Post by Troublemaker on Feb 12, 2023 21:47:50 GMT -5
Performance was underwhelming! She has a great catalogue of songs and that was what we got? Clearly she was pregnant when she announced that she was performing last year, she could have postponed (like Beyonce with Coachella). I'm happy her family is expanding but this performance was not it... Or could it be I had really high expectations?
What did I just watch? If other singers just stand and lipsync, it’s ok. No big deal. But if Britney does it, she get’s ripped into the shredder machine.
The difference was that she wasn't dancing or doing anything strenuous on stage. But now that we know what we know about the conservatorship and some of what she endured, I can see why she didn't want to put in any effort into performing because all those people were exploiting her.
Check out my Last.fm "It's our gypsy blood. We live between life and death. Waiting to move on. And in the end. We accept it. We shake hands with our fate and we walk past. There's no rest for us in this world. Finally enough love." -Madonna "I Don't Search I Find"
After watching it again without the super high expectations, I wanted to add a couple things.
This would have been a spectacle to see in the stadium live, but the energy didn't really translate to television well. For having such a diverse group of hits, the stage production and lack of lighting made the show feel very monotonous. I really do think there was only so much she could do without anything more of visual interest added.
Also, I did like this a lot more the second time around. Good job Robyn smash hits Fenty.
Pretty much all of this. There was so, so much that could have gone into this production that didn't even need to involve her doing more than she did herself. The staging was cool for the first 5 minutes, then...monotony. We had one lightning change that drew me back in and I'm not even sure that was meant to be what it was. Dancers were great but they could have changed colors, outfits, something. Just adding more of them wasn't the answer.
I enjoyed every bit of the music because her catalog is top tier. I'm glad she got to show that. But I could have shuffled my own playlist here at home and just looked at pictures of her being pregnant last year. As far as half time shows go from an entertainment perspective, it lacked sorely.
I enjoyed every bit of the music because her catalog is top tier. I'm glad she got to show that. But I could have shuffled my own playlist here at home and just looked at pictures of her being pregnant last year. As far as half time shows go from an entertainment perspective, it lacked sorely.
Idk, I enjoyed it🤷🏾 Loved the chill yet vibrant mood it was giving. She's got her family, her business, and her money..and when it comes to music, I'll still wait w/e.
after rewatching the official upload on YouTube, I feel like this was most comparable to The Weeknd's pandemic halftime show in 2021. bunch of hits, cool set design elements, and a whole lot of dancers in the field, though no intensive choreography or anything particularly captivating.
both of these shows worked because Rihanna and The Weeknd are charismatic performers, but they were both lacking in entertainment value for the general viewer imo. (I do realize covid and pregnancy are to blame for some of it.)
so far, 2020's halftime shows:
#1 - Shakira & JLo (2020) #2 - West Coast Medley with Dr Dre, Kendrick, Mary J Blige, Snoop Dogg and more (2022) #3 - Rihanna (2023) #4 - The Weeknd (2021)
Performance was underwhelming! She has a great catalogue of songs and that was what we got? Clearly she was pregnant when she announced that she was performing last year, she could have postponed (like Beyonce with Coachella). I'm happy her family is expanding but this performance was not it... Or could it be I had really high expectations?
Isn't possible she got pregnant after agreeing/announcing?
I thought it was good considering her limited dancing.
Check out my Last.fm "It's our gypsy blood. We live between life and death. Waiting to move on. And in the end. We accept it. We shake hands with our fate and we walk past. There's no rest for us in this world. Finally enough love." -Madonna "I Don't Search I Find"
Performance was underwhelming! She has a great catalogue of songs and that was what we got? Clearly she was pregnant when she announced that she was performing last year, she could have postponed (like Beyonce with Coachella). I'm happy her family is expanding but this performance was not it... Or could it be I had really high expectations?
Isn't possible she got pregnant after agreeing/announcing?
I thought it was good considering her limited dancing.
