You were wrong if you thought Doja would walk back any of her past remarks. Yesterday, during The Scarlet Tour’s stop in Denver, Colorado, she doubled down on one. “C’mon cash grab,” yelled Doja to the Ball Arena crowd as they sang along to her song “Say So.”
Doja Cat performing “Say So” on the ‘Scarlet Tour’:
In a series of now-deleted posts shared on her official X (formerly Twitter) page in May, Doja confessed that she wasn’t proud of some of her past bodies of work. “‘Planet Her’ and ‘Hot Pink’ were cash-grabs, and y’all fell for it. Now, I can go disappear somewhere and touch grass with my loved ones on an island while y’all weep for mediocre pop,” penned the rapper.
Although those projects led her to achieve superstar status and a Grammy Award, Doja promised to stay away from pop and focus on showcasing her rap abilities. Initial supporters weren’t pleased by her statements, but ultimately it paid off.
Getty Image / macrovector_official on Freepik/Derrick Rossignol
There were plenty of narratives swirling around Doja Cat heading into the launch of her Scarlet Tour. Questions surrounded the size of the venues on the tour, her first honest-to-goodness tour since falling into her glittering success era in the middle of a global pandemic; whether she’s been going through some kind of breakdown after shaving her head and seemingly going on a year-long crusade against her most devoted fans; whether or not she’s a “real” rapper.
It’s a shame the people propagating such narratives probably weren’t in attendance at Staples Center in Los Angeles Thursday night (alright, fine… Crypto.com Arena. UGH). Not only did the Los Angeles native handily address each of those narratives but she and her opener Doechii also batted down a few of those that have been bandied about concerning the state of so-called “female rap” (gross) for the past few years (and especially the past few days).
With much of Doja’s success coming during the live music shutdown of 2020 and her opening slot on The Weeknd’s recent stadium tour nixed after surgery, there were observers — loud ones — who thought that Doja wasn’t “ready” for arenas, or that she wouldn’t be able to sell out an arena tour, especially after pissing off “core” fans by insulting “stupid” stan account admins who clung to their parasocial connection like a life raft in a hurricane at sea.
Well, consider that myth busted; it’s fitting that Doja’s hometown show brought all the drama to Tinseltown — and none of the gimmicks that far too many other acts half of her stature have resorted to for attention. Born and bred on the internet, Doja’s well-versed in the online chatter about her, and systematically dismantles every complaint in her Scarlet Tour set, which is presented in five acts and finds her confronting both the haters and the unhinged alter ego her latest album is titled after.
Accusations of Satanism are skewered by a churchy staging of “Shutcho,” while Doja assumes a classic Jesus pose during “Attention” that irreverently takes the piss out of worrywarts who read malintent into something as commonplace as a bat tattoo. She subtly knocks down criticisms of her struggle with her biracial origins (her mom’s white, her dad’s South African) with an African traditional dance to open “Woman.”
Then she adds Brazilian bossa inflections to her biggest hit, “Say So.” This is telling. She’s previously reinterpreted the disco-pop hit as a rollicking rock anthem and alien EDM dance floor bop, saying she got sick of performing the song the same way over and over during the pandemic. By infusing it with diasporic influences, she revels in her heritage, recapturing a part of herself so many seem so eager to snatch away.
She proves her rap chops again and again throughout the night, but also her singing. The Badu impression on “Often” reaches fully-fledged neo-soul vocalist dimensions on her Hiatus Kaiyote cover “Red Room.” And I shouldn’t need to point out that her stagecraft at this point is beyond even some of her predecessors.
On Thursday, the native Angeleno even incorporated a Staples tradition, the in-game kiss cam, imbued with her own meme culture-obsessed humor, and handled an unplanned mic malfunction with her signature humor, pulling a face I really wish I’d gotten a photo of. And you want to talk props? How about a massive robotic spider, like something out of The Matrix, hovering over her head, or being flanked by a giant walking eyeball during “Paint The Town Red,” complete with attached optic nerve?
More than anything else, it looks like the narrative she is most interested in debunking is one she has maybe fed into a bit herself. On stage Thursday night, she looked like she was actually having fun performing… Check that. She looked like she was having the time of her life, like all the effort and time and money she’s put into this thing was actually worth it for the 90 minutes she spent up there captivating and communing with her audience — the “real” fans.
