There were two things to remember in the recently-concluded Super Bowl 51 that pitted the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots on February 5. First is the come-from-behind victory of the Patriots from 21 points down in the first half en route to a 34-28 win and onto their fifth Super Bowl.
And second is the 13-minute high-octane and splendid performance of Lady Gaga during the halftime show, giving social media fans something new to talk about and like other than the pregnancy photo of Beyonce.
Before the halftime show, there were speculations saying that Lady Gaga might use the Super Bowl 51 halftime stage to voice her dislike for President Donald Trump over the issue of LGBT and women’s rights. But none of that happened, which was good for the fans of football as they certainly do not want an overdose of politics already.
Lady Gaga delivered a gymnastic set that lent its sentiment through song, before announcing details of a huge world tour as icing on the cake for her fans.
A subtle message to Trump?
Standing atop the roof of Houston’s NRG Stadium with drones illuminating an American flag in the night sky behind her, Lady Gaga kicked off her Super Bowl halftime set by singing “God Bless America” as a subtle message of inclusion and unity in a deeply divided United States, reports the Telegraph of UK.
Gaga recited part of the American Pledge of Allegiance with the line, ‘one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all’ in her opening song.
She then swung down from the roof to a stage suspended on cables and embarked on a meticulously choreographed set of her greatest hits.
After opening with Woody Guthrie’s civil rights anthem “This Land Is Your Land,” Gaga continued with hits from her back catalog.
She then sang “Ballad Edge of Glory” followed by her 2009 dance hit “Poker Face.” She continued to prod at the Trump administration with a performance of “Born This Way,” her anthem for self-confidence and inclusion, while dressed in a silver sequined bodysuit and matching heeled boots as she performed aerial acrobatics while suspended in the air.
Gaga followed it up with “Telephone” and “Just Dance,” before swinging back to “Million Reasons,” taken from her latest album “Joanne,” and rounding off the set with “Bad Romance.”
A Super Bowl cliche
She commanded a large troupe of dancers and musicians, props that breathed fire and audience members swinging lights in synchronization, the usual excess that has become a Super Bowl cliché.
Gaga spent much of the evening in a metallic space suit, and she emerged in her third outfit of the performance, a midriff-baring costume topped off by football-like shoulder pads.
After joining her diverse cadre of dancers, the singer, known for her flair for the dramatic, ended her set by dropping her microphone, catching a football and jumping off a set of stairs onto the field.
The Super Bowl halftime show, with an audience usually topping 100 million, is easily the biggest show of an artist’s career.
It’s so attention-getting that Las Vegas even set odds on what color Gaga’s hair would be. Those who bet blonde took home some money.
After the Super Bowl 51 halftime show, a video emerged on Gaga’s Instagram account advertising a world tour to promote her latest album.
The performance of Lady Gaga in this year’s Super Bowl 51 was a sort of follow-up to her singing the national anthem during Super Bowl 50 last year.
It was country star Luke Bryan who sang the national anthem at Super Bowl 51, notes CBS Sports.
A few days before she performed for Super Bowl 51 halftime show, there was a rumor that Beyonce might join Lady Gaga for the halftime show since the Super Bowl was going to be held in Queen Bey’s hometown of Houston.