Live Review: Rihanna at Twickenham Stadium (Day 1)

There is no denying the fact that in recent years Rihanna has been a hit magnet. She has racked up more hit songs that her predecessors and peers alike, and it is these countless hits that she brought along to her tour stop at London’s Twickenham Stadium.

If a Rihanna concert could be compared to anything, ‘a CD with a parental advisory label’ would suffice. With her use of profanity, seductive gyrations, and ‘crotch patting’ – the pop provocateur was sure to have parents of her younger audience in attendance turning in their seats, or if they were standing, rolling their eyes.

Her first 5-song set included a mixture of gritty urban cuts from her last three albums which included ‘Talk That Talk,’ ‘Pour It Up’ and the patois laced ‘Man Down’ as she lazily pounced across the stage, basking in cheers from the crowd.

It is debatable as to how much singing was actually done but particular soaring moments came when she performed her biggest hit till date ‘We Found Love,’ and then some others including ‘Umbrella,’ ‘Only Girl in the World,’ and ‘Where Have You Been.’

Six wardrobe changes, electrifying jumbotrons and a stage big enough for her to sashay across – this concert was not an opportunity for pop’s bad girl to show off her musical prowess and showmanship but an opportunity for her to host a glorified fashion show and a celebratory event of her hits.

To end the show, she performed ‘Stay’ and ‘Diamonds’ back to back as the audience sang along – her performance of the latter in no way recaptured her soaring delivery of the song on X Factor last year.

Unlike Beyoncé, this was not a vibrating or satisfying evidence of live performing. Instead, what Rihanna can rely on is the fact that she has enough hit songs that are captivating enough to keep her audience interested and overlook her shortcomings as a credible performer.