A Victory Lap for Megan Thee Stallion at SF’s Chase Center

From the moment the lights went down at Chase Center in San Francisco, it was clear that Megan Thee Stallion was ready to leave it all on the floor for her Bay Area Hotties.

On June 23, the rap titan ascended on a platform during her trash-talking, latest No. 1 single, “HISS,” delivering venomous bars a cappella as an enthusiastic crowd rapped along. The track clapped back at her former collaborator Nicki Minaj and Canadian menaces Drake and Tory Lanez, leaving no doubt that this tour represents a boisterous victory lap.

Megan Thee Stallion captured the zeitgeist in 2019 with her sex-positive lyricism and superhuman knee strength. After a global pandemic, surviving a shooting and enduring a battle with her former record label, the rapper at long last embarked on her first headlining tour, flying her “Hot Girl Summer” banner across the country in support of her self-titled third studio album, due out Friday.

The 26-song setlist covered a lot of ground, and had a lot of payoff for new and old-school fans alike. Megan Thee Stallion reached as far back as her 2017 track “Stalli (Freestyle),” where she questions the penmanship of her peers while impressively using the word “onomatopoeia” in her flow: “Your favorite rapper only use onomatopoeias / You don’t wanna hear it ’cause you only wanna see her.”

Superstardom has not been easy for the Houston rapper, who has received misogynistic and racist backlash following her breakthrough. “My motherfuckin’ body, my choice / Ain’t no lil’ dick takin’ my voice,” she rapped to the menacing beat of “Gift & A Curse.” The roaring crowd echoed her words back in a moment that felt both timeless and extremely timely.

Later in the night, fans of all genders, shapes and sizes — many dressed in their best cheek-baring outfits — joined her on stage for an epic twerk-off that celebrated individuality and pride in their bodies.

GloRilla, who delivered a high-octane opening set earlier in the night, returned to the stage to perform her addictive new track featuring Megan Thee Stallion, “Wanna Be.” The duo’s synergy elevated the cocky tune to new heights, and a symphony of “Go Meg!” and “Get ’em Glo!” chants erupted as they got low.

Throughout the show, Megan Thee Stallion interacted with the crowd as if they were her best friends, which created some hilarious moments. A fan seemingly proposed to her with a banner: “Petite Black woman who will sign an NDA.” Another fan’s sign read “Both of my boyfriends are Captain Hook,” referencing the rapper’s explicit 2020 hit. “I’m jealous,” Thee Stallion commented after initially being taken aback — the best we can do is hope the boyfriends don’t mind sharing.

As the show drew to a close with Megan Thee Stallion’s gargantuan Beyoncé collaboration “Savage Remix,” for which she had a cameo in the singer’s RENAISSANCE tour film, all I could think about was what a huge triumph this tour has been for her. If anyone had any doubt that Megan Thee Stallion is an impeccable live performer, bar spitter, knee bender and entertainer, there’s no way they could’ve left Chase Center thinking anything but that.