Macayla Cook
Super Bowl LVII was not a good one for Eagles fans. After essentially dominating the first three quarters, consistent defensive errors and a final gut-wrenching field goal by the Chiefs led to Philly’s downfall. However, not everything is utterly terrible at the moment. After all, the Super Bowl brought a loss to the City of Brotherly Love, but it also brought Rihanna back to performing after a seven (yes, seven) year hiatus. To people like myself, who proudly told my friends that I was watching “Rihanna featuring the Eagles,” this was the big moment I had been anticipating with bated breath for months. And, of course, she did not disappoint.
Rihanna has not dropped an album since 2016’s Anti. She has instead focused on becoming a makeup mogul, fashion icon, and mother. Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Rihanna no matter what business she is in, and while I can’t afford Fenty Beauty, I’ve literally only heard good things. Yet, my favorite Rihanna will always be Popstar Rihanna, one of the top hitmakers of the 2000s and early-2010s. The power of a fashionable, confident, unapologetically camp black woman in pop music was simply incredible, and then just like that, she disappeared from stages, supposedly never to perform “Diamonds” again. Hearts were broken, tears were shed. It was a tragic day for music.
Naturally, when Rihanna was announced as this year’s Super Bowl show, I was ecstatic, as were many others, and the show she delivered did not disappoint.
Rihanna, clad in an all-red jumpsuit, managed to deliver a spectacular performance of a dozen of her hits, despite having been out of the performance game for seven years and also casually announcing her second pregnancy. If there is one thing she knows how to do, it is get people talking. Who better than to deliver a spectacle in the middle of the world’s biggest football game?
At this point, I think it’s clear that I genuinely screamed when I recognized the beginning of “Rude Boy.” Call me a fan, I’m not sorry.
Now, a lot of people did have problems with the halftime show. Some of those concerns are valid, but also easily countered. For example, a friend of mine expressed that they wished she had danced more. Honestly, me too, but I think the 100+ backup dancers definitely did the job, especially considering the fact that Rihanna is clearly pregnant (maybe my only genuine criticism is that the backup dancers looked ridiculous. I missed part of the set because I was laughing too hard at the image of 25 dancers in massive puffer jackets T-posing their way into the show). She did her best, and that’s all we can ask of her.
I contend that doing this by herself was a power move on Rihanna’s part. After all, this was meant to be her moment. Bringing out a collaborator would have added to the hype, sure, but it also would have taken away from the main event, Riri herself. Refusing to bring out any of her countless past collaborators was a strong message of confidence, saying “this moment is all mine.” She is enough of a spectacle by herself, she knows that, and she owns that.
In short, this was definitely a great halftime performance that I highly recommend watching if you missed it or rewatching if you did see it. Come for the hits, stay for the fashion, the iconic homage to Fenty Beauty, and of course, the pregnancy announcement. There truly was something for everyone, and Rihanna’s triumphant return to live performance was just as it sounds: in a word, perfect.