The Loud Tour was the fourth overall and third world

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...

by Barbadian recording artist

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

. Performing in over twenty countries in the Americas and Europe, the tour was launched in support of Rihanna's fifth studio album '' Loud'' (2010). Critics acclaimed the show for its liveliness and higher caliber of quality when compared to Rihanna's previous tours. The Loud Tour was a large commercial success, experiencing demand for an extension of shows in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

due to popularity. In London,

played a record-breaking 10 dates at

The O2 Arena The O2 Arena, commonly known as the O2 (stylised as The O2 arena), is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of the O2 entertainment complex on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the s ...

. The tour ultimately grossed an estimated value of US$90 million from 98 reported shows and a total audience of 1,200,800. The Loud Tour became the seventh-highest-grossing tour of 2011.

Background

The tour was officially announced on February 9, 2011, when North American dates were revealed. The tour was described as an "all new production, costumes and stage design creating a visual and audio event with the once in a lifetime excitement her fans around the world have come to expect from one of the brightest stars in music today." Speaking about the tour, Rihanna stated that "We're creating an incredible ride with this tour. I'm excited to get out on the road and share my new music from this album. We are going to have an amazing time and I know my fans are ready to get LOUD!" During an interview with Ryan Seacrest after she performed "

California King Bed "California King Bed" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her fifth studio album, '' Loud'' (2010). The song was written and produced by Andrew Harr and Jermaine Jackson, of the American production duo the Runners, with Priscilla Rene ...

" on ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' April 14, 2011, the singer spoke about the tour's development. Rihanna addressed rumors about a special performance to be included on the

setlist A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...

in order to fully incorporate her fans into the experience, saying: When asked by Seacrest about the fan experience, she joked ""You always know the inside scoop!" before continuing to say "Right now, we just designed the stage. I'm really not supposed to say this, but I want to get you excited ... We're building two sections on the stage or the fans. They'll becloser than they've ever been. It's real VIP."

CeeLo Green Thomas DeCarlo Callaway - Burton (born May 30, 1975), known professionally as CeeLo Green (or Cee Lo Green), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. He is known for his work in hip hop and R&B, including the Gnarls ...

was confirmed to be the support act for the North American leg of the tour in February 2011. Rihanna spoke about Green joining her on tour in a press statement, saying "I'm a huge fan of Cee Lo since his days with Goodie Mob and with Gnarls Barkley. He's a musical genius, continually reinventing himself, and I'm thrilled to have him join me on tour." However, he decided to pull out of performing on the tour, and cited schedule conflicts for his reason. For his replacement, J. Cole,

B.o.B. Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons was signed to Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint in 2006. Two years later ...

and DJ Dummy were enlisted to be support acts for the North American leg. For the European leg of the tour, DJ

Calvin Harris Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums. His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...

served as the support act.

Show incidents

After a late start to her July 8, 2011, Dallas show, a fire broke out following Rihanna's performance of "

." For safety reasons, the audience was evacuated and the concert was forced to end early. The show wasn't rescheduled.

Concert synopsis

The show began with a short video introduction featuring Rihanna sitting on a throne wearing a black coat and a short red wig. The middle screen splits revealing Rihanna inside a purple ball wearing an electric blue dress. She begins singing "

Only Girl (In the World) "Only Girl (In the World)" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her fifth album, ''Loud (Rihanna album), Loud'' (2010). Serving as the album's lead single, it was released on September 10, 2010. Crystal Nicole, Crystal Johnson wrote the so ...

" surrounded by her dancers all wearing bright neon costumes. The next song, " Disturbia", follows with Rihanna taking off the blue dress and dancing around in a colorful daisy duke, leading into "

Shut Up and Drive "Shut Up and Drive" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her third studio album, ''Good Girl Gone Bad'' (2007). It was written by Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Gillian Gilbert, Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers while the produc ...

" where a car covered in graffiti is present in the middle of the stage. The first segment ends with " Man Down" where Rihanna gets inside the car and descends beneath the stage. The first video interlude titled "Le Sex Shoppe" features Rihanna dressed in white dress and a suit smoking a cigar while the words "sex" and "temptation" are whispered throughout the video. The second segment begins with a cover of

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

's "

Darling Nikki "Darling Nikki" is a song produced, arranged, composed, and performed by American musician Prince, originally released on his sixth studio album '' Purple Rain'' (1984). Though the song was not released as a single, it gained wide notoriety for ...

" where Rihanna, dressed in a suit and holding a cane, rubs against her female dancers. The song moves into " S&M" where her female dancers remove her suit to reveal a tight black leotard and chain her to the stage. After a pillow fight with her male dancers, Rihanna then performs "Let Me", followed by "

Skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other cuticle, animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have diffe ...

