Woooooah, what a stadium. Rihanna just performed her third European date at Wembley.
It started off a little slow. Due to protests in London city (Brexit) it took some time for the crowd to fill up the seats at the stadium. But after a few songs, they were all there ready to party with Rihanna.
Metro writes:
”The Wembley site shows that seats were sold out, with standing tickets at £75 and seated tickets £99. Perhaps the news of Brexit had kept people away. But she still had the crowd eating out of her hand, especially with her opening performance of Stay which received a huge reaction.”
So beautiful. Thank you @rihanna pic.twitter.com/kwww2lkwz5
— Dan (@DanSkelton2312) June 24, 2016
The Guarian writes:
”If the general mise en scène doesn’t convince people this era represents a new side to Rihanna, then opening the show with a ballad – 2013’s maudlin Stay – hammers it home. Climbing on to a small stage in the middle of the stadium, sporting something between a dressing gown and a boxer’s robe, it’s delivered with her face covered by a giant hood. The coyness doesn’t last long, mind you. By the time the lurching drone of Woo and the brazen Sex With Me are over, she’s already prowling around the main stage like a panther.”
”Often Rihanna dances and sings along to her older songs in the same way most of her fans do – smile on her face, arms outstretched, singing the bits she remembers (We Found Love is basically a crowd singalong). It’s easy to ignore this disconnect, because she still imbues them with her unshakeable Rihanna-ness; that perfect pop voice, the undeniable presence, that couldn’t-give-a-shit attitude.”
”The difference now is that she has a handful of emotional new songs in which the connection between song and subject is undeniable. So the closing trio of campfire singalong FourFiveSeconds, the bluesy Love on the Brain and the dramatic sweep of Kiss It Better are delivered with such conviction it feels like you’re watching a different artist. It’s not perfect, but then that’s never been Rihanna’s MO. It’s the imperfections that make her”
Rihanna also invited a fan backstage: Cabby, a girl that she’s been following on social media for about 4 years now.
Rihanna inviting @cabby10 backstage! ?? pic.twitter.com/y89P9ud2Dx
— Dan (@DanSkelton2312) June 24, 2016
Jamie, who also attended the Wembley show, tells us:
”The Wembley ANTI World Tour experience can only be described as a pure feeling of euphoria and the perfect form of escapism from any thoughts clouding your mind. My anxiety was affecting me as it does so often, but as soon as Stay came on and Robyn appeared, all those anxieties were lifted and I became captivated by the beauty, charisma and most of all the incredible talent my fave possesses.”
”Whilst many around me spent a lot of their time recording Rih, I decided to keep my phone off for the majority of the concert (I just took a few pictures) and needless to say I did not regret it. I was going OFF. I was getting my entire LIFE and Rih was giving us EVERYTHING and more. I was on cloud 9 and honestly I did not stop vibing out with Rih for the entire concert. Sex With Me, BBHMM, Desperado, Needed Me, Diamonds, Love On The Brain and Kiss It Better were standout performances for me. Same Ol’ Mistakes was a spiritual experience, and I simply couldn’t resist joining in with the wavey hand dance Rih does during it. Rih’s vocals were astounding and LOTB in particular and THAT moment in Desperado stick out in my mind as wow moments vocally.”
This my friends, is a legend. pic.twitter.com/p7iSvOL6kb
— Tara (@badgaltar) June 25, 2016
”During Needed Me I was nothing short of posessed, I was PERFORMING BIH. Diamonds and KIB were particularly emotional and those kind of moments that will stick in your mind forever. After she’d finished KIB, Rih stayed on stage for a while waving to and thanking the crowd and it really shone through how incredibly humble and grounded she is. She’s also hilarious and had several funny short speeches throughout the night.”
To top it all off I got to meet so many of my favourite Navy, everyone is so cute and lovely in real life. To summarise, Rih described the night perfectly saying there’s no party like a Rihanna Navy party!! It was complete bliss and I was truly able to be myself and express myself without anxiety during her performance. I didn’t hold back on vibing out and I was myself in my purest form, just as Rihanna is. Rihanna inspires us all to be ourselves and to embrace our own quirks and individuality, and that’s one of the many, many reasons I adore Robyn Rihanna Fenty. I will always be a Navy through till the end. It’s #NavyRDie in this bihhh. My Wembley Anti World Tour experience was truly the best night of my life. Roll on V Festival where I see Rih live again.”
