Rihanna stops at the Forum in London for day six of 777 tour

The atmosphere at the HMV Forum, on Monday night, was one of anticipation and excitement,  for what everyone knew was going to be the gig of the year. The usually rocky North London music scene became glamorous on day six of Rihanna’s 777 album tour.

Rihanna – travelling in a Boeing 777 to seven different countries over seven days, to perform seven different concerts – arrived in London on the release day of her new album, Unapologetic. The plane, transporting a group of fans and members of the press from 82 countries, stopped in Mexico City, Toronto, Stockholm, Paris and Berlin. London became the penultimate night of the tour (the party is setting off to New York next) and show six ensured that there was every reason for celebration. Unapologetic is number one in the UK iTunes chart, and Rihanna made sure that London partied hard in celebration.

Fans in the crowd included Kylie Minogue, Henry Holland, Annie Mac, Nick Grimshaw, Christopher Kane and members of Little Mix.

Opening in a jaw-dropping leopard print bralet and white suit, designed by University of Westminster graduate Ashley Williams, Rihanna chose Cockiness and Birthday Cake as her starting point. She then moved onto songs such as Talk That Talk, which allowed her to thank all of her sponsors – including HTC and River Island – for making the whole tour possible and for being able to give away a limited edition Rihanna HTC smartphone to a lucky fan in the front row.

A medley, including Only Girl and Please Don’t Stop The Music, touched on old favourites. Rihanna then took a more stripped-back approach, with beautiful acoustic versions of Unfaithful, Take a Bow and Hate How Much I Love You, leading the crowd to sing-along to every word. Then, following with Phresh Off the Runway – a sexy and powerful new song – she managed to bring the mood back to party mode.

Even without collaborative partners Jay-Z and Kayne West, Rihanna managed to pull off Run This Town and All of the Lights, then Diamonds and Umbrella. We Found Love finished off the breathtaking performance, and allowed London to bid farewell to an outstanding show.

There is no other way to describe the concept, the gig and the performer herself: all we can say is “Wow!”

Verdict: •••••

Kellie Griffiths

Watch S&M live at the 777 tour date in London here:

Complete set list:
Cockiness
Birthday Cake
Talk That Talk
Wait is Over
Man Down
Only Girl (In the World)
Disturbia
S&M
Phresh Off the Runway
Unfaithful
Take a Bow
Hate That I Love You
Where Have You Been
What’s My Name?
Run This Town
Live Your Life
All of the Lights
Diamonds
Umbrella
We Found Love