2021 Super Bowl Halftime Show Review

In light of the ongoing pandemic, Super Bowl viewers were unsure what to expect from the halftime show, an event which is usually packed with fans. This year, The Weeknd performed in front of a much smaller audience without any guest performers. His performance received mixed reviews. Some critics found his performance bland and unremarkable, while others claim that it was one of the best halftime shows of all time. Personally, I thought that the  performance was incredible, especially considering the difficult times we are living in.

The Weekend spent seven million dollars of his own money to bring the performance to life. He performed a medley of his biggest hits atop a set in the shape of the Las Vegas skyline and later summoned many background dancers wearing bandages over their faces. This theme followed the year-long narrative the Weeknd had curated, in which he appeared with face bandaged, as if he had just emerged from plastic surgery. In a recent interview, he stated that this was representative of the “absurd culture of Hollywood celebrity and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and be validated.” To some viewers, the use of bandaged back up dancers may have seemed eccentric, but I thought it was a unique artistic choice, especially due to its symbolism.

He opened the show with one of his major hits, “Starboy,” which involved a gospel-style choir (who were all appropriately socially distant) singing backup vocals. He then followed it with “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face,” which brought exciting visuals to the performance, such as an underground hallway that Tesfaye danced through while appearing to hold the television camera in his hand, as if he was filming himself. Next, he performed his grammy-winning hit “Earned It,” which brought the focus back to his striking vocal range. 

For the finale, he sang his number one hit song, “Blinding Lights.”. For this song, he finally left the stage and  performed on the field, surrounded by dozens of the bandaged dancers wearing identical outfits to his own. Fans cheered this transition because it evoked the traditional, jubilant Super Bowl halftime show atmosphere, one that many viewers believed the overall performance lacked. Surrounded by a sea of background dancers, with fireworks exploding overhead, the Weeknd used this final song to bring the crowd to a roar.

While viewers were mainly disappointed by the fact that the Weeknd performed the whole show without guest stars, he explained that “there wasn't any room to fit it in the narrative and the story I was telling in the performance.” In my opinion, The Weeknd shined by himself and did not need any guest artists that would potentially distract from his vision and aesthetic. In the face of these new and challenging circumstances, The Weeknd entered uncharted territory with his theatrical, symbolic Super Bowl show, and he overcame this difficult task with a riveting performance.

By Sophia Sanders