| Tour byRihanna | |
 Promotional poster for the tour | |
| Associated album | Rated R |
|---|---|
| Start date | April 16, 2010 (2010-04-16) |
| End date | March 12, 2011 (2011-03-12) |
| Legs | 3 |
| No. of shows | 67 |
| Rihanna concert chronology | |
| |
Last Girl on Earth[1] was the third concert tour byBarbadian recording artistRihanna. The tour visited Europe, North America and Australia to support her fourth studio album,Rated R (2009).
The tour was announced through MTV News in December 2009. In the interview, Rihanna stated, "It's going to be a worldwide tour, so it's going to be a very long tour. We'll definitely be in your city, so look out for that."[2] The tour received generally positive reception.
In an interview withEntertainment Tonight, Rihanna explained the tour's title. She stated, "I like to think about myself as 'The Last Girl on Earth' because sometimes people make decisions based on the outlook of others and, you know, to me, my life is my life. It's my world, and I'm going to live it the way I want to. That's how I think about everything, that way I'm focused on me, and my work. It's a really narrow space, a focus."[3]
The tour, choreographed by Tina Landon, was officially announced on December 9, 2009, while on the set of the music video for "Hard".[2] She also announced some dates for the European leg of the tour on her official website. It went on to gross over $9.1 million in North America from 26 shows according to Pollstar and the 2011 Australian leg of the tour added another $10 million to the total. English singer-songwriterPixie Lott was selected as the opening act for the UK shows, along with last minute additions ofTinchy Stryder andTinie Tempah.[4][5] In an interview with MTV, she stated, "We've been ... coming out with different ideas and cool things that we can do. Things that we've never seen before, daring things – but now is when we really start with the rehearsal and we get into the nitty-gritty and the details of everything" while describing the vibe of the tour as "daring".[2]
During rehearsals for the tour, Rihanna also took drum lessons fromTravis Barker. This practice was later used during her cover of "The Glamorous Life" originally performed bySheila E.[6]In April 2010, the North American dates for the tour were announced.[7] Although rapperNicki Minaj was originally scheduled as an opening act, she withdrew from the tour to continue work on her debut album.[8]
In March 2010, Israeli newspapers reported that Rihanna would play a date atBloomfield Stadium, inTel Aviv on May 30, 2010. The concert was sponsored byOrange Rockcorps. This organization allows those who volunteer in their community for at least four hours to attend the concert at no cost. It was later announced Rihanna will join the volunteers before the concert to do local work in the community.[9]
In an interview with AOL, Rihanna revealed that fans should expect a big upgrade in comparison to her previous tours. She commented, "[w]e've never done a tour to this capacity. The production is unbelievable and the costumes, we just took it to a whole new level. Visually and sonically it's going to be a big step up from the last time. We just keep growing, and this time it is a massive production that I cannot wait for."[7]
The tour is directed byJamie King, who has previously worked withMadonna,Britney Spears andAvril Lavigne.Tina Landon, who has worked withJanet Jackson, will serve as choreographer. The creative director for the tour isSimon Henwood who was also the creative director of her 2009album.[10] Henwood explained: "[w]e talked extensively for months before the album's release, and looked at every aspect of the campaign – from styling to stage ideas and visuals [...] There is a great story that will unfold through the campaign, and finally reveal on the tour.. partly inspired by the film –The Omega Man and of course ideas from the songs – as well as Rihanna's personal visions."[11]
Extreme's guitarist,Nuno Bettencourt, has signed on to lead the band.[12] Bettencourt explained that the rehearsals have been "better than what I expected because she also has the most incredible band, and I get the privilege to add to their wall of sound. It's gonna be fun."[12]
