One of the bigger challenges facing the Super Bowl was how to handle the halftime show. We’re used to these big stadium numbers with hundreds of dancers on the field and a booming crowd in the background. Without any of that possible because of the pandemic, things needed to be different, and my God we got different.
The Weeknd’s Super Bowl halftime show was so weird, and also kind of brilliant
Nobody will forget this.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
From the first second of the promised “immersive experience” things were extremely weird. It opened with The Weeknd in a car in what looked to be Las Vegas, before entering the stadium and performing along with, what can only be called, a socially distanced robot ghost choir. It was very unsettling.
Then I had to check to make sure I hadn’t accidentally ingested hallucinogenic mushrooms on my halftime pizza, because Weeknd entered a mirror room that looked like something out of Enter the Dragon, and it honestly started making me feel ill watching it.
Thankfully we returned to normalcy courtesy of a band wearing glitter Jason masks, then an on-field dance number with more faceless dancers.
Yeah, they looked like they were outfitted by Jordan Peele.
Honestly, it’s easy to rag on how different this was — but I also kind of loved how different it was. I’m so tired of the rote, boring-ass routine that feels like the artist pushing against the confines put on the performer by the league and the stage. I want to see more halftime shows like this, where the singer is pretty much given creative freedom to be as weird as they want.
So, despite it being odd, I kinda loved it. And honestly, I won’t forget The Weeknd’s halftime show for a long time — which is more than I can say for most years.
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