Didn’t she tell us that she was a savage? Well, she sure did prove it after her performance at the Made in America festival last weekend in Philly. I’ve always been a Rihanna fan and loved all of her music - I mean it’s hard not to when almost every album she’s put out has at least three major hits on it.
That being said, I saw Rihanna live a few years ago at the Rihanna and Eminem Monster Tour, and was impressed but thought she would have been a better performer and could have interacted more with the audience. I have to say that I was blown away as she improved on this tremendously during her Made in America performance. Rihanna stepped up her game to a new level. Coming onto a pop-up stage in the middle of the crowd rather than the main one, she appeared in an olive green jumpsuit outfit with a hood covering her head, and boots up to her thigh to match. She started out with her most popular slow song, “Stay,” and electrified the crowd with her soothing and beautiful vocals.
After finishing up her her slower side with her vocals in "Love The Way You Lie." she switched gears and rocked out to some of the hits on her newest album “Anti,” and then after that performed everyone's favorite jam, “Bitch Better Have My Money.” She tore the stage apart with her twerking and sensual dance moves, while singing hit after hit as everyone sang along. From “Umbrella” to “Diamonds” to "We Found Love" and many more, to closing the show with “FourFiveSeconds,” she covered nearly half of her hits.
RiRi also had a way with the audience and was spreading the love for her fans throughout the night. Her stage presence made it clear how much she enjoyed performing and how she wasn’t afraid to have fun with it. She was absolutely adorable and sweet when she talked to the crowd with her accent, as she couldn’t stop smiling and telling us that she had never performed for such an awesome audience that knew the words to every song. Oh, and she also didn’t fail to mention how important it was for us millennials to vote in the upcoming election and how much of a voice we really do have in today's society (and swore that Hilary didn’t pay her to say that).
Overall, Rihanna was one of my favorite performances of the festival. She killed it on all aspects; with her outfits, interaction with the crowd, dance moves, ability to slow it down and turn it up, and of course her beautiful vocals. That’s my girl, RiRi. If Beyonce was out there watching the performance (which apparently she was), I’m sure she would have to admit that you slayed.