Chris Brown & Rihanna Perth Concert Reviews

Being two of the hottest acts in music right now, it was no surprise to find yourself walking some distance from your car to the Burswood Dome last night, as cars were banked up all the way to the river. It struck me as somewhat peculiar, seeing as most of the thousands of adoring fans pouring into the dome didn’t really appear old enough to have a licence.

As Brown got on stage there was a stampede by teenage girls all vying for the best vantage point of the R‘n’B pin-up boy at seemingly any cost. The packed crowd hit fever pitch when he finally made it out onto the stage dressed in what looked like black combat fatigues and a harness.

Brown presented himself to be quite the polished performer, ripping through his hit songs with incredible confidence for such a young man, taking breaks only to showcase his amazing dancing abilities. This included a homage to Michael Jackson with Brown’s take on the Thriller dance and also a cover of the classic Rock With You. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand from the second he walked on till after he left and made way for the second act… Rihanna.

Following a short intermission, Rihanna appeared on top of a large metal pole that had seemingly appeared from nowhere, dressed in, well, not very much at all. As the pole slowly submerged back into the stage the Umbrella star began what was a surprisingly rock heavy set, accompanied by a full band and a guitarist with a striking similarity to Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee, taking every opportunity to rock out a guitar solo. She even had her entourage sitting and swaying with her on a step as she banged out an acoustic number. Even Chris Brown joined her onstage for this one, although I don’t know how seriously he was taking it, as he seemed to be wearing pyjama pants, no shirt, a wig and scribbles all over his chest.

A surprise entry in Rhianna’s set would’ve had to have been a cover of UK female hip hop artists M.I.A’s Paper Planes, but there were no surprises when she reeled through her classics such as SOS, Shut Up and Drive, and of course the highly anticipated Umbrella. Chris Brown joined her onstage for a duet to her mega-hit single to finish off what was a highly energetic and entertaining night. That is if the constant high-pitched screaming was any gauge.

The armies of doting parents quietly waiting for their respective children outside the Burswood Dome seemed like the only ones who were glad the show was over as the masses slowly started piling out onto the streets, some clutching large glossy images (sadly unsigned) of Chris Brown’s goofy smile.

To add further speculation to the romantic rumours that have swarmed these two even before their tour, they almost shared a kiss onstage following the closing duet, Rihanna pulling away at the very last minute. Maybe next time Chris…

SOURCE: PerthNow

Rihanna & Brown, the new age R&B
The lust of 15,000 fans was just about cut into bite-sized chunks when Chris Brown began humping the floor near the end of his set. Then, as Snoop Dogg’s Sexual Eruption boomed out across the Burswood Dome, the 19-year-old from small-town Virginia got off the floor and thrust himself at his microphone stand.

This sort of exhibitionist display seemed to mark the performance of Brown on Tuesday night. Although he waded through songs including Gimme That and Kiss Kiss, he danced and gyrated more than he sang.

Not that the mainly female crowd seemed to mind. They had so much love for him that they didn’t even care that he was being aided very obviously by a generous backing track.

Regardless of what Brown was doing, he seemed to do it right.

The young R&B popstar is a singer/dancer but ultimately a performer. He gives the crowd what they want — and then throws in pyrotechnics and a medley of Michael Jackson moves just to be sure.

Probably the most razzle-dazzle R&B support act we will see in a while, Brown ripped off his singlet and threw it into the crowd. Waving goodbye, he jogged offstage and took a thousand young hearts with him.

Like Brown, Rihanna also started her set near the roof. The 20-year-old leggy beauty was lowered atop a towering pedestal to reveal a dominatrix-style fishnet catsuit. Unlike Brown, however, there was a lot more singing as she audibly worked her way through opener Disturbia and a string of others including Rehab and Let Me.

After the expected costume change, Rihanna also added the intriguing disclaimer: “It’s the last show of our Australian tour. If y’all see anything irregular tonight, just go with it.”

This teaser started to reveal itself as Rihanna sat on the steps centre-stage, surrounded by her onstage posse and a male figure naked from the waist up and wearing a blonde wig and lipstick. His nipples were circled with red lipstick and “I (heart) Perth” scrawled across his chest. Mysteriously, this person had the same tattoos that we saw earlier on Chris Brown’s well-defined arms.

Rihanna kept her round of ballads together but the sideways smiles and laughs Brown drew out of her looked like teenage romance.

A confident performer with competent vocal ability, Rihanna uses her sex appeal to turn up her stage presence. As she geared up towards the end of her set with Don’t Stop the Music and Shut Up and Drive, it was encore hit Umbrella performed with Brown that sent the crowd into hysterics.

But Perth was the only Australian city on this tour where Brown and Rihanna fuelled the fire of speculation on their relationship. He leaned in for a kiss while Rihanna, remaining at a professional distance, pulled away. They instead settled for a one-on-one dance up close and personal and a hug.

And as Rihanna and Brown finally waved goodbye to Australia, she ended their national tour by launching into a water fight with her “good friend” as they disappeared into the bowels of the Dome. Puppy love, perhaps?

- MARSIA AVELING
SOURCE: The West Australian