CheekyChicago

The rise and fall of pop stars seems to be a recurring theme of the past decade. Britney’s bizarre breakdown takes first place, hands down. As newcomers Lady Gaga and Ke$ha continue to dominate commercial airwaves, former queen bees Christina Aguilera and Rihanna are struggling to find ways to hold onto their crowns as canceled tour dates threaten their stability. Skepticism plagued my thoughts as Rihanna’s ability to sing well live without the assistance of producers or pitch correction plug-ins had yet to be proven. Fortunately, the “Last Girl On Earth Tour” has given the singer plenty of practice. Rihanna’s vocals were in excellent shape.

Normally artists explode onto the stage with an uptempo hit song to properly set the tone for the night and excite fans. Rihanna took an unconventional approach when she opened with Rated R’s lead single and ballsy ballad “Russian Roulette.” Red lights embroidered the glowing gown Rihanna wore while simultaneously shocking audience members with her dynamically dyed red bob and powerful vocal delivery.

While Rihanna’s voice sounded surprisingly good, she lacked any personality needed to ignite and engage the audience. Pyrotechnics, lasers galore, and hot pink props served to drive up the wow factor of the Barbados-born pop star’s performance. Memorable moments included “Shut Up And Drive” where one lucky fan joined Rihanna onstage and ”Disturbia,” which was frighteningly embellished with  towering, creature-like costumed dancers.

As the evening progressed, the string of hit singles comprising Rihanna’s repertoire refreshed everyone’s love of the artist’s catalog. However, unrecognizable Rated R compositions such as “Te Amo,” “Rockstar 101,” and “Stupid In Love” slowed down the momentum of the singer’s otherwise impressively long hit-heavy set.

Rihanna had the biggest response from the crowd upon performing refrains of tunes belonging to other top artists. Collaborations with Eminem in “Love The Way You Lie,” T.I. in “Live Your Life,” and Jay-Z in “Run This Town” had fans singing along at the top of their lungs. Kicking off the aforementioned medley of guest appearances on her peers’ tracks was a cover of the omnipresent “Airplanes” where Rihanna lead fans in a sing-along to the words sung by Haley Williams of Paramore. Sitting atop a neon pink military tank jutting out from stage left into the crowd, Rihanna sang her famous choruses accompanied by insanely talented touring musicians on acoustic guitar and piano.

Having only been to a handful of full-scale over-the-top productions comparable to Rihanna’s first headlining tour, expectations were understandably high. But even with all of the glitz and glamour, I was disappointed and bored for much of the show. There is no doubting the fat that Rihanna probably does not want to stop her music from being heard. Unfortunately for her, successful collaborations cannot last forever. In order to solidify a sustainable solo career, maybe this Caribbean beauty needs to stop trying to be some bad girl she is not, and return to her good girl roots.