Rihanna delighted fans with a surprise return to the stage during Jay-Z's "Extra Innings" concert at Yankee Stadium in New York, marking her first public live performance in more than two years.
The singer made an unexpected appearance in the early hours of Monday, joining Jay-Z for their 2009 hit, "Run This Town."
The performance drew huge cheers from the sold-out crowd, which included her partner, A$AP Rocky.
After the song, Rihanna admitted it had been a long time since she had performed before a live audience.
"Y'all know I'm rusty, right? It's been a while. Y'all with me right now?" she told fans.
She then launched into her 2015 hit, "Bitch Better Have My Money," before telling the crowd: "I missed this s**t, y'all! New York, I love you guys!"
The appearance was Rihanna's first public live performance since March 2024, when she headlined a private concert during the pre-wedding celebrations of Indian billionaire heir Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant.
Before that, she made global headlines with her 2023 Super Bowl halftime show, where she revealed she was pregnant with her second child.
Jay-Z's concert was delayed by more than four hours. Although it was scheduled to begin at 8 pm on Sunday, the rapper did not take the stage until 12:15 am on Monday.
Apologising to fans, Jay-Z said the delay was necessary to prevent overcrowding outside the venue.
"They were like 10,000 people outside, and we closed all the doors, and somebody rushed the door," he said.
"They closed the door for you guys' safety and everyone's safety outside. I don't want to start the music and people get trampled."
He added, "I'm really sorry for the inconvenience, but I had to make sure everyone was OK. I appreciate your patience."
The final night of Jay-Z's Yankee Stadium residency also featured guest appearances from Pharrell, Teyana Taylor, Usher, Jermaine Dupri and Beyoncé, capping off the concert series with a star-studded finale.