Back in October, Rihanna was confirmed for a New Year’s Eve concert in Abu Dhabi. This was meant as a “thank you and I’m sorry” for canceling a previous concert back in May, when Rihanna pulled out of a planned Abu Dhabi concert because of “personal reasons” – mainly Chris Brown’s court date, where she had to appear. It was to be her first Middle East concert – but Abu Dhabi had to wait until New Year’s Eve to see Rihanna in concert. Provided one little detail: that she dress appropriately and conservatively. Uh… it’s like they don’t know Rihanna’s deal at all, right? Anyway, these are photos of Rihanna performing in Abu Dhabi. Is this considered conservative? To the credit of the Abu Dhabi people, so far no one is raising a stink about her outfit, though. I think they were just thrilled she came to them on such a big day:

Global superstar Rihanna brought in the new decade in front of over 10,000 fans with a stunning two hour long performance on the lawns of Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace followed by a spectacular firework display.

With an thrilling stage show with fantastic dance choreography and stunning costumes for the songstress, Rihanna’s Middle Eastern debut provided an unforgettable way to bring in 2010.

Arriving in Abu Dhabi two days prior to the concert to rehearse for her spectacular show, Rihanna performed some of her most celebrated hits including ‘Disturbia’, her new single ‘Hard’ and an encore of her smash hit ‘Umbrella’, the show organiser Flash Entertainment said in a press release on Saturday.

Energised by Rihanna’s action-packed show, party-goers then danced their way into the small hours of the morning at the La Rumba after party. Fans enjoyed R&B and eclectic house beats at the La Rumba after party which was headlined by hip-hop supremo DJ Green Lantern and continued with a fantastic line-up of regional and international DJs.

Flash Entertainment, the Abu Dhabi-based events consultancy that brought Rihanna to the capital, said the night was a “triumph”.

John Lickrish, Managing Director, Flash said: ‘‘Tonight was a huge success and a truly memorable way to end a great year for Flash and Abu Dhabi. Rihanna’s performance left us all breathless and set a very high benchmark for next year. With such outstanding artist performances in the past year, 2010 can only get bigger and better – Abu Dhabi has once more proved that it is the party capital of the region; we look forward to another incredible year ahead.’’

[From ArabianBusiness.com]

It’s more than possible that the whole “Rihanna must dress conservatively” angle was played up in the media for some added hype. It worked too – Rihanna’s performance probably won her legions of new fans in the Middle East. In any case, I think she came out a winner – and she also came out $500,000 richer for her two-hour performance.

In one last piece of Rihanna news, there are new rumors about Rihanna partying too hard and trying to “drive herself into the ground.” At least, according to Britain’s Now Magazine, where this story seems to have originated. A source who seems to think getting a tattoo is the sign of the apocalypse claims: “She’s going too far with it. She’s impulsive: she goes all out for something, but when it’s a tattoo, you can’t take it back. Every night’s the same. She goes clubbing, downs shots and manages to stay up until the early hours. It’s playing havoc with her sleep pattern, but she doesn’t seem to care. She seems to be on a mission to drive herself into the ground.” Rihanna recently got a backwards-cursive “Never a failure, always a lesson” tattoo, which seems like the least offensive thing she’s done, honestly. I mean, sure, she does out partying a lot. But I also think she works hard and she’s 21 years old. Meh. Maybe she is on the cusp of a breakdown. Or maybe she’s just figuring some sh-t out.

Rihanna performing in Abu Dhabi on New Year’s Eve, credit: WENN.