The Telegraph said, "On the opening night of the UK leg of her world tour, US R&B superstar Rihanna was taking no prisoners. She kicked off with the homicidal pop-rock ballad Russian Roulette to screen imagery of burning naked mannequins and had shed most of her clothes by her second song, which saw her straddling the gun barrel of a life-size pink tank while a semi-naked, military dance troupe twirled their rifles. Sex, violence and pyrotechnics (including big-screen mushroom clouds to accompany the incendiary Fire Bomb) were the themes of the evening. [...] Rihanna has a set full of hits and each is delivered with maximum bang for the audience's bucks, with revealing costumes, salacious dance routines, eye-catching props and sci-fi screens. [...] Her young, predominantly female fans genuinely adore Rihanna, and were full-throated whenever given the chance to join in. Sex and violence might make for effective 21st-century blockbuster entertainment but the price has been a loss of innocence, charm and individuality."[13]BBC Radio 1 said, "The 22-year-old star wore a floor-length black dress with red flashing lights on it to kick off the show atThe O2 Arena, which began with last year's single, Russian Roulette. [...] Speaking afterwards most of the audience appeared impressed with the show. [...] The gig ended with the star's biggest hit to date, Umbrella, which managed to hold the number one spot for 10 weeks in 2007.[14] TheDaily Mirror said, "Kicking off the Last Girl On Earth tour, where the running theme is Rihanna as the last human alive, she launches into a fiery Russian Roulette. [...] There was no miming. She's stepped up her game and ready to battle it out with the best of the new female acts."[15] Mikael Wood fromRolling Stone reviewed the concert in Los Angeles and said that Rihanna held the "audience's attention throughout a nearly two-hour show full of costume changes, video bits and complicated set pieces [...]".[16]
Jason Clevett ofGayCalgary considered the show's theme reminiscent ofJanet Jackson'sThe Velvet Rope Tour, particularly comparing Jackson's live renditions of "Rope Burn", "in which she tied an audience member to a bed and proceeded to seduce them", to Rihanna's performance of "Skin."[17] Clay Clane ofBET said of the show: "There may have been doubts, but Rihanna proved she has the star power to command a stage for nearly two hours. [...] Rihanna can sing and there were no signs of lip-synching. Rih never said she was Whitney Houston, and while she doesn't have a massive vocal range, she uses her voice well, sounding just like her records and belting out some notes that I didn't know were in her.[18] TheNew York Post said, "Rihanna is a dream girl", who "kept the set lively with fireworks, an arsenal of gun props and a program that wove together the bubbly dance pop and the harder rock-flavored material featured on her recentRated R record." From the show opener, "Russian Roulette", to the last encore song – her megahit "Umbrella" – Rihanna was electric for a performance that was amped-up and aggressive.[19]
On April 19, 2010, Rihanna made newspaper headlines when she was taken to hospital after her performance inZürich. Rihanna's spokesperson says that she "had an injured rib and went to have it looked at to be sure it was nothing serious, and it wasn’t". Alenka Ambroz, head of the clinic's corporate communications said: "Rihanna arrived at the accident and emergency unit. We're not going to give any details." Rihanna, however, was still able to perform at the next show inLyon, France, on April 20.[20]
One of the two concerts at theScottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, was recorded and partially broadcast by several radio stations across Europe on May 26, 2010.[21]The concert in Manchester was recorded and later broadcast by a German radio station. Additionally, the concert on June 5 at theRock in Rio Festival inMadrid, Spain, was broadcast by Spanish television networkTVE. No official DVD for the tour has been released or announced.
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(March 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The following set list is from the April 21, 2010, show in Marseille, France. It is not intended to represent all dates throughout the 2010 leg.
