Rihanna Performs ‘Birthday Cake’ / ‘Talk That Talk’ Medley + ‘Where Have You Been’ on ‘SNL’

Rihanna took the stage on ‘Saturday Night Live’ last night (May 5.) As is customary for the show’s musical guest, she performed twice, but with a twist.

For her first performance, RiRi performed a mini-medley of ‘Birthday Cake’ and ‘Talk That Talk.’ It was a big production with intricate staging as there were spider webs in the background, cross animation and lyrics flashing on the screen behind the scantily clad sexpot.

It’s not lost on us in the slightest that she performed a few bars of ‘Birthday Cake,’ which was remixed with her ex Chris Brown and caused quite an uproar, given their violent break up, on Breezy’s birthday. Was this RiRi’s covert way to send a subliminal “Happy Birthday” out to her ex, who she has reportedly been seeing on the sly?

Mid-song, RiRi demanded, “‘SNL.’ put your hands together like this!” as she held her hands over her head and clapped.

RiRi was ghetto fab, cloaked in all black, in a uniform of a baseball cap, thigh high black leather boots and a see-through top. She wore a bra, so it was not as risqué as you’d think or as it could have been. She wore one huge hoop earring and was flanked by two dancers, with whom she gyrated.

She returned to the stage to perform her new single ‘Where Have You Been,’ seated on a bed with draping and a canopy, surrounded by a troupe of harem pants and facial veil-wearing dancers. She looked cute in a cropped top, black skirt and armfuls of big bangle bracelets.

RiRi brought it. Most ‘SNL’ performances are limited when it comes to production aspects, given the fact that it’s live TV and there’s only so much time and space to pull off something so elaborate. But RiRi performed like it was a gig at Madison Square Garden. She had a full dance entourage — and their choreography with her was flawless — and there were lots of props, drapes and accessories.

This was no ordinary ‘SNL’ performance. This was RiRi, reinventing how the show does things with elaborate staging.

Wonder if Breezy tuned in…

Watch Rihanna Perform ‘Birthday Cake’ / ‘Talk That Talk’ Medley on ‘SNL’

Watch Rihanna Perform ‘Where Have You Been’ on ‘SNL’