The Weeknd brings electricity to Super Bowl Halftime Show

Steven Rissotto, News Editor|February 8, 2021

Screenshot via NFL/YouTube

For more than five decades, football fans across the country have gathered with family and friends to enjoy the first big sporting event of the new year: the Super Bowl. Of course, the main event is the play and athleticism showcased on the field, but if there’s anything that brings Americans together more than football, it’s the art of music and performance.

And that’s when the annual Super Bowl Halftime Show enters the picture.

As the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers walked off the field to end the first half, the musical entertainment section of the event took over the national spotlight in front of roughly 25,000 sports fans at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Abel Tesfaye, or The Weeknd, emerged from an old-fashioned car and hopped directly into the city-themed set, which depicted a setting from a high profile destination, like Las Vegas or Atlantic City. It was the Grammy Award-winning artist’s time performing at the Super Bowl, and he brought the electricity that fans crave in order to be considered an unforgettable moment.

Wearing a red and sparkly jacket, The Weeknd performed some of his greatest hits in the presence of a high-power fog machine and flashing lights. While singing “Can’t Feel My Face”, he was seen wandering aimlessly in a mirror maze with golden decorations taking up the hallway, which caused a viral stir on social media.

With the moon digitally filtered into the backdrop, the impressive performance of “Blinding Lights” filled the capacity of the playing field with masked backup dancers wearing the same red jackets. This was the highlight, with the camera panning from different stretches of the stadium to capture the awesome technology. When the dancers broke their single-file line to jam in circles, it went creatively with the music to produce a wild moment.

As one of the world’s best-selling musical artists, The Weeknd produced a memorable Super Bowl halftime show that had an audience sitting in the comforts of their own homes. Amazingly enough, Tesfaye reportedly invested $7 million of his own money to create a special experience.

Although not everyone enjoys football, the Super Bowl remains one of the most appealing events in the country. It’s fair to say that the halftime show pulls in many outsiders every year. The working week might have been just around the corner, but the Weeknd made a statement that the best of the best are still headlines during the sacred event.