Lil Nas X – A Pop King Like Never Before
Lil Nas X is our new pop king and his reign is like no other that came before him.
The 23-year-old put on an amazing, unapologetically queer SHOW complete with a Playbill for his Long Live Montero Tour – which is centered on his own personal journey from pain to acceptance and beyond – that included an inclusive welcome note addressed to “ladies & gentlemen & nonbinaries, and bottoms.”
As gay men we are used to worshipping and stanning our female pop allies (which we should), but there is an added joy to seeing an out gay male pop star shine bright at the height (or early stages) of his career while being their full authentic selves, a basic right not initially afforded to solo male pop icons like Elton John, Barry Manilow, George Michael and Ricky Martin, trailblazers who made it possible for LNX to own his spotlight today.
A spotlight that is so needed, not only for queer youth, but because right now many are working very hard to silence our identities, education, and equality. Don’t say gay…let’s all be more like Lil Nas X and sing, dance, and shout it from our stage.
To quote the new king of pop, “That’s what I f*ckin’ want.”
Tour set list:
- “Panini”
- “Tales of Dominica”
- “Sun Goes Down”
- “Old Town Road” / “Rodeo”
- “Dead Right Now”
- “Dont Want It”
- Pure Honey (Beyonce cover)
- “Thats What I Want”
- “Lost in the Citadel”
- “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)”
- “Down Souf Hoes”
- “Scoop”
- “Industry Baby”
- “Star Walkin’ (League of Legends Worlds Anthem)”