Raunchy start to Rihanna tour
Rihanna sparkled on stage in several costumes but her Diamonds show lacked the shine you would expect from one of the most successful current pop acts in the world.
Rihanna began her Australian tour at Perth Arena last night, supporting her seventh album, Unapologetic, with lasers, a moving stage, fire pots, provocative dancing and seven costume changes.
Despite the effort and lots of crotch-grabbing, there was a distinct lack of spunk from the Barbadian, who disappointed some fans from the start by being 40 minutes late.
Miley Cyrus was widely criticised for her recent VMA performance, but Rihanna was almost equally sex-charged with an over-use of hip thrusting and crotch-grabbing, while her backing dancers gave a lacklustre performance.
The die hard fans in the mosh pit loved every minute of the concert, but casual fans who only knew the main hits appeared less enthusiastic.
In fact, the fashion was arguably even more impressive than the music.
During one of her costume changes, it seemed like Rihanna forgot to wear pants, but that was OK because her white boots came half way up her thighs.
Other outfits of the night included a sparkly jumpsuit, a black and white leather bra with gold stars, a red halter and wrap-around skirt, and a bright bustier with matching leather pants.
The costume changes marked the breaks between the five acts and encore.
As the sheet came down at the start, the mosh pit full of fans rushed forward with their phones lit up to photograph the diva who opened with Mother Mary as she kneeled in front of a female statue.
But it was more than half an hour into the show before the audience was treated to any of Rihanna's really big hits.
The second set included Rude Boy and What's My Name? while the third included the hugely popular song Umbrella, which got everyone up on their feet.
Ballads were performed in the fourth set, including a shortened version of Take A Bow.
Her biggest hits were performed in the final set including S&M, Only Girl (In The World) and Don't Stop The Music with everyone singing along and dancing.
Of course, Rihanna wrapped up the concert with Diamonds, thanking Perth fans for their support and promising to return.
With competition from stars like Pink and Beyonce, it seems Rihanna has some catching up to do, but her loyal fans did not seem to notice.
Rihanna will continue her Australian tour in Adelaide (September 26), Brisbane (September 28), Melbourne (September 30, October 1), Sydney (October 3 & 4).
