So last night, one of my best friends Cash and I had the awesome opportunity of attending the New York leg of
Rihanna's Loud Tour. I love Rihanna and I was in complete super-fan mode all day long and leading up to the event. I had even ditched work in order to get to the venue early. We had bought tickets when they first went on sale months ago and I had been planning my outfit for weeks. Finally we arrived and I was even more excited than I imagined. The venue screamed of this surreal rockstar energy that I soaked up moment by moment. I must say that I was really impressed by the whole event from start to finish. We immediately indulged in event freebies such as replica temporary star tattoos,
Nivea creme samples and fan photos that will be posted on Rihanna's official Facebook fan page courtesy of her official tour sponsor
Nivea. Newcomer J. Cole opened up the show and he did just as well a job that I expected him to do. Ceelo Green was originally scheduled to be the show opener but he disappointingly had to cancel because of schedule conflicts. After a bit of a wait, Rihanna finally emerged in all her superstar glory. She first came on in this AMAZING metallic blue mini wrap dress paired with a Max Kibardin custom patent color-block ankle boots and neon yellow hoop earrings to match. Her red hair complimented the outfit perfectly and I was in utter awe.
RiRi brought her badazz persona from set to set and outfit to outfit with a series of costume changes put together by her stylist Mel Ottenberg. The fabulous costumes included pieces by her stylist Ottenberg himself and the likes of some of mypersonal favorites such as Alexander McQueen, Jeremy Sccott, Adam Selman, Yves St. Laurent, and Dolce and Gabbbana Vintage. Rihanna proved once again that she is a fashion icon to be reckoned with and as she crooned out basically all of my favorite songs by her, I was barely able to contain myself. She went through renditions of her hits such as
Disturbia, Shut up and Drive, Unfaithful, California King Bed, Man Down and
Live Your Life. She even had an ode to the late, great Michael Jackson where she wore a black, tailored suit reminiscent of Michael's style paired with an oversized red bow on her collar that made me melt and feel all tingly inside.
The stage sets were just as amazing as the costumes and they provided the perfect backdrop for the performance. Rhianna interacted with the crowd the entire time as she grabbed cameras from fans and took pics of herself, gave lapdances and walked throughh the aisles giving hugs. At one point, she even got on the drums and played them herself. I danced and sang and screamed at the top of my lungs and just when I thought that it could not get ANY better and we were about to leave, she brought out the man himself, Kanye West!!! The crowd was in complete uproar. I myself could hardly breathe and I honestly don't remeber much about the concert after that. Rihanna's mom and grandmother were also in the crowd as she pointed out to us during her
thank yous. The show ended with a burst of red, metallic confetti being sprayed into the crowd. It was amazing. Rihanna then finally made her exit looking as beautiful as ever, smilimg and waving to her fans. Totally EPIC!
Here's a few a few of my favorite pics from the night. We had such an amazing time!
Lorna Simpson believes that photographs tell a story far more complex than what the eye usually perceives. We all know that history sometimes becomes skewed depending on who is telling the story and who is receiving the information. Ms. Simpson explores this idea in an exhibit titled 'Gathered' currently running at The Brooklyn Museum. The work is a collection of photgraphs of African Americans that Simpson collected over a number of years. Each photograph tells a distinct story that leaves room for imagination to run the gammet of possibities based on Simpson's premise. The exhibit discusses the idea that culture, very often, manipulates reality to the point that it blurs the line between what is real and what is untrue. It is up to the viewer to write their own story. 
