( Rolling Stone ) -- `` Loud '' is the perfect name for Rihanna 's summer tour , which kicked off with last night 's sold-out gig at Baltimore 's 1st Mariner Arena . Beyond just the volume of the show -- which was considerable -- the theme prevailed through the set , built around a giant speaker cabinet ; the costumes ( mostly neon and shiny ) ; and the entire production itself : a gloriously over-the-top spectacle perfectly befitting the singer , who seems to produce chart-toppers by the dozen . The show began with a blitzkrieg of video , as four hanging , shifting circular video screens joined four giant stationary ones is projecting Rihanna 's arrival . She wore an electric blue mini-trenchcoat and hot pink stilleto boots with neon green heels and immediately belted out her Number One hit , `` Only Girl ( In the World ) '' from her 2010 album , also titled `` Loud . '' Photos : Rihanna 's Best Looks . Before the audience could catch its breath , the singer had tossed the trench , revealing a day-glo bikini , picked up a gang of matching day-glo-covered back-up dancers and shifted directly into `` Disturbia , '' another Number One hit , this one from 2007 's `` Good Girl Gone Bad '' -- and then seamlessly segued into another hit , 2007 's `` Shut Up and Drive , '' replete with back-up dancers dressed as crash-test dummies bashing a neon-graffiti-covered car with bats . Over nearly two hours -- a very long set for such a busy production -- Rihanna maintained a relentless pace , working her way through 24 songs , six different wardrobes and endless set changes , all without any significant energy dip . The deft production included several built-in musical and video interludes -- including a staggering number of guitar solos -- to keep from going dark during the changes . Excerpts from Rihanna 's Rolling Stone Cover Story . One of the most impressive spectacles was a very erotic S & M-themed mini-set , launched with a fairly faithful cover of Prince 's `` Darling Nikki , '' during which Rihanna , dressed in a tuxedo and toting a cane , spanked , groped and pretended to smack three nearly nude female dancers . By the time she had transitioned into `` Loud 's '' `` S & M '' -- another Number One hit -- Rihanna 's tux had been stripped off to reveal a white bondage corset and she was wearing handcuffs . Nearly nude men and a female audience member were added to the mix before the whole thing ended ( cutely ) in a pillow fight . In a military-themed mini-set including 2009 hit `` Hard , '' Rihanna rode in atop a double-barreled pink tank that shot T-shirts into the crowd , flanked by sexy-soldier costumed dancers with pink rifles . When `` Breakin ' Dishes '' segued into `` Glamorous Life , '' the singer barreled to the back of the arena , where she rode a platform revealing Sheila E-style stand-up drums and played an impressive solo . Video : Rihanna 's Hot Rolling Stone Cover Shoot . Soon , she was on to outfit six -- a gold lamé mini-dress -- and her encore , which moved from her Number One hit with Eminem , `` Love the Way You Lie , '' to her Number One hit with Jay-Z , `` Umbrella . '' It was understated compared to the rest of the show -- with only a squadron of tuxedoed back-up dancers and a blizzard of pink confetti -- but it was impressive that she was still singing and dancing at such a pace . It was a even more remarkable that there were still more huge hits left to play . She did each one proud . Copyright © 2010 Rolling Stone .
For over nearly two hours , Rihanna maintained a relentless pace . One of the most impressive spectacles was a very erotic S & M-themed mini-set . Rihanna dressed in a tuxedo to cover Prince 's `` Darling Nikki ''