The following set list is from the February 25, 2011, show in Brisbane, Australia. It is not intended to represent all dates throughout the Australian leg.
| Date (2011) | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 25 | Brisbane | Australia | Brisbane Entertainment Centre |
| February 26 | Gold Coast | GCCEC Arena | |
| February 28 | Newcastle | Newcastle Entertainment Centre | |
| March 4 | Sydney | Acer Arena | |
| March 5 | |||
| March 7 | Melbourne | Rod Laver Arena | |
| March 8 | |||
| March 10 | Adelaide | Adelaide Entertainment Centre | |
| March 12 | Perth | Burswood Dome |
| July 2 | Auburn, Washington | White River Amphitheatre | Production changes[42] |
| July 12 | West Valley City | USANA Amphitheatre | Cancelled[43] |
| July 15 | Greenwood Village | Comfort Dental Amphitheatre | Cancelled[44] |
| July 22 | Phoenix | Cricket Wireless Pavilion | Moved to the Anselmo Valencia Tori Amphitheater in Tucson, Arizona[45] |
| July 24 | Dallas | Superpages.com Center | Moved to the Laredo Energy Arena in Laredo, Texas[46] |
| July 28 | Atlanta | Philips Arena | Cancelled[47] |
| August 3 | Noblesville | Verizon Wireless Music Center | Cancelled[48] |
| Venue | City | Tickets sold / Available | Gross revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sportpaleis | Antwerp | 15,653 / 15,862 (99%) | $889,266[49] |
| Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy | Paris | 15,733 / 16,348 (96%) | $1,184,640[50] |
| Color Line Arena | Hamburg | 7,927 / 11,589 (68%) | $586,496[51] |
| LG Arena | Birmingham | 12,909 / 14,998 (86%) | $812,909[52] |
| Echo Arena | Liverpool | 10,581 / 10,581 (100%) | $654,120[52] |
| The O2 Arena | London | 30,813 / 33,018 (93%) | $1,905,800[51] |
| Sheffield Arena | Sheffield | 8,091 / 10,140 (80%) | $506,019[52] |
| Trent FM Arena | Nottingham | 8,022 / 9,567 (84%) | $496,754[52] |
| Manchester Evening News Arena | Manchester | 12,678 / 13,631 (93%) | $773,704[52] |
| Metro Radio Arena | Newcastle | 8,258 / 9,757 (85%) | $503,928[52] |
| The O2 | Dublin | 21,535 / 24,078 (89%) | $1,198,040[53] |
| Odyssey Arena | Belfast | 9,286 / 9,286 (100%) | $529,312[53] |
| Shoreline Amphitheater | Mountain View | 19,678 / 22,000 (90%) | $1,394,200[53] |
| Staples Center | Los Angeles | 19,992 / 19,992 (100%) | $1,359,456[54] |
| Bell Centre | Montreal | 10,778 / 10,778 (100%) | $785,707[55] |
| Madison Square Garden | New York City | 14,331 / 14,331 (100%) | $1,271,547[56] |
| Hersheypark Stadium | Hershey | 11,400 / 14,567 (78%) | $469,285[57] |
| DTE Energy Music Theatre | Clarkston | 14,381 / 14,381 (100%) | $535,276[56] |
| Brisbane Entertainment Centre | Brisbane | 10,788 / 11,168 (97%) | $1,415,830[58] |
| Newcastle Entertainment Centre | Newcastle | 6,505 / 7,243 (78%) | $783,748[59] |
| Acer Arena | Sydney | 22,406 / 22,406 (100%) | $2,929,180[60] |
| Rod Laver Arena | Melbourne | 23,090 / 23,650 (98%) | $2,672,630[61] |
| Adelaide Entertainment Centre | Adelaide | 7,924 / 9,961 (79%) | $866,215[62] |
| Burswood Dome | Perth | 11,655 / 22,024 (52%) | $1,278,250[62] |
| TOTAL | 294,744 /329,364 (89%) | $24,248,656 | |
Credits adapted from the official tour book:
ManagementRebel One, LLC:
Creative Direction
Dancers
Stylists and Assistant
| The Band
Background Vocals
Production Crew
Catering
|
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack albums | |
| Remix albums | |
| Video albums | |
| Performances | |
| Retail | |
| Related topics | |