Yeah, I'd say she almost definitely wasn't pregnant until after confirming she was doing the show, and there's zero chance she knew she was pregnant that early. She announced she would be the headliner on September 25, over 4 1/2 months ago. Based on the size of her stomach, she's probably 3-4 months along now. I wouldn't be surprised if there were initial plans to do something more elaborate and they had to scale back when she realized in rehearsals that she couldn't pull off anything beyond the moving Super Mario platforms* but that it was also too late to back out of the show entirely.
*That said I just rewatched it and she did more of the choreography than I thought the first time.
Post by Future Captain on Feb 13, 2023 5:40:07 GMT -5
It's fine. Rihanna had never really been a high-energy performer, and if she's really pregnant then it's even more understandable that she chose not to do any particularly strenuous moves.
The way she did a better halftime performance with those multiple medley performances at the 2016 VMAs, meanhile she manifested "go girl give us nothing" last night...
I'm still not over that dancehall rendition of Rude Boy infused with the beat of Pon De Replay from that VMA performance tbh.
Yeah, on one hand I give her a lot of credit for performing while pregnant. Not easy, I'm sure! But at the same time, even with that said, it really was the definition of "go on girl give us nothing"...
It also proves how much goodwill she has built up with the public, because ngl, if this was any other pop gurl, they would've been dragged to hell and back for that performance lol.
After watching it again without the super high expectations, I wanted to add a couple things.
This would have been a spectacle to see in the stadium live, but the energy didn't really translate to television well. For having such a diverse group of hits, the stage production and lack of lighting made the show feel very monotonous. I really do think there was only so much she could do without anything more of visual interest added.
Also, I did like this a lot more the second time around. Good job Robyn smash hits Fenty.
Pretty much all of this. There was so, so much that could have gone into this production that didn't even need to involve her doing more than she did herself. The staging was cool for the first 5 minutes, then...monotony. We had one lightning change that drew me back in and I'm not even sure that was meant to be what it was. Dancers were great but they could have changed colors, outfits, something. Just adding more of them wasn't the answer.
I enjoyed every bit of the music because her catalog is top tier. I'm glad she got to show that. But I could have shuffled my own playlist here at home and just looked at pictures of her being pregnant last year. As far as half time shows go from an entertainment perspective, it lacked sorely.
This is a good point too - I think what made it feel meh along with Rihanna herself was the monotony. Usually these halftime shows have different outfit changes, different dancers/outfits, different set pieces... Rihanna stayed in one outfit, dancers stayed the same, set pieces were pretty much the same throughout. Nothing super exciting after the first minute, just more of the same.
Post by theyaintready on Feb 13, 2023 10:00:40 GMT -5
Can someone point me to where she's ever given a high energy strenuous performance? I've never seen it so this was in line with what she's always given and exactly what I expected. She always serves low energy choreo.
Post by think pink. on Feb 13, 2023 10:10:11 GMT -5
I don’t think ppl expected an 8 count from her. But some energy and actually looking like she wanted to be there. She’s definitely given multiple good performances with great energy and stage presence. When you factor in her nonchalant attitude, with no outfit changes, stage sets, guests or “big” moments…then yeah. People are going to find it disappointing.
Had this been anyone else, the general reception would be very negative.
Post by HolidayGuy on Feb 13, 2023 11:48:35 GMT -5
The lifts were cool= Super Mario-like, indeed. :) Watching the performance, though, felt it was very meh. The trend of fitting in so many tracks in that short time span is getting to be a bit much, too. I didn't even recognize a couple of the tracks.
The most celebrated and important female artist of the last half-century. The world has been "hung up" on her since she announced to Dick Clark in 1984 that she wanted to rule the world. And RULE it she has...
I expected so much worse given the reaction here lol. It was fine. She even moved more than I expected given these comments. Y'all talking like she just stood there in front of a mic for 12 minutes. Rihanna have never been a performer with amazing spectacle. Choreo isn't her thing, amazing vocals isn't her thing. Her thing has always been looking hot with a great catalog of fun music while serving fashion and looks, and she delivered on nearly all of that last night. All while being pregante. Expectations on her specifically were met. The only thing I would have liked more of were outfit changes, but given the time constraints and the bun in the oven, I understand why that wasn't there.
