Rihanna stands as one of the most influential voices in music. She often finds new ways to impact style and culture with every subtle action. With the release of her latest project, ANTI, Rihanna continued to push boundaries musically by recreating her sound. So it came as no surprise that the accompanying ANTI tour was viewed as one of the most highly anticipated tours of 2016.
Rihanna wrapped up the U.S. leg of her tour with the final stop at Phillips Arena in Atlanta. Here where the five most interesting moments.
Rihanna keeps it real
One of the main reasons why Rihanna connects with milliennials is her willingness to keep it real. While on stage, Rihanna often engaged with fans as if she was having a personal conversation. She even forgave those who illegally downloaded her music by saying, “How many of y’all stole that sh— off the internet? [I don’t care] as long as you know the lyrics to the next joint.” She also attempted to dictate cell phone use by saying, “I don’t want to see dudes on their phone texting their baby momma. I only want to see you on your phone if you’re putting me on the Gram [Instagram].”
Rihanna masters the turn-up
Rihanna knows how to keep the crowd engaged. She did a good job of keeping the energy high by performing songs with hip-hop production such as “Birthday Cake,” “Pour It Up,” and “BBHMM.” She also took the crowd to the islands with “Rude Boy,” and “Work” and covered Drake’s “Take Care.”
Rihanna isn’t afraid to tackle ballads
Rihanna doesn’t have the powerful voice of singers such as Beyoncé, Fantasia, or Jazemine Sullivan. However, she proved that she can successfully tackle ballads in front of a capacity crowd. She opened with “Stay” and did a flawless cover of “Same Ol’ Mistakes.”
Rihanna embraces post-apocalyptic style
Rihanna’s sense of fashion can be more inspiring than her music at times. So it was somewhat of a surprise to see her embrace a post-apocalyptic style that appeared to be inspired by Kanye West’s Yeezy line. The outfits were a bit bland when considering how much she experiments with fashion on a regular basis.
Rihanna keeps it short and sweet
If there was one drawback from Rihanna’s show, it would have to be how fast her show concluded. She performed 25 songs, but many were cut short after the first verse and chorus. Overall, her set lasted about an hour and 15 minutes. Rihanna put on a memorable show, but it seemed as if it was over in a blur.