" where Rihanna brings a fan onstage and gives him/her a lap dance as she descends back beneath the stage for a costume change. A brief guitar solo follows performed by

Nuno Bettencourt Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt (born September 20, 1966) is a Portuguese-American guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, and businessman. He became known as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme. He has also recorded ...

. Rihanna returns to the stage atop a pink tank shooting puffs of smoke, with her and her dancers dressed in military gear, to perform " Raining Men". After climbing out the tank, Rihanna then performs "

Hard Hard may refer to: * Hardness, resistance of physical materials to deformation or fracture * Hard water, water with high mineral content Arts and entertainment * ''Hard'' (TV series), a French TV series * Hard (band), a Hungarian hard rock supe ...

" dancing around the stage while her dancers wield pink rifles. A mashup of "Breakin' Dishes" and

Sheila E. Sheila Cecilia Escovedo (born December 12, 1957) better known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American percussionist and singer. She began her career in the mid-1970s as a percussionist and singer for The George Duke Band. After leaving t ...

's "

The Glamorous Life "The Glamorous Life" is a song written by Prince, recorded by American percussionist Sheila E. and produced by both. The song has lyrics which reflect a cynicism for the decadence and materialism of the song's protagonist, referred to in the th ...

" is performed next, followed by another mashup of "

Run This Town "Run This Town" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z. The song also features Rihanna and Kanye West. It was released on July 24, 2009. It was written by the performing trio, with assistance from Ernest Wilson and Jeff Bhasker. Production of the ...

" and " Live Your Life" with Rihanna leaving the stage for another costume change. The second video interlude features Rihanna wearing a red dress while waving sheets of chiffon in the air and ends with the spoken line: "I hate that I love you." Rihanna returns to the stage wearing a bright yellow dress in brown thigh high boots to perform " Unfaithful" on a platform behind purple neon bars. The song then moves into a solo version of " Hate That I Love You" with Rihanna sitting in a chair next to the guitarist. The segment ends with "

" with smoke covering the stage floor, followed by another guitar solo by Bettencourt. The third and final interlude features a remix of "

Pon de Replay "Pon de Replay" is the debut single of Barbadian singer Rihanna, from her debut studio album ''Music of the Sun'' (2005). It was written and produced by Vada Nobles, Alisha "M'Jestie" Brooks, Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers. The song was released ...

" with images from Rihanna's music videos. " What's My Name" opens the final section with Rihanna wearing a colorful sequined bra and jean shorts, dancing with her dancers. The next song, "

Rude Boy Rude boy, rudeboy, rudie, rudi, and rudy are slang terms that originated in 1960s Jamaican street culture, and that are still used today. In the late 1970s, there was a revival in England of the terms ''rude boy'' and ''rude girl'', among other ...

", features Rihanna surrounded by her male dancers with various television screens in the background. Rihanna then puts on a pair of sunglasses and chants with the audience for " Cheers (Drink to That)", followed by " Don't Stop the Music" with vigorous choreography. Rihanna then performs " Take a Bow" and says goodbye to the audience. The encore begins with "

Love the Way You Lie (Part II) "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her fifth studio album '' Loud'' (2010). It features American rapper Eminem, who wrote the song alongside Skylar Grey and the producer Alex da Kid. It is the sequel t ...

" which Rihanna performs on top of a piano, before moving into the final song, "

Umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally use ...

", with Rihanna in a gold outfit, dancing with her dancers, with confetti falling from the ceiling and golden rain drops falling in the backdrops. A performance of "

We Found Love "We Found Love" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her sixth studio album, ''Talk That Talk'' (2011). Scottish DJ Calvin Harris wrote, produced, and features on the song, which also appears on his third album '' 18 Months'' (2012). "We F ...

" was added to the setlist and closed the show starting on November 14.

Reception

Critical

The tour has gained critical acclaim from music critics citing it as "Rihanna's best tour yet". Jane Stevenson of the ''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Pos ...

'' commented that "the two-hour, larger-than-life show lived up to the billing. And then some." Bernard Perusse of the ''

Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...

'' stated that the tour was a visual spectacle saying, "Pods, dry ice, sparklers, plumes of smoke, a platform raising her from below stage and back down when needed, a moving section of the floor to convey her from one side of the stage to another, videos, writhing dancers, a cannon, arena-rock guitar solos, umpteen costume changes and maybe a record for the amount of times a performer has screamed 'Montreal!' in the centre. The fans ate it up." Jon Brean of the Minneapolis ''

Star Tribune The ''Star Tribune'' is the largest newspaper in Minnesota. It originated as the ''Minneapolis Tribune'' in 1867 and the competing ''Minneapolis Daily Star'' in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, Minneapolis's competing newspapers were consolida ...

