Rihanna Apologizes to Press and Fans on 777 Tour

FUSE TV - Rihanna Apologizes to Press and Fans on 777 Tour

Fuse has been traveling with Rihanna as part of her 777 Tour, which finds the singer performing seven shows in seven countries in seven days. On Day 6, our final flight from London to New York, the singer apologized to press and fans and tried to explain her absence.

As we reported yesterday, the Rihanna 777 Tour took a left turn Sunday night when the journalists covering the seven-day, seven-show, seven-country staged a quasi-revolt over lack of access to the singer, including one Australian reporter who streaked around the Boeing 777 transporting journalists and select fans. "We were looking for a story and we turned out to be the story," said Fuse host Esteban Serrano. Now the question was: would anything change?

To be fair, many of the journalists on the trip knew going in that they weren't getting any one-on-one time with the singer. What frustrated many on the trip—fans included—was the lack of any sort of interaction, especially hinted at by the singer herself. "We are turning this jumbo jet into our tour bus," Rihanna said in a release before the tour. "We're practically living on this thing for a week: sleeping, partying, all together. Me, my fans, the press...it's going to be a wild ride. I wanted it to be a rock n' roll adventure, and I think when it's over it will be the coolest thing I've ever done."

I spoke to a few members of her fan club, the Rihanna Navy, last night before takeoff, who said a label rep had told them there would be a "surprise" on the plane. Journalists were told to get their cameras ready. The intimation seemed obvious. The actual surprise? Rihanna's backing band playing acoustic covers of Lenny Kravitz's "Fly Away," Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" and Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" in the front of the press area. "If the plane crashes, f-ck it," one member said, deep into Bon Jovi. Okay, then.

With 30 minutes until landing, Rihanna herself emerged to field select questions from the press. A few journalists joked about staging a media blackout, imagining a scenario where Rihanna comes out and is shunned in favor of sleep. This did not happen. The singer answered probing questions like, "Will you be playing Ireland next year?," before later explaining her absence on the tour and apologizing to journalists. "I know you guys got barely any dirt," said Rihanna. "But I had to be good. I still sound like sh-t. It's impossible to spend time with everybody, and I'm sorry I didn't. I have to pay attention to myself this time. Usually, I just go, go, go and I'll be back here partying balls out for y'all. But I had to pay attention and take care of my health since I'm on a plane all the time."

To many on the plane, it felt too little too late as eyerolls and groans replaced last week's enthusiasm. A week ago, she was the singer ready to hang with fans. Now she was the dad who missed all his son's little league games and showed up after the championship with ice cream.

Towards the end of the impromptu press conference, the Rihanna Navy, situated in the cabin behind press, began yelling, "Fans! Fans! Fans! Fans!" It was a valiant effort to get Rihanna to acknowledge them, perhaps even thank them for coming. But it was time to land and the singer promptly returned to her seat.

Total distance traveled: 12,253 miles
Next stop: New York City

Related
Rihanna Live From London: 13 Smokin' Photos
Rihanna 777 Tour Group "Revolts" Against Singer - Day 5 Update
Rihanna Destroys in Berlin: 12 Exclusive Photos
Rihanna Has a Few Difficulties, Technical and Otherwise, in Paris - Day 4 Update
Rihanna Performs for the 1 Percent in Stockholm - Day 3 Update
Yes, Rihanna Waits at Baggage Just Like Everyone Else - Day 2 Update
"Who's Ready for Tequila?!": Rihanna Bartends Flight to Mexico - Day 1 Update

Rihanna: Rebirth

41m

Rihanna: Rebirth

OnlyFans

20m

OnlyFans

Liam Payne On His Debut Album and Journey To Solo Stardom

3m

Liam Payne On His Debut Album and Journey To Solo Stardom

Cross Country Fan

22m

Cross Country Fan

Fan or Fanatic

24m

Fan or Fanatic

Rico Nasty Shares Her First Time In the Studio & Meeting Rihanna

4m

Rico Nasty Shares Her First Time In the Studio & Meeting Rihanna

Suck It Up and Go to Mars

21m

Suck It Up and Go to Mars

How to make Dave East's Steak and Eggs

49s

How to make Dave East's Steak and Eggs

Can Devon and Crystal Come to Some Resolution?

2m

Can Devon and Crystal Come to Some Resolution?

What To Expect On Clash of the Corps

1m

What To Expect On Clash of the Corps

G Fella Gives A Tour of The Bronx's Arthur Avenue

5m

G Fella Gives A Tour of The Bronx's Arthur Avenue

Mario Lopez: One On One

Mario Lopez: One On One

G Fella and Suits Back to Their Roots: G-Thing

2m

G Fella and Suits Back to Their Roots: G-Thing

Dancin' On Air Producer Once Told Madonna to Clean Her Mess

1m

Dancin' On Air Producer Once Told Madonna to Clean Her Mess

Lena Waithe On Making What She Wants To See (Extended Cut)

17m

Lena Waithe On Making What She Wants To See (Extended Cut)

I Played One on TV

46m

I Played One on TV

iLoveMakonnen Talks X Rated DMs & Randomly Venmo-ing Fans

3m

iLoveMakonnen Talks X Rated DMs & Randomly Venmo-ing Fans

Sake One

10m

Sake One

Game On!

20m

Game On!

