Super Bowl 2021 - what was it like?
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The Weeknd's performance at Super Bowl 2021 - what was it like? And it was fabulous... It all took place in the state of Florida, on the 8th of February: the musician performed in front of a crowd of 25,000 people with his album "After Hours". So, fans were able to enjoy the luxurious hit tracks "Blinding Lights", "In Your Eyes", "Save Your Tears" and other...
Behind him were a band and choir, scattered among a neon cityscape... The Weeknd was surrounded by dancers with bandaged faces, in keeping with the sceptical-to-fame iconography of his recent music videos... Instead of the usual stage setup - assembled at midfield and then quickly disassembled after the performance - the Weeknd performed mostly from the stands, coming down to the field only for the last few minutes of his set. This was partly a result of the circumstances of the 2020...
It's fair to say that The Weeknd's performance at such a huge event caused quite a flurry of comments on social media from his fellow celebrities! Drake, who also hails from Toronto, Ontario, described the show as a "big moment for the city" in his Instagram story, while singer Dionne Warwick wrote that she "loved the sets and pyrotechnics." Country star Keith Urban was equally impressed, especially with the production, and actor Timothee Chalamet captioned the video in his Instagram story as, "Legend! Legend!" In addition, a great many stars and fans noted that the Weeknd's performance indicated a return to Michael Jackson's Super Bowl performance in 1993...
The magic on stage...
In a shiny red jacket and shoes - The Weeknd seemed like a cabaret mayor, a space-age master of ceremonies. He stuck to the biggest of his many hits. "Starboy" was flamboyant and "The Hills" was a majestic spread... After "The Hills," he turned to something a little more unusual, entering an illuminated maze and performing "Can't Feel My Face" amid a crowd of what looked like bandaged faces. The camera was handheld and wonky: it perfectly captured the glamorous chaos that is usually avoided at this event...
He then lightened the mood with some of his biggest hits: the sunny "I Feel It Coming", the lighter "Save Your Tears" and then "Earned It", a theatrical ballad from the soundtrack to Fifty Shades of Grey. The action moved to the playing field for the finale - a medley of House of Balloons and Blinding Lights - sung directly to camera, without the usual requirements for stunts, guest stars or marching band interludes.
The Weeknd, who spent $7 million (£5 million) of his own money on the production, clearly felt it was best to let the music speak for itself... He even put together a greatest hits album to coincide with the Super Bowl, which is traditionally the most popular event of the year on American television (last year's halftime show starring Shakira and Jennifer Lopez was watched by 103 million viewers!) Before Sunday night, there was a feeling that The Weeknd's dark R&B style might not be appropriate for the show, In other words, he was up to the task!
Why were the dancers wearing blindfolds?
The campaign for The Weeknd's latest album, After Hours, revolved around a bloodied and bandaged character having a "really bad night". The story began with the video for "Heartless." Inspired by Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", The Weeknd saw the star staggering through the casinos and fountains of Sin City, drinking excessively and licking a hallucinogenic toad before attempting to escape... The video for "Blinding Lights" picked up the narrative: the singer, drunkenly swerving through a deserted city, recalls a nightclub incident that left his face covered in blood.
As subsequent television appearances and music videos were released, the visual effects became more and more gory. The Weeknd was decapitated in the "In Your Eyes" video, while in "Too Late" his head was grafted onto another man's body... Then, in the "Save Your Tears" video, his facial bandages were removed to expose highly exaggerated facial prosthetics... Everyone else in the video wore masks and bandages. This now-legendary theme carried over to the Super Bowl performance....
But what's the idea, the point of it all? The Weeknd himself explained it as follows:
"The headband and faceband reflect the absurdist culture of Hollywood celebrities and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and gain acceptance...We watch as the character's storyline reaches a heightened level of danger and absurdity as his story continues..."
Who else performed at this year's Super Bowl?
In addition to The Weeknd, there were other voices at Super Bowl 2021... For example, the national anthem was performed by the duo Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan. In addition, fans were able to enjoy the song "America the Beautiful" performed by the charming R&B singer HER and a poem by Amanda Gorman... But another real highlight of the show was Miley Cyrus, who gave a colourful performance with special guests Joan Jett and Billy Idol (who also appeared on her recent album Plastic Hearts)!
Dressed in a pink and black cheerleader costume, Miley Cyrus performed a cover of Toni Basil's "Oh Mickey" as well as her famous hits "We Can't Stop," "Wrecking Ball" and more!
