Review: Rihanna shines in singular Super Bowl halftime show

Rihanna threw out all the conventions of the usual Tremendous Bowl halftime clearly show and turned entertainment’s most significant system into some thing all her individual.

And she did it although also revealing that she is expecting with her next youngster.

More an avant garde dance piece than a concert, the Barbadian superstar, dressed in a vivid crimson jumpsuit, plowed through 12 of her hits in 13 minutes surrounded by dozens of androgynous dancers dressed in white who mirrored almost each and every shift she made on and off the huge stage at Condition Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

In scenario anybody was perplexed, this was all about Rihanna. No unique company. No breaks. No momentum shifts. From her start off on a system suspended over the stage, to powerfully belting out the inspirational “Diamonds,” she kept a limited grip on everyone’s awareness by doing a single smash strike after an additional, from “Work” to “Umbrella.”

It was thoroughly her vision — polished, still playful – and fully self-certain. She did not toss in any ballads to clearly show off the power of her voice mainly because she does not want to verify herself to anyone. And she didn’t want to say anything outside of, “Thank you, Arizona” to make her details.

It was all an unconventional extension of what was an unconventional conclusion to carry out at this specific time.

Though most artists use a Tremendous Bowl halftime visual appeal to start a new album, Rihanna has been adamant that her adhere to-up to 2016’s “Anti-“ is not completed.

She did not even complete “Lift Me Up,” her contribution to the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” soundtrack, which is at this time nominated for an Oscar.

Prior to the revelation that Rihanna was pregnant, there were being rumors of a opportunity tour, but that would seem not likely now, with a new boy or girl to sign up for her son who turns 9 months outdated on Monday.

She’s not really advertising nearly anything.

You can not even invest in a Savage X Fenty t-shirt that claims “RIHANNA Concert INTERRUPTED BY A Soccer Match, Bizarre BUT Whichever.” All those bought out prior to the game even commenced.

Of course, slaying on entertainment’s biggest stage, with an anticipated audience of more than 100 million, won’t be negative for small business. A little something the youngest self-produced feminine billionaire appreciates all about.

Rihanna, 34, was clearly undertaking this for the challenge and for the reason that she experienced anything she preferred to say.

She previously declined to carry out in the 2019 halftime display out of solidarity with quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protest of racial inequality. But a lot has altered given that then, which includes her friend and mentor Jay-Z’s Roc Country partnering with the NFL on the halftime display.

And her efficiency designed a highly effective level about equality. Simply because her significant troupe of dancers were completely coated, like their faces, no one could tell what race they were being. They would be judged only by their dancing, their qualities to entertain.

That information shows how significantly Rihanna has improved considering that her last solo overall performance — when she accepted the Movie Vanguard award at the 2016 MTV Video Songs Awards. That also showcased her undertaking with no special friends, only a troupe of dancers, but it showcased unique sides of her musical identity in 4 distinctive performances. Whether it was hip-hop, dance pop, reggae or ballads, Rihanna showed how she could bend the genre to her will.

With her halftime clearly show Sunday, Rihanna merely established her possess style and elevated the bar for halftime demonstrates to appear.