RiRi says: Shut up and drive

Star Tribune photo by Kyndell Harkness

Rihanna's show was better than expected. I had the same kind of giddy surprise when I saw Pink's arena extravaganza a few years ago. The difference is, with Pink, you got to know her personality a little bit more. With Rihanna at Target Center Thursday, it was all visuals and vocals — over-the-top in both areas, as explained in my review.

The performance was a quantam leap forward from her previous Twin Cities arena appearances, opening for Kanye West and for T.I. at KDWB's Jingle Ball. The current Cosmopolitan magazine cover girl can sing and entertain. She's more a sexy strutter than a graceful dancer. But she surrounded herself with eight strong dancers, a loud band and virtually nonstop action and eye-candy.

Although she dropped "Minneapolis" into her patter frequently, RiRi didn't bother to acknowledge being in Prince's hometown (opening act Cee Lo Green had made a big fuss about it earlier) when she did either his "Darling Nikki" or "The Glamourous Life," which he wrote for Sheila E (Rihanna did a timbales solo on that one, after dashing through the crowd; she also danced through the audience during "Don't Stop the Music".)

The content was more R-rated than PG, which might have surprised the parents of the tweens and under-10 girls who are addicted to Rihanna's radio hits. She didn't shy away from the violence depicted in songs like "Man Down" and "Breakin' Dishes" but she let her dancers — and a couple of fans — demonstrate the anger by beating a car with baseball bats during "Shut Up and Drive."

Here is Rihanna's set list: Only Girl (in the World)/ Disturbia/ Shut Up and Dance/ Man Down/ Darling Nikki (Prince)/ S&M/ Let Me/ Skin/ Hard/ Breakin' Dishes> Glamourous Life (Sheila E)/ Run This Town> Live Your Life/ Unfaithful/ Hate That I Love You/ California King Bed/ What's My Name/ Rude Boy/ Fading/ Don't Stop the Music/ Take a Bow ENCORE Love the Way You Lie/ Umbrella