The ones who bought tickets, who overlooked or ignored the narratives, who put the music first, the way she does, the way she always has. She put on a show, not just for them and not just for Doja Cat, but also for Amala, the girl who loved music so much she made it her life against all odds (and sometimes her better judgment). She made Amala proud.
Doja Cat began her highly anticipated The Scarlet Tour with a sold-out performance at the Chase Center in San Francisco, marking her first headline arena tour. The tour supports her latest album, Scarlet, which dropped on Sept. 22, 2023, via Kemosabe/RCA Records to critical acclaim.
The crowd at the Chase Center was treated to a fantastic show with Doja Cat performing hit songs such as “Attention,” “Get Into It (Yuh),” “Kiss Me More,” and “Agora Hills.” She also graced the audience with the chart-topping “Paint the Town Red,” which ruled the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Global 200 charts at #1 for four consecutive weeks. Doechii, the talented rapper and singer, opened the show with electrifying performances of songs like “Swamp Bitches” and “Persuasive.”
Doja Cat’s The Scarlet Tour continues with a show in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena before making stops in Las Vegas, Austin, Miami, Brooklyn, Toronto, and more. The tour concludes on December 13 in Chicago at United Center. With her fourth studio album, Scarlet, debuting in the Top 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, Doja Cat is undeniably on fire. Scarlet made history as the first female rap album with no features to debut in the Top 5. Moreover, her fan-favorite track “Agora Hills” also debuted in the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Fans can expect an unforgettable tour experience from this chart-topping artist.
The Scarlet Tour offers various VIP packages and experiences, ranging from premium tickets to pre-show VIP Lounge access and exclusive gift items. For more details, visit vipnation.com. Don’t miss the opportunity to witness Doja Cat’s unparalleled live performance by securing your tickets for The Scarlet Tour.
Doja Cat and Doechii have embarked on The Scarlet Tour promoting Doja’s new album Scarlet, kicking off the tour in San Francisco on Halloween and continuing to Los Angeles tomorrow night. In addition to showing fans the setlists they’ll be playing for the next month and a half, they also previewed an upcoming collaboration on night one. The massive screens onstage played what appears to be a snippet of a music video for the song, with Doechii and Doja cruising in a convertible in a clear visual homage to Thelma & Louise.
It’s a fitting reference for the duo, who are both individually known for breaking rules and upsetting the status quo like the 1991 classic’s titular heroines, who break away from their dull, depressing daily existences for a road trip that gets them not only out of their ruts but into a whole heap of life-changing trouble.
According to some social media users, Doechii previously teased the track during her Coachella debut earlier this year, although it wasn’t the only song she previewed for fans during her set. It’s apparently called “Shots” and while they did not yet allude to a release date, one imagines that it can’t be all that far off.
You can follow Uproxx’s coverage of The Scarlet Tour, including setlists and helpful information, here.
Last night (October 31), Doja Cat kicked off her Scarlet Tour at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Many of the songs throughout the night were live debut performances from her recent album, Scarlet. With Doechii and Ice Spice as the tour’s opening acts, fans who are attending one of the upcoming dates might be wondering exactly how long the concert is — so they can prepare, schedule-wise.
Doja’s next show is in Los Angeles on November 2, and she will be continuing to perform across North America through December. A complete list of dates, along with more information, can be found here.
Continue scrolling for Doja Cat’s setlist from the Scarlet Tour‘s opening night, via Setlist.fm.
Last night at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Doja Cat kicked off The Scarlet Tour with Doechii, giving fans the first glimpse of the setlist she’s going to play for the next month and a half — as well as the merch she’ll be slinging along the way.
We also know what time Doja — and her openers — will be hitting the stage, thanks to social media users confirming that they’ll be sticking to the run-of-show “to the minute.” Doechii hits the stage at 7:30, while Doja herself goes from 8:30 to 10:15.
The Scarlet Tour Dates
Here are the remaining dates for The Scarlet Tour:
11/02 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena *
11/03 — Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena *
11/05 — San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena *
11/06 — Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center *
11/08 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center *
11/10 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena *
11/13 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center *
11/15 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center *
11/16 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center *
11/19 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena *
11/21 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center #
11/24 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena *
11/26 — Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center #
11/27 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena #
11/29 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center #
11/30 — Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center #
12/02 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden #
12/04 — Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena #
12/07 — Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center #
12/08 — Omaha, NE @ CHI Health Center #
12/10 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena #
12/11 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena #
12/13 — Chicago, IL @ United Center #
Last night (October 31), Doja Cat kicked off her hotly-anticipated Scarlet Tour at Chase Center in San Francisco. Over the course of the past few years, Doja has built quite an impressive catalog. However, as many of her songs and viral moments through songs like “Say So” and “Kiss Me More” took place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been awhile since Doja was able to do a full-fledged tour.
