{blackbabes} Live Review: Rihanna in Toronto

Man down. Woman loud?

Make that very loud. And sexy. And in your face.

R&B-pop star Rihanna, who's come under fire for her violent new video, Man Down, in which she shoots a rapist, pulled into the Air Canada Centre on Monday night for the first of two back-to-back shows of her so-called Loud tour after her 2010 album of the same name.

And the two-hour, larger-than-life show lived up to the billing.

And then some.

The 23-year-old Barbadian beauty played on a giant stage that incorporated about 20 audience members into the production on either side, boasted two catwalks, enormous video screens including four round pods that descended from above, and large speakers overhead.

Oh, and a local rap superstar was in the house in the form of Drake who was escorted onto the floor's VIP's section before the concert began prompting continuous screams from the audience and flashbulbs to go off.

Rihanna, with her now trademark red hair in a shoulder length 'fro, first emerged out of a gleaming silver vessel in a shiny blue mini trenchcoat and day-glo high heels while singing Loud's first single, Only Girl (In the World), surrounded by eight dancers also dressed in neon colors.

Eventually, the sexy singer stripped down to a brightly colored sequined bikini for Disturbia, Shut Up And Drive, and her latest single, Man Down, playing with such bells and whistles as a levitating, rotating platform, a conveyer belt and graffiti-laden car shell.

But the real eye-opener occurred when Rihanna re-emerged in a black tuxedo and pink bow tie while her four female dancers dressed in black leather gyrated around her and stripper poles while she tapped them provocatively with a cane for an S&M-inspired cover of Prince's Darling Nikki.

Then a female dancer ripped off Rihanna's tux to reveal a white PVC barely-there outfit underneath and proceeded to chain the singer up for her own song, S&M.

"This is the part of the show when we like to have a little fun - who wants to come up here and get freaky with me?" said Rihanna who then plucked a female fan from the side of the stage and got on top of her as another song, Skin, came to a close.

Making it clear she was still in charge, Rihanna then changed into camo gear, along with her dancers who carried pink rifles, with that famous pink tank from her last tour as their backdrop, as she sang Raining Men, Hard, and Breaking Dishes, and ventured to the back of the floor to play percussion for a snippet of Sheila E.'s The Glamorous Life.

But it was the next two songs - Run This Town and Live Your Life - that were the most anthemic of the night. If Unfaithful was the most dramatic with Rihanna, in a yellow gown on a levitating stage with a fan blowing her long skirt up, followed by crowd favourites, Hate That I Love You and California King Bed, the latter featuring lots of steam and fireworks.

Rihanna upped the costume ante again when she went from glamorous to hillbilly-meets-street in a rainbow colored feathered coat, denim bra and short shorts for What's My Name, Rude Boy, Fading and Don't Stop The Music, which saw her do another lap on the floor, and finally Take A Bow.

She closed strong with the encore two-punch of Love The Way You Lie (Part II), which featured Rihanna sitting on top of a levitating piano, and her uber-hit Umbrella, that ended with an explosion of confetti.

The singer's seven-person band, meanwhile, largely played second fiddle as they mainly lurked in the background.

"I always love coming here to Toronto," she said. "It's one of my favourite cities in the world. And I'm not just saying that. I love playing in Toronto. You guys rock. This is my dream, you make it come true. Thank you. I love you Toronto."

One of her two openers was hot Atlanta rapper B.o.B. whose 2010 album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray (his real name), spawned such huge hits as Nothin' On You (with Bruno Mars) and Airplanes (with Hayley Williams) in the last year.

A charismatic performer with an eight piece band, B.o.B., - who also played electric guitar - brought out Toronto's own R&B singer Melanie Fiona to sing Williams' vocals on Airplanes in a nice touch for the local audience.