The following is a list of things you can do in 45 minutes:

• Watch (most of) an episode of Game of Thrones, but you’ll probably miss the really cool death scene
• Get to the part in “Titanic” right about when Jack first meets Rose and saves her from falling off the ship
• Run the Kentucky Derby about 18 times
• Take a yoga class, with time left over to post on Facebook how tired you are after said yoga class.

Oh, and then there’s another thing: See an entire Cardi B concert.

Arguably, one of the biggest names in hip-hop made her Des Moines debut Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena. Cardi B was riding high after winning six Billboard Music Awards just two nights earlier. The anticipation from the sold-out crowd of 13,157 was evident as many of those in attendance danced heartily to the pre-show music. In hindsight, I would have told everyone to save their energy.

Known for being notoriously late to shows, Cardi kept the crowd waiting for about 90 minutes after opener Kodak Black left the stage. Cardi climbed a small platform on a relatively sparse stage for the night’s opener, “Get Up 10.” From there, the superstar moved at a near-frenetic pace through the night’s setlist.

Cardi B was joined on stage by several background dancers and a single DJ who took great joy in making his presence known throughout the evening. Cardi kept much of the night’s setlist focused on her latest album, 2018’s “Invasion of Privacy.” Ten of the night’s 18 songs performed came from that album, sort of.

The biggest complaint you could have with a Cardi B concert is that she doesn’t actually perform her songs in their entirety. In fact, only a handful of songs were performed the whole way through. For every other song, Cardi would begin at various points in a song and would usually do just a few verses before ending the song. In other cases, Cardi would perform songs by other artists on which she had been featured, only performing her parts of the song. This meant that by 20 minutes into the show, she was already an improbable 7 songs into her setlist.

“I’ve never been to Iowa,” announced Cardi. “But it’s lit!”

The crowd was eating up the singer’s anecdotes every time she would riff on the mic between songs. She didn’t add anything substantial but did mention that it had been suggested she cancel her appearance in Des Moines because of a recent breast enhancement surgery. Her refusal to do so drew a huge roar from the crowd. Admitting that she also wanted the money also helped.

The biggest cheer of the night from the crowd came during the performance of Cardi’s smash hit, “I Like It.” Those in attendance loved whenever Cardi played one of her anthemic hits like “Drip,” “Bartier Cardi,” and the night’s closer, “Bodak Yellow.”

The timing of the closing number is what had some in attendance irked, that is if you believe some of the Twitter posts following the show. Cardi finished her 18th song of the night at just over 45 minutes into the show. She then thanked the crowd and walked off the stage. As the audience filed out, many were happy and smiling, but a check of Twitter after the show seemed to show a different vibe.

https://twitter.com/kennishaents/status/1124522605506179072

So disappointed in the @iamcardib Des Moines show last night. After a 90 minute break between her and Kodak, she played a 45-minute, Hit Clips version of a headlining set. Some people payed real money for those tickets. Most disappointing concert ever.

— Josh Sandin (@RealJoshSandin) May 4, 2019

https://twitter.com/_mbear/status/1124526354211508224

https://twitter.com/tarynnschoon17/status/1124754760681295879

The “break” some users are referring to is when “late” in the show, Cardi announced that she “had to go pee and put on deodorant.” The singer then let her DJ take over for a few minutes before she came back out on stage. It was quite a moment.

When it was all over, Cardi B was on stage a mere 45 minutes and ran through 18 (ish) songs. If Cardi is the future of hip-hop, the genre needs to be better. If audiences are going to be satisfied with paying up to $125 for a ticket for a 45-minute set, then audiences need to demand better. Was the show fun? A bit. Was it nonsensical? Yes. Did the crowd have fun? It appeared so. Cardi B is who we thought she was. She was sassy, profane, and even threw out her trademark “okrrrr” line (a rolling R version of “OK”). It’s hard to know exactly what we wanted out of Cardi B, but I know a lot of people wanted a longer show for the money and they deserved it.

“SETLIST”

Get Up 10
Backin’ It Up
Money Bag
No Limit (G-Eazy song)
She Bad
MotorSport (Migos song)
Money
Drip
Ring
Be Careful
Please Me (Bruno Mars song)
Girls Like You (Maroon 5 song)
Clout (Offset Cover)
I Like It
Bickenhead
Finesse (Bruno Mars song)
Bartier Cardi
Bodak Yellow