Fans (whom she assured she loves, by way of her quirky merchandise) are dying to know which song she’s going to perform on stage.
Luckily, she goes through pretty much all of her eras. On the set is “Tia Tamera” from her 2018 debut album Amala, “Say So” and “Streets” from 2019’s “Hot Pink,” “Woman” from 2021’s Planet Her, and several others. Though much of the set is comprised of songs from her most recent album, Scarlet, fans can look forward to a comprehensive, career-highlighting performance.
You can see the full setlist (per setlist.fm) below.
Doja Cat’s long-awaited Scarlet Tour kicked off tonight (October 31) in San Francisco. Joined by fellow rappers Ice Spice and Doechii on select dates, Doja Cat is set to perform one of the buzziest concerts of the year. And with a line-up this exciting and several hits in Doja and company’s repertoire, fans are certainly going to want to have something to remember this tour.
In clips shared by fans via Twitter, Doja’s merch consists of internet-themed, Y2K-inspired shirts ($45). One of the shirts looks like a digital collage comprised of Microsoft WordArt. This particular shirt has a white fabric and reads “DOJA CAT LOVES HER FANS” in large block letters.
There is also a manila-colored crop top ($45) which reads “Scarlet Tour USA” in red lettering.
One of the sassier options is a simple white tee with lowercase black lettering, reading “i f*cking hate doja cat.” Another one is a shirt that reads “I love penis,” with the latter word crossed out and replaced with “Jesus.” Both of these are $40.
Doja Cat’s Scarlet Tour is headed to Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena (or Staples Center, as it is still known to locals), and in addition to helping you find parking, Uproxx has a handy rideshare guide right here to make sure you get inside in time to catch the opening act. As long as, you know, you account for LA traffic (a hint: those freeways are a TRAP!).
Cryptoarena.com has directions from just about anywhere in LA or its adjacent counties, but if you’re an Uber/Lyft user, there are two main spots for drop off and pickup: The white zone on Chick Hearn Ct. (Eastbound) between L.A. Live Way and Georgia St. and the white zone on Figueroa St. (Southbound) between 12th St and Pico. However, from personal experience, pickup is usually easier if you walk down to the Convention Center and then request, as the white zones can get a little crowded. Alternatively, you can walk a couple of blocks in pretty much any direction and reliably catch an Uber or Lyft out of downtown.
Meanwhile, there’s also the Metro, with a rail station letting out just across the street from Crypto/Staples on Pico Blvd. The Crypto website still refers to the Metro lines by their old color designations, but recently, Metro has decided to rename each rail line with a letter, so the Blue Line is now A Line, the Red Line is B, the Green Line is C, the Purple Line is D, the Expo line is now E, the Orange Line is F, and the Silver Line is G.
Doja Cat’s Scarlet Tour kicks off tonight in San Francisco and then, just days later, heads to her hometown, Los Angeles for a show at Staples Cen– Crypto.com Arena (groan). Downtown LA can be a madhouse at the best of times, so when one of the biggest stars in music comes to town, you know that getting to the arena — and parking near there — is going to be A LOT. Fortunately, we’ve got a handy guide for finding parking near Crypto.com Arena for Doja Cat’s Scarlet Tour show when it arrives.
First things first, you can head over to cryptoarena.com for an interactive parking map which presents the lots on Chick Hearn Court, L.A. Live Way, South Flower Street, and West Olympic Boulevard. Each of these lots is an official lot connected to Crypto.com Arena itself, but there are also plenty of independent lots in the downtown area within walking distance of the arena.
In fact, DTLA’s official website also has an interactive parking map of these lots, along with their respective prices. There are even a few on the other side of the 110 that only charge five bucks. Then, of course, there’s street parking, which is hard — but, from personal experience, not impossible — to find in the downtown area. Take advantage of this info to make sure you show up on time for both Doja and her opener, Doechii, who is also worth checking out (again, from personal experience) and have time to grab some of the tour’s merch, as well.
