Every year, football and music fans alike wait excitedly for the Super Bowl halftime show. Many people have high expectations for the singers who perform, and this year Abel Tesfaye, otherwise known as The Weeknd, did not disappoint. Surrounded by bright lights, choir singers and back-up dancers with faces covered in bandages, he performed many of the songs that he has released over the past few years.
In interviews, The Weeknd said he pulled inspiration for his performance from Micheal Jackson’s Super Bowl performance in 1993 and Diana Ross’s performance in 1996. Even though these iconic artists inspired him, the show was uniquely his own. While he danced around in his eye-catching red-sequined jacket, viewers couldn’t help but give him all of their attention.
The visuals alone in the performance were spectacular. The Weeknd started his performance sitting in a car surrounded by a Las Vegas-like setting. The camera then panned to a choir of singers surrounded in dark blue lighting performing The Weeknd’s hit song “Call Out My Name.” The stage split in half to reveal The Weeknd surrounded by bright lights heavily contrasting the setting around him. He jumped straight into his performance, but, after singing two songs, he suddenly ran back into the lights he came from. While he held a camera, the audience could see him run around bright gold hallways where he started to perform “I Can’t Feel My Face.” Suddenly, his back up dancers emerged.
His dancers were a bit jarring at first. They stumbled and danced along with the Weeknd while their faces were obscured by bandages. Many people have compared the dancers with their covered faces and bright red jackets to the creepy doppelgangers in Jordan Peele’s movie Us. However, while they were a bit strange at first, the dancers were entertaining. Their intricate choreographed performance on the field made them seem like bizarre soldiers in The Weeknd’s army.
The Weeknd’s singing can’t be overlooked, either. After The Weeknd didn’t receive a single Grammy nomination for his album 2020 After Hours, many of his fans accused the Grammys of snubbing him. The Super Bowl seemed to be his moment to show the music industry what he is really made of. He sang live for the majority of his performance, and each song was as good as the previous one, reminding everyone why he is where he is. According to Billboard, the Weeknd’s streams went up 41% after his performance.
Overall, the Weeknd created a breathtaking performance for the halftime show this year. Something new and exciting seemed to happen every few seconds, and it was hard to look away from the TV. Whoever performs next year will have a lot to live up to.
