, who is a trained percussionist.

Climate check: Louisiana’s flagship university lets oil firms pay to influence its research

Louisiana State University’s fundraising arm has circulated a document outlining how oil and chemical companies can participate in or review the university’s research – for a price. The director of LSU’s Institute for Energy Innovation defended the partnerships, as did several oil companies, saying that funding does not influence research outcomes – but experts suggest these relationships raise questions about academic freedom.

Last Thing: Spice Girls reunite at Victoria Beckham’s 50th

The Spice Girls staged a rare reunion at Victoria Beckham’s 50th birthday party , where the five women danced to their classic hit Stop. After David Beckham posted a video of the performance on Instagram, Melanie Brown shared it with her followers and hinted at a potential reunion tour: “About last night #tourdatescomingsoon.”

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