Rihanna Cranks Up the Volume at 'LOUD' Tour Kickoff
Rihanna brought the noise to Baltimore for the first stop of her “LOUD” tour at 1st Mariner Arena on Saturday (June 4). The North American trek was quite a change from last year’s “Last Girl on Earth” outing, replacing the dark theme with a colorful playground. Following sets from J. Cole and Cee Lo Green, the red head kicked things off with “Only Girl (In the World),” emerging in a shiny blue coat before revealing a beaded bikini underneath.
She rose above the crowd on a piano for “Love the Way You Lie,” threw it back to her island roots with “Rude Boy,” and invaded the stage with pink guns and a tank for “Hard.” One lucky female fan even got a lap dance from the superstar during “Skin.”
And you know it wouldn’t be a Rihanna show without the fashion. The Barbados beauty transformed the stage into a catwalk with her numerous wardrobe changes throughout the evening—from a yellow dress and thigh-high boots (“Hate That I Love You”) to a military cap and jacket (“Hard”) to a denim bikini and ripped shorts (“Rude Boy”) and a tuxedo for a cover of Prince’s “Darling Nikki.”
After dazzling fans with hit after hit and a spectacular display, one thing was clear: Little Miss Sunshine was back and having a blast.