There are two different kinds of superstars: those who feel like real people and those who don’t. Both varieties have their pros and their cons, and I have been fortunate enough to witness both types of act live in concert. For example, when I saw Britney Spears and Beyoncé (seperately – though that would be quite the double bill), I was in awe of their prescence, fascinated that such figures of wonder could have stepped foot into my city, which feels light years away from where they spend most of their time. I was beside myself with excitement for Britney, especially. It was like an alien had landed, a wonderful, popstar alien. For Pink, and now for Rihanna, I can say I was most excited because I feel… proud? It’s so hard to explain – they feel like one of us normals who happen to be extraordinarily gifted, as opposed to someone who got beamed in from another planet. Instead of just being excited by the fact that they’re in the same room as us, we’re also really happy that they made it because we can see a human being behind the wigs and the costumes. I love, love, love the alien popstar – my favourite singer is Michael Jackson, for cry-yi – but there’s something to be said for that sort of audience connection.
Rihanna was on fire this evening, and I don’t just mean her bright red hair. In Brisbane for the Australian leg of her Last Girl On Earth Tour, this was her first show of the run and she killed it. I had heard mixed things about her live concerts but tonight she worked the crowd like she’d been doing this for decades. And she had such a great relationship with the audience despite not saying much – she had things to say, of course, but there were no big monologues – it was all through the movements and the facial expressions and the music.
She looked great as usual with hair that reminded me of her very early days, and her voice sounded excellent too. Most of the big singles were here, and the delivery was energetic and hit all the right spots. The only songs I really wanted to see that weren’t present were ‘Pon De Replay’ and ‘Man Down’, which I expect will make an appearance on the upcoming Loud Tour. The staging, dancers, band – I couldn’t find a fault with any of them, and though I obviously have no way of knowing for sure, it seemed like the kind of show that could be enjoyed from the barrier or from the very back of the arena. I guess what I liked most about this show, and Rihanna herself, is that she just always looks so happy to be a popstar, even when she’s doing “moody”, and that energy means that she can elevate her own performance, and the crowd then pushes back that energy tenfold.
Support from Far East Movement and Calvin Harris was very good, Far East Movement in particular were much more entertaining than I thought they would be. Having two support acts was a nice touch because often waiting times (in the standing area especially) can be fucking excruciating, but this wasn’t too bad at all. It was, however, a bit too much for my 16-year-old sister, though – she collapsed halfway through the show and had to be lifted out like one of those girls you see in Michael Jackson live videos. She’s usually okay at concerts but the fact that she was already a bit sick mixed with the time we’d been standing there mixed with how hot and pushy it was all took their toll. I expect she’ll be back there up the front with me next time just fine. Anyway, what that meant was that I experienced half the show from the third row and the other half from the side of the crowd, but it was fantastic no matter where I was. I saw ‘Umbrella’ live. ‘Umbrella’, one of the greatest songs to ever hit my ears. I could have been underneath the stage with a cardboard box on my head and that still would have been a musical moment to remember forever.
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