RIHANNA at Danforth Music Hall, Thursday, November 15. Rating: NN
As Mariah Carey would say, “we go through a moment and we come out on the other side.” The sentiment nicely sums up the communal but ultimately unfulfilling frenzy whipped up by Rihanna during the relatively no-frills, exclusive concert at the Danforth Music Hall last night.
To promote Unapologetic, her seventh album in as many years, the Barbadian pop star invited a Delta Airlines flight full of journalists and fan club members to tag along on her 777 Tour – a seven day, seven-city jaunt that was met with an excited yet well-mannered crowd upon its touch down in Toronto.
At a time when record labels are slashing marketing budgets, you have to hand it to Rihanna and her management for going the extra mile to keep the rock star lifestyle alive. Moreover, it’s always interesting to see an arena-sized star perform somewhat spontaneously in an intimate venue. Would she deliver the goods without a girl-on-girl lapdance routine? A back-up dancer army? Countless costume changes? Hydraulic lifts?
Not really. Big or small venue, Rihanna is one of the choppiest live singers currently climbing the Top 40 charts. Frequently, she was content to let the backing tracks or the audience sing-a-long do all the work – especially when required to go up a key on the middle eight – and her banter proved woefully trite (“Thank you Toronto for making me feel like the only bitch in the world”).
Rihanna knows she has this incredible arsenal of pop songs, but is content to get out of their way. There is something to be said for that, sure. But it’s not a terribly interesting approach. The amazing-ness of hits like What’s My Name?, We Found Love and Umbrella is undeniable, just as the unsettling undertones to songs like Birthday Cake, Man Down and Love The Way You Lie are intriguing. But they all sound better on the radio.