That being said, everyone involved should have known this already and put in the effort in other areas. The staging and lighting were boring. Is this the SuperBowl halftime show or the AMAs giving out some icon award? Because it felt like the latter. Was Apple just not invested enough to pay out for the visuals? As Albie said, if I wanted to just listen to Rihanna's hits while seeing her do a little sashay here and there, I could have just set all of that up at home. Where were the elements that made it the big flashy spectacle you can only get from watching the halftime show? Truly a huge misstep on whoever designed the sets and staging and lighting etc. The backup dancers were truly giving it their all, though. "Work" and "Pour It Up" specifically were top tier.
Also the sheer number of songs that were stuffed into this thing was astronomical! 12 songs got the spotlight with 4 others slipping their way in there in the mix. That's 16 songs in total. 17 if you count "What's My Name?" sneaking in during the video introduction. Absolutely surprised to see "Bitch Better Have My Money" and "Pour It Up" be two of those 12 earning the main spotlight and "Cockiness," "Kiss It Better," and "Birthday Cake" finding their way into the background mixes. Also surprised to see her pay tribute to any of her features, but particularly "All of the Lights" given the recent Kanye controversy. It was a great setlist, though. The only glaring songs missing, IMO, were "Don't Stop the Music" and "Disturbia." Also would have been cool to see all of her albums get some recognition, even if just in the background mix, so I'm a little saddened to see "Pon de Replay" and "SOS" get payed dust. Of course "Love on the Brain," "Love the Way You Lie," "Needed Me," "The Monster," "Take a Bow," "This Is What You Came For," and "Stay" are also a few mega hits missing from the setlist, but with a discography like Rihanna's, they really weren't missed all that much in that sea of smashes. (Okay, maybe replace "Pour It Up" and "Wild Thoughts" with "Disturbia" and "Don't Stop the Music" lol.)
Overall, a solid show, definitely could have been much, much better from a technical standpoint, but Rihanna met my expectations. A little underwhelming, but still fun. I enjoyed it about as much as I enjoyed The Weeknd's.
Post by Fat Ass Kelly Price on Feb 13, 2023 13:06:10 GMT -5
It was boring. It was exactly what I expected from her. She’s never been too much of an interesting live performer. Just because my expectations are low and I guess she just barely met them doesn’t mean I should praise her for a bare minimum performance. Rihanna is miss bare minimum. It gets a C. I understand she’s pregnant, but it’s still a C for me dawg.
Like…at least secure a guest so you can sit your pregnant ass down for 45 seconds off camera but still keep the audience captivated. Staging was interesting at first until it never really changed.
Post by groovetheory on Feb 13, 2023 13:37:42 GMT -5
I loved it but mostly for the aesthetic reasons lol. The stage and the choreography was amazing, that what kept me going. Kudos to all the dancers, they did an amazing job. Also loved the red and white color palette, so minimalistic but so bold and striking.
Rih's attitude was fun to watch tbh, the look in the beginning was so her. Yes she could have done so much more with that discography but this was a choice and it was still enjoyable. Probably won't go down in history as one of the best though.
It was boring. It was exactly what I expected from her. She’s never been too much of an interesting live performer. Just because my expectations are low and I guess she just barely met them doesn’t mean I should praise her for a bare minimum performance. Rihanna is miss bare minimum. It gets a C. I understand she’s pregnant, but it’s still a C for me dawg.
Like…at least secure a guest so you can sit your pregnant ass down for 45 seconds off camera but still keep the audience captivated. Staging was interesting at first until it never really changed.
The mental gymnastics I’m seeing from the media/twitter trying to spin this mediocre halftime into it being good. Literally YAS queening her careless attitude about the whole thing 💀😭. The bar is in HELL.
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