THE WEEKND’S SUPER BOWL
Witness His Crazy Halftime Performance
The Weeknd gave a stellar performance on the Superbowl LV stage, reminding us why he’s one of the biggest artists of our day.
Much of the Weeknd’s Superbowl performance was centered around his latest album, After Hours. The 2020 release had several hit singles on its tracklist, and the Weeknd has been very vocal about the album being snubbed by the Grammys. It was only fitting that his Superbowl show was built around the songs that made After Hours so great, such as “Save Your Tears.”
The stage itself also seemed to be After Hours-themed. The neon cityscape matched the look of many of the vivid music videos released with the album, and the Weeknd himself wore the signature red suit that has become his uniform during the After Hours era.
Unlike many Superbowl performers, the Weeknd had no surprise guests join him on stage. The performance was all his own, and featured a number of his other big hits, including “Starboy,” “The Hills,” “I Feel It Coming” and “Can’t Feel My Face.” He also performed his 50 Shades of Grey-inspired single “Earned It,” complete with a chorus of violins. The song was somehow still very sexy, even when performed from the middle of a football field.
The Weeknd ended his performance with the uncontested biggest song of 2020, “Blinding Lights.” It was a sure highlight of the show. An army of red suited backup dancers with eerie masks (a la the After Hours music videos) took over the entire field while the Weeknd belted out his 80s-inspired pop anthem from the 50-yard line.
We can’t write a wrap-up of the Weeknd’s Superbowl show without mentioning the memes that immediately started taking over the internet when the show was over. Some close camera work gave viewers an up-close and personal view of the Weeknd while he sang, but it also gave us some funny shots to work with. If you’re a Twitter user, you know what we mean.
He may have been forgotten by the Recording Academy, but we won’t be forgetting the Weeknd’s Superbowl halftime show anytime soon. If you’re craving more, we recommend also checking out the Weeknd’s newest album The Highlights, which dropped on February 5. It’s a compilation of all his biggest hits and the perfect way to reminisce on his fantastic performance.
