Posted by Emily Exton on 04/08/2012 at 4:02 PM Videos

The Popdust Files: concerts, nicki minaj, Roman Reloaded, starships

New Yorkers heading home for the holidays or just prepping for a sexy night on the couch with their old friend DVR probably missed Nicki Minaj perform in Times Square on Friday night, capping off her week-long promotional tour across the Big Apple. Taking the same style of lip-synching she brought to Today‘s studio hours earlier, Minaj celebrated the release of Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded with a live rendition of three tracks, backed by a fleet of dancers who served more to spotlight their master’s lack of pants and tendency to break into a range of accents mid-song. Sadly Roman was nowhere to be found, as aggressive, masculine alter-egos likely don’t mix well with Midwestern tourists on their way to a pre-Mamma Mia stop at the Olive Garden.

Kicking things off with”Starships,” Nicki led the public dance party with booming chants more than actual singing, as her amalgam of cliche pop tropes played loudly to the eager outdoor crowd. While a good booty shake takes a lot of concentration, she was careful to change choice lyrics to something Nokia’s board of directors would be more comfortable with (“check who you want, check who you like”), although that didn’t stop her faithful barbz from filling in the blanks themselves. The performance may have been brief, but it gave those who don’t suffer from claustrophobia the opportunity to hear new Roman Reloaded track “Right By My Side” live, as well as revel in the glory of “Super Bass” almost a year after the fact. Literally stopping traffic is a fitting way to end a week of heavy album promotion, sure, but we hope Nicki hasn’t abandoned her trend of crazy public exorcisms all together. Stay true to yourself, Nick! All it takes is one bad decision and you’ll soon be performing at discount superstore before 8 p.m.