Cardi B. isn’t the first artist to get altitude sickness in Denver — and she won’t be the last
The rapper was seen backstage, gasping for air through an oxygen mask, but she isn’t the first musical artist to be taken breathless by Denver’s altitude
New York-based rapper Cardi B. made a stop in Denver this week for a sold-out show on her “Little Miss Drama” tour and was left winded by the altitude.
The artist is best known for her songs like “WAP,” featuring Meghan Thee Stallion, “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It,” featuring Bad Bunny on the Billboard Top 100’s. She is known for her high-energy dance moves, twerking and humorous stage banter.
Cardi only made one stop in Denver on her tour, which features songs from her most recent album, “Am I the Drama?” The show includes a setlist of roughly 38 songs, several costume changes, and theatrical elements like gigantic set pieces and even a floating stage.
While on stage during her Denver concert, Cardi B. teased that it was only the second time she had been in Denver, Colorado, the first being “when the Patriots smoked the Broncos,” according to Cardi.
She noted that since her recent breakup with Stefon Diggs, she had been taking better care of herself, performing 13 energetic shows before coming to the Mile High City.
“I’ve performed 13…..I don’t know, this is my 13-14 show, and for some reason…. today,” Cardi said through deep breaths as she made her way up a large staircase on stage, “A (expletive) feel like I’m dying! This (expletive) is different!”
Cardi isn’t the first artist to be left breathless by Denver’s altitude, with artists like Lady Gaga, The Beatles, Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott and Toto singer Joseph Williams all succumbing to the thin air and lack of oxygen.
Back in 2014, Lady Gaga played at Ball Arena on her ‘ArtRave: The Artpop Ball’ tour, stopping partway through her song, ‘Dope,’ according to published media reports, when she stopped the show, mentioning altitude. Later that evening, Gaga posted a selfie of herself to Instagram which went viral, saying similarly to Cardi, “Altitude Sickness is no Joke!”
The Beatles famously played a show at Red Rocks Amphitheater in August 1964, where despite many hiccups, John, Paul, George and Ringo performed their full set of hits. The altitude ended up being the only factor of the show that appeared troublesome for the crew, stopping halfway through the first song, using oxygen canisters that were placed nearby, according to Colorado Music Experience.
“We were all told it was high above sea water, altitude. We thought, ‘Well, so? What’s the difference?’ We got there, and we started finding it a little hard to breathe, because we weren’t used to it,” Paul McCartney said.