'' remarked, "The Barbadian singer is more visually and vocally dynamic than she has ever been before." Amanda Ash of the ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'' stated, "Rihanna knows how to throw a party -a sexy, steamy, tightand-bright bash where yesterday's troubles are crushed beneath mile-high stilettos and drowned by intoxicating club beats", and added, "Rihanna turned Rogers Arena into a giant dance club on Friday night." '' Nation News Barbados'' commented, "The name of Rihanna's world tour adequately described the experience at the biggest show to come to Barbados to date. It took a long time in coming, but Rihanna's first major showing in her hometown was definitely well worth the wait. From the endless hits including 'S&M', 'Man Down', 'Hard', 'Pon De Replay' and 'Unfaithful'; the spectacular stage and props to her playing a solo piece on drums, the girl who grew up in nearby Westbury Road was awesome." ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...

'' concluded that, "Strutting across the stage surrounded by backing dancers, the 23-year-old seemed at home singing in Ireland. 14,000, mostly female, fans enjoyed the set which kicked off at 9.15pm when the singer emerged to thunderous sound effects and a of video from a silver shell wearing a luminous blue jacket." Scottish tabloid '' Daily Record'' remarked, "R&B superstar Rihanna blew the roof off Glasgow's SECC last night with her aptly-titled Loud tour. Exploding on stage in a neon-tuned bubble, the Barbadian singer delivered an enthralling performance that never let up."

Commercial

The tour grossed $90 million overall, making it the 7th highest-grossing tour of 2011. Average ticket price of the ticket was $74.95, and the average tickets sold were 15,395. The total tickets sold were 1,200,800 and the average gross was $1,153,846 per show.

Broadcasts and recordings

Rihanna's performance during Rock In Rio was broadcast live in Brazil on

Multishow Multishow is an entertainment channel owned by Canais Globo, Grupo Globo's cable television, cable and satellite television channel operator. It was launched in 1991, as one of the company's first four channels (with Rede Telecine, Telecine, Top ...

Globo.com Grupo Globo ( en, Globo Group), formerly known as Organizações Globo ( en, Globo Organization), is a Brazilian private mass media conglomerate based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Founded in 1925 by Irineu Marinho, it is the largest media group i ...

and

Rede Globo TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air Television broadcasting, television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Gr ...

, and aired internationally on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. A clip of Rihanna performing "We Found Love" on tour was aired on the Grammy Nominations Concert.

Opening acts

* J. Cole (North America) *

(North America) (selected dates) *

(North America) (selected dates) *DJ Dummy (North America) (selected dates) *

(Europe) (selected dates) *K.T (North America) *

Cover Drive Cover Drive were a four-piece band from Barbados consisting of Amanda Reifer, T-Ray Armstrong, Barry "Bar-Man" Hill and Jamar Harding. They have gained commercial success in the United Kingdom. They are best known for their UK number one single ...

(Barbados)

Setlist

" #" Disturbia" #"

" #" Man Down" #"

" #" S&M" #" Let Me" #"

" #" Raining Men" #"

" #" Breakin' Dishes" / "

" #"

" / " Live Your Life" #" Unfaithful" #" Hate That I Love You" #"

" #" What's My Name?" #"

" #" Cheers (Drink to That)" #" Don't Stop the Music" #" Take a Bow" ;Encore #

" #"

Tour dates

;Additional Notes Rihanna, LOUD Tour, Minneapolis 4

* A During the second performances in Toronto and Montreal, Rihanna was joined by

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

during "What's My Name?". * B During the performance in Uniondale, Rihanna was joined onstage by

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

during "Run This Town" and "

All of the Lights "All of the Lights" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, released as the fourth single from his fifth studio album, '' My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' (2010). It was produced by West and features additional vocals from several other reco ...

". * C During the performance in East Rutherford, Rihanna was joined onstage by

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

during "Run This Town" and "Umbrella". ;Music festivals and other miscellaneous performances :During the Dallas concert, while Rihanna was singing California King Bed, fireworks caused a fire, so the concert was ended :This concert is a part of On the Beach :These concerts are a part of Bergen Calling :These concerts are a part of V Festival :This concert is a part of

Rock in Rio ''Rock in Rio'' is a recurring music festival originating in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It later branched into other locations such as Lisbon, Madrid and Las Vegas. Nine incarnations of the festival have been held in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985, 1991, ...

:This concert is a part of

Jingle Bell Ball The Jingle Bell Ball is a concert held annually in December since 2008 (except for 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), by the radio station Capital FM at The O2. Artists that have headlined the concert include Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, ...