Rihanna’s halftime show performance proves unsatisfactory
As someone who lives with a teenage brother, there is no shortage of football games being played on our T.V. In fact, my Sunday afternoons are spent on the couch next to my brother and dad with our eyes plastered to the players aggressively tackling one another on the screen. It was pretty much guaranteed we would be watching the Superbowl.
While my dad and brother watched for the game, the only reason I was looking forward to the Super Bowl was for Rihanna’s halftime show.
Leading up to the game, my friends and I were constantly trying to predict what her opening song would be. Nobody ended up being correct in their predictions, and on top of that, I was utterly underwhelmed by her whole performance.
Rihanna has not released music since her last album ‘Anti’ which was seven years ago. Although she has this time off from producing and performing music, she still seemed like a natural on stage. However, I felt as if she missed some of her most well known songs. I would have liked to hear: Please Don’t Stop The Music, Pon de Replay, Umbrella and Disturbia. These are some of her most popular songs to date and not performing them felt like a missed opportunity.
Additionally, I felt the performance, including dancers and sets, was extremely overwhelming, which took away from her talent. My eyes were constantly moving across the screen instead of focussing on Rihanna. Her self-promo to her makeup line, Fenty Beauty and pregnancy announcement also took away from her musical talentedness.
Just 14 hours before her performance, I had been playing her music on repeat in the car and when I was doing my homework. For all the money she put towards her show and for how long of a hiatus she took, I think she really let fans down.
Rihanna definitely did not put on the worst performance but it certainly could have been better. I was left feeling unsatisfied based on the songs she decided to not perform. Her pregnancy announcement was the star of the show, when really, Rihanna’s music should have been the main focus. I wish that a few of those 13 minutes were spent differently and that she showed more energy in her dance moves throughout her performance.
Photostory Editor Karlie Saed ’23 has continued participation in Inklings to pursue her passion of writing. In her sophomore year, Saed fell for Advanced...
