Rihanna paid the Super Bowl a flying visit as she materialised on a glowing platform high above Arizona’s State Farm Stadium at the start of her bombastic halftime set.
The Umbrella singer hadn’t been on stage since a guest appearance alongside DJ Khalid at the 2018 Grammys. But there were no signs of ring rustiness as she arrived in mid-air at the Super Bowl– showcasing a voluminous pink dress and an impressive head for heights
The performance that followed was a breathless run through her hits. It also doubled as a reminder of her potency as a pop star. The world might need its memory jogged. It’s seven years since Rihanna’s last album – one-third of the lifespan of singer Billie Eilish, one of many celebrities watching on.
The halftime show may prove controversial, too. Rihanna finished an abbreviated romp through Rude Boy by placing her hand on a suggestive body part. She then appeared to mime sniffing her fingers. Forget the notorious Justin Timberlake/Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction” from the 2004 Super Bowl. This was “crotch watch with Rihanna” and could potentially send Middle America into a meltdown.
Rihanna’s spot was noteworthy for other reasons. Mind-frazzling choreography featured the singer in a shape-shifting gown that appeared to contract and expand to chime with the material. And she was flanked by dozens of dancers. Wearing fuzzy white, they were seemingly styled as designer teddy bears – a look not seen under spotlights since the heyday of the Aphex Twin.
These massed ranks of super furry animals grooved and gurned as Rihanna accelerated through a decade of smashes. She opened with B**** Better Have My Money. The track has taken on an ironic title since its release in 2016 given that the fashion empire Rihanna launched subsequently has sent her estimated net-value soaring pasted $1 billion.
With the flying platform descending to a narrow pink stage she bopped and rocked through Where Have You Been and Only Girl (In the World).
There were no political statements. Rihanna had previously refused to grace the Super Bowl in support of Colin Kaepernick, the NFL quarterback effectively banished from the sport after he pioneered the “taking the knee” protest against racism.
But with Jay Zs’ Roc Nation management company signing up to produce the half-time entertainment, Rihanna has had a change of heart (Roc Nation also manages Rihanna). She told a press conference during the week that she keen to represent black people and her home country of Barbados. And she wanted to be a role model for her nine-month-old son.
“It’s important for me to do this this year,” said the singer, who’d been slammed as a “no talent” by noted pop picker Donald Trump in the run-up to Super Bowl. “It’s important for representation,” she added. “I want my son to see that.”
She certainly blew off the cobwebs with her set – though rumours that Jay Z would take to the stage alongside her proved wide of the mark.
The special guest she had teased in pre-game interviews was actually a second child for her and partner A$ap Rocky, which she revealed by opening her jacket to show a growing stomach.
Throughout the show, Rihanna zig-zagged from banger-for-the ages We Found Love to Work and her Kanye West collaboration All of the Lights. The finishing touches to this brolly good show took the slightly inevitable form of early mega-hit Umbrella, followed by power ballad Diamonds.
Aptly, the stadium sparkled with the glow of thousands of smartphones as she negotiated the latter’s gusty chorus. It brought the shutters down on a full-throat performance that will reminded the estimated 100 million tuning in that Rihanna is still a pop star with pile-driving charisma. Thanks to that crotch moment, it may have also spawned another Super Bowl halftime controversy.
