Review: MARINA Levels Up Her Iconic Pop Game at The Fillmore Minneapolis (2025)
Review by Derek Murawski-Harguth
Photos by Danica Robinson
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY TWINCITIESGAYSCENE.COM
On Monday, September 15, the beloved and renowned Welsh musician and international pop icon MARINA performed at The Fillmore Minneapolis. The glamorous singer invited our Twin Cities queer community into her vibrant, video game-inspired universe. This game symbolized empowerment, a fitting tribute to our queer community’s fight for social justice. A portion of ticket and merchandise sales went directly to LGBTQIA+ causes.
A massive video screen transformed the stage into an epic video game, with an avatar of a tiny, pixelated heroine navigating levels after each song. Clever Easter eggs, like a winking “FROOT” era character and a pixelated diamond logo from her debut album era, provided glimpses of MARINA’s past. This journey mirrored the themes of her new album, “PRINCESS OF POWER.”
Dressed as a galactic super-heroine in a maroon bodysuit adorned with large blue stars, MARINA commanded the stage with regal energy. Her new material, her first since going independent with a one-album partnership with music distributor BMG, was a standout. The crowd cheered as she sang her new mantra, “been living life locked up in a tower, but now I’m blooming like a flower,” from the album’s title track. This anthem celebrated her journey of reclaiming her narrative as a newly independent musician.
The show’s brightest highlight was MARINA’s performance of “CUNTISSIMO.” The video game “paused” as she announced an on-stage beauty pageant. Costumed audience members rushed to the stage, each more fabulous than the last. The winner donned a replica of MARINA’s iconic white dress from her “CUNTISSIMO” music video, with “POP” spray-painted in red across the front.
The night was pure fun. MARINA flawlessly mimed her intricate lyrics and freestyle-danced with playful precision. Her audience sang along to every word to her classic hits like “I Am Not a Robot” and “Primadonna.”
MARINA’s unwavering support for the queer community — and of course, her music — resonated deeply within The Fillmore Minneapolis’ ecstatic audience, who went wild every time she mentioned our community. Her allyship reminded us that our strength and queer joy are worth celebrating. MARINA is a true “PRINCESS OF POWER,” using her massive pop platform to uplift the LGBTQIA+ community.
