International pop sensation Rihanna filled up FNB stadium with thousands of fans. Rihanna Navy – as she affectionately calls her fans – which consisted of all races, genders and ages, sat through the ridiculous traffic and queued outside the venue in anticipation of the Barbados born superstar.
The opening act, incredible US duo GTA who have been Riri’s opening act for the Diamonds World Tour since May, kept the crowd entertained as they waited for Rihanna to come onto stage.
Rihanna arrived on stage 40 minutes late, just as the crowd was getting tired of repeating the Mexican wave to keep themselves entertained. The crowd went ballistic as she yelled “Johannesburg, what the f!#k is up?” and kicked off the set with the banger ‘Phresh Out The Runway’. She went on to perform more hit songs including ‘Birthday Cake’, ‘Talk That Talk’ and ‘Pour it Up’, accompanied by some sexy dance moves much to the crowd’s delight.
The performance was a mixture of ballads and upbeat songs, including a medley of some of her old tunes! After performing “Where Have You Been”, the singer said her salutations and walked away only to return and perform “Stay”. “This is called the Diamonds World Tour,” said Rihanna before concluding the show with “Diamonds”.
As you might have seen on social networks, the show received mixed reactions. Some people enjoyed the show. Some people were underwhelmed and felt her performance wasn’t energetic enough and expressed they were unhappy by the lack of change of costumes. Are outfit changes a prerequisite? As a die-hard fan, it’s hard to stay unbiased. Did I enjoy myself? Thoroughly. Do I think it could have been better? Definitely. But I did not go to the show expecting to hear Beyonce’s strong vocals or to see Michael Jackson’s slick moves on stage. I went there to have a good time with Riri! In fact, thanks to the negative reviews of her performances, I was expecting much less than she delivered.
“I love you Johannesburg, I will forever come back to you,” Riri said to the Jozi Navy before walking off stage. Let’s wait and see if she will be able to fill out arenas again!
Photos: RihannaDaily
Rihanna will be performing in Cape Town on the 16th of October.
Check out what Rihanna is getting up to in SA on twitter and instagram.
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