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.
