Rihanna returned to Chicago last week without her watch, apparently.
The singer from Barbados was on her own time frame, keeping Barrington High School's 2,000 students waiting more than four hours for a 12-minute appearance. You do the math.
Her concert that evening was also fraught with problems. Opening act A$AP Rocky called in sick, leaving her with a DJ to keep the audience appeased as she arrived late once again. This time it couldn't be blamed on traffic, as she tweeted earlier in the day. It was 10 p.m. when she began her sold-out show at the United Center.
Her intro, "Mother Mary," started dark and shadowy, then moved into the ratchet funk of "Phresh Out the Runway." "Birthday Cake" was performed without the Chris Brown remix, and none of her three collaborations with him were on the set list. Also not that students were not allowed to ask her questions about Brown at the Q&A earlier in the day.
There was a reggae section with "No Love Allowed" and "Man Down." She worked big tall white boots for "Rude Boy," and with "What's My Name?" she dropped it to the floor.
She seemed very comfortable this time out compared to her last visit to Chicago.
Maybe it was the backing track that made things easier. There was a background band but no back-up singers, while dancers stood by her in support. They were no big dance breaks and none of them were allowed to shine like a diamond. There were awkward intermissions throughout the night that many lost patience with and sat down.
Weed was found on her tour bus recently and it was almost impossible to not get a contact high at the herb some audience members were smoking. Speaking of the audience, it was a mostly urban young crowd with a few gay fellas sprinkled in, and I even saw a bouncy drag queen lip-synching along. Rihanna doesn't have the over-the-top style of Lady Gaga or Katy Perry to inspire fans to dress like her at a concert, so a few of them went for the hoochie look. (We are talking hooker heels and fishnets.)
"Jump" used samples of Ginuwine's "Pony" while flames shot up in the air. Those in the pit felt the heat and the loud bass. "Umbrella," of course, was a crowd-pleaser, as was "All of the Lights." But some songs were missing, like her massive hit "Disturbia." In her defense she covered a lot of territory with previous chart-toppers, mixing "S&M" "Only Girl (In the World) and "Don't Stop the Music" together.
She spoke in generalities, asking the fans if anyone has been in love and couldn't figure it out. This matched the lyrics of "What Now." This was not the most subtle show, but there were moments when high-priced ticket holders want a spectacle and to be entertained. Pink was a great example of this recently at the same venue. This time, there was nothing jaw-dropping to see and make it worth people's time and money. RiRi's show seemed a little half-baked and it was definitely not her birthday.
The costume changes were nice throughout the evening, but not very exotic or show-stopping. Rihanna slipped into a fabulous red dress at one point as black pillars spun around her to keep things moving. However, she refused to keep things classy as she bootie-tooched it to people on the front row.
"We Found Love" was a highlight of the show with a silver disco outfit. The audience had been waiting a long time to finally dance with her. They got the opportunity when she ran down the aisles in front. This is an old trick that many artists use to engage the audience while stressing out security officers.
There is no denying Rihanna's hard work by releasing so much material in a short amount of time, but she coasted through most of this concert and didn't break a sweat like in past shows.
Her final encore had her wearing a glittering evening gown as she sang "Stay" and "Diamonds," giving her a conservative look. With such a long day many were ready to go home after this, some having waited three hours for an hour and a half set after paying at least $150. Still doing the math? See what that equals? Is she becoming a diva on the level of Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand or Madonna?
All I know is for her tardiness Rihanna was just like her album title: Unapologetic.
Look for a new documentary about her life that may reveal more insight; it's entitled Rihanna 777, and will show in May on Fox. Don't worrythat's not too long of a wait.