Rihanna wows HMV Forum with 777 tour

Roxanne Hoare-Smith

November 19 marked the sixth date of the 777 (7 shows in 7 cities in 7 days) tour for the Barbadian singer Rihanna to celebrate the release of her seventh album Unapologetic.

The HMV Forum in Kentish Town, North London, was the singer’s choice of venue and like most nights of the tour so far, Rihanna arrived on stage reasonably late.

She was meant to appear on stage at 7pm, but wowed the crowd with her presence at 10pm instead.

The Bajan babe wore a leopard print bralet, white trousers and a white jacket – which she soon removed.

Intimate performance

Rihanna performed in front of a smaller crowd compared to her past shows at The O2 and upcoming show in June 2013 at Twickenham Stadium. Celebrity guests included Alexandra Burke, Nick Grimshaw, Pixie Lott, Henry Holland, Little Mix and Kylie Minogue.

She opened the set performing her controversial song Cockiness and after a few songs in I couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed. The Barbadian star was singing along to her songs but I felt that most of the vocals were from the backing singers and backing track.

However, my disappointment was soon lifted when she burst into a string of acoustic numbers including some older hits, Unfaithful, Take a Bow and Hate How Much I Love You.

Diva antics

Rihanna continued to entertain as she stopped her band during Where Have You Been and said: ”What the fuck is that? Why is the track off with the band? This is the shit you have to deal with on a rock ‘n’ roll tour!” I couldn’t help but think the diva stunt was planned but it seemed to shock and please the crowd.

Although she was late on stage and did appear as a diva, I was captivated from start to finish. Her performance was phenomenal and there was never a dull moment. She even managed to perform Run This Town and All The Lights without the assistance of Jay-Z and Kanye West and made the songs her own.

Umbrella (ella, ella, ey, ey)

With her glamorous appearance and unstoppable energy, you wouldn’t have believed it was her sixth night of touring and there was no doubt she went on partying as usual until the early hours. She finished the night with an old favourite, Umbrella, where a fan at the front lifted as umbrella above the crowd. I was tempted to do the same, but didn’t want to injure anyone around me!