Game On

1h 38m

Game On

Bambiana’s Mom Is Not A Fan of Twerking or Sexy Photos

41s

Bambiana’s Mom Is Not A Fan of Twerking or Sexy Photos

Cheech and Chong

18m

Cheech and Chong

Levi and Troy

40m

Levi and Troy

Ellie and Abbie

1h 17m

Ellie and Abbie

Health and Wellness

21m

Health and Wellness

Sex and Society

24m

Sex and Society

Sugar and Toys

Sugar and Toys

Listen and Learn

46m

Listen and Learn

Bisexuals and Strippers

41m

Bisexuals and Strippers

Drama and Trauma

46m

Drama and Trauma

Mike and Gabe

40m

Mike and Gabe

Grace and Hannah

40m

Grace and Hannah

Divide and Conquer

44m

Divide and Conquer

Casino and UBIQ

9m

Casino and UBIQ

Master and Servant

46m

Master and Servant

Divide And Conquer

20m

Divide And Conquer

Coheed and Cambria

19m

Coheed and Cambria

High and Dry

46m

High and Dry

Wet and Wild

22m

Wet and Wild

Blackbear and Krewella

20m

Blackbear and Krewella

Cuffed and Stuffed

44m

Cuffed and Stuffed

Daters and Haters

22m

Daters and Haters

Young M.A. and Ayo and Teo - Long Cut

20m

Young M.A. and Ayo and Teo - Long Cut

On Call LA

43m

On Call LA

One Take Jake

20m

One Take Jake

Who's On Top?

1h 13m

Who's On Top?

On Call Miami

44m

On Call Miami

One Busy Queen

21m

One Busy Queen

Chew On This

44m

Chew On This

On Call NYC

44m

On Call NYC

Leaning On Lena

20m

Leaning On Lena

To Shave, or Not to Shave

42m

To Shave, or Not to Shave

Matthew, Analise and Hunter

40m

Matthew, Analise and Hunter

Analise, Daley and Hunter

40m

Analise, Daley and Hunter

Mr. Throwback and Greats

9m

Mr. Throwback and Greats

Flesh and the City

45m

Flesh and the City

Mike, Gabe and Troy

40m

Mike, Gabe and Troy

Beauty and the Bleach

56m

Beauty and the Bleach

Elle and Tito Live

23m

Elle and Tito Live

Analise, Matthew and Daley

40m

Analise, Matthew and Daley

Che and HSM3 Premieres

22m

Che and HSM3 Premieres

Ice-T and Coco

22m

Ice-T and Coco

King Push and FILA

10m

King Push and FILA

DaniLeigh and Saweetie

20m

DaniLeigh and Saweetie

Black, Brown and Red

24m

Black, Brown and Red

Gloria and Emilio Estefan

22m

Gloria and Emilio Estefan

For Walter and Josiah

1h 16m

For Walter and Josiah

Rapper Rich Quick Performs "Nice Guy" On 'Dancin' On Air'

3m

Rapper Rich Quick Performs "Nice Guy" On 'Dancin' On Air'

Bhad Bhabie Takes A Lie Detector Test: Did She Really Make Millions From OnlyFans?

9m

Bhad Bhabie Takes A Lie Detector Test: Did She Really Make Millions From OnlyFans?

Bougie On A Budget

2m

Bougie On A Budget

Eye On The Prize

44m

Eye On The Prize

Is Everyone on Drugs?

20m

Is Everyone on Drugs?

Battle on the Catwalk

45m

Battle on the Catwalk

Freedia's Twerk On Washington

21m

Freedia's Twerk On Washington

Gym Shorts on Runway

41m

Gym Shorts on Runway

Freaky On The Floor

22m

Freaky On The Floor

Eyes On The Prize

22m

Eyes On The Prize

All Hands on Deck

20m

All Hands on Deck

Fire On The Floor

22m

Fire On The Floor

Putting It On Wax

23m

Putting It On Wax

Clean Up Aisle One

46m

Clean Up Aisle One

Sticks, Stones and Breaking Bones

20m

Sticks, Stones and Breaking Bones

LA and Xristina Talk Transitioning

1m

LA and Xristina Talk Transitioning

The River and the Wall

1h 45m

The River and the Wall

Prince Royce and J Balvin

20m

Prince Royce and J Balvin

Teyana Taylor and Jhené Aiko

20m

Teyana Taylor and Jhené Aiko

Nice Kicks and Jason Markk

11m

Nice Kicks and Jason Markk

T-Pain and Jhene Aiko

20m

T-Pain and Jhene Aiko

And Then There Were Six

46m

And Then There Were Six

Jill Scott and Marc Anthony

22m

Jill Scott and Marc Anthony

Elle and Tito: Just Married

Elle and Tito: Just Married

Melii Make Rice and Beans

20m

Melii Make Rice and Beans

Lil Jon and Cam'ron

20m

Lil Jon and Cam'ron

Nick Cannon and Lilly Singh

20m

Nick Cannon and Lilly Singh

Gina Rodriguez and Steve Aoki

20m

Gina Rodriguez and Steve Aoki

Lil Jon and Amber Rose

20m

Lil Jon and Amber Rose

Marlon Wayans and Bow Wow

20m

Marlon Wayans and Bow Wow

Up NYC and Reebok Freebanz

11m

Up NYC and Reebok Freebanz

Leave the Duckies and Go

21m

Leave the Duckies and Go

Cam'ron, Stance, and Nike

9m

Cam'ron, Stance, and Nike

Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information