Grammy-award winning artist The Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye, is fresh off a cinematic rollout of his latest album, “After Hours.” He’s had a developing theme throughout his music videos for the album, each telling its own story. The Weeknd is known for his creative nature in presenting his music, in addition to his stellar vocals, so his Super Bowl LV performance was no surprise to those familiar with his work.
With the artist’s personal expenses racking up to $7 million for the performance, he wanted “to make this halftime show be what he envisioned,” according to Billboard.
“We’ve been really focusing on dialing in on the fans at home and making performances a cinematic experience, and we want to do that with the Super Bowl,” said The Weeknd in the interview last month.
The Weeknd’s commitment to the look reflected his willingness to employ a highly theatrical approach to performance, raising hopes for a dramatic intermission.
“The story will continue,” he said at a Thursday news conference. “But definitely we’ll keep it PG for the families.”
I was amazed with his performance. His superb voice, choreography, visuals, and the story behind the songs were captivating — especially the masks.
Kayin Shabazz, an avid fan of The Weeknd wasn’t disappointed with his performance.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the show,” said Shabazz. “I believe if his voice was clearer and louder during the performance, it would have been better.”
ESPN NFL analyst, Mina Kimes, was among the biggest praisers on social media.
Kimes tweeted: “half of my timeline doesn’t like this show and I’m perplexed cause…it’s awesome??? yall are crazy that slapped.”
The Weeknd’s performance could easily be one the best halftime shows in years, but some did not find his performance “iconic” or understand why these dancers had bandages on their heads. The bandaged heads were meant to serve as commentary about fake people in Hollywood.
The show was epic and the music was excellent. He is the first performer to actually sing and not lip sync in years.
Jasmine Harmon, was not impressed with this year’s Super Bowl halftime performance by The Weeknd.
“I was definitely disappointed with the halftime show,” said Harmon. “I think The Weeknd could’ve performed more of his newer songs and had better choreography to enhance his performance. There were too many people and the performance was a little boring.”
To me, his stage presentation was extraordinary. The choreography & fireworks were excellent. I love the way he interacted with every part of the stage while being mindful that we are in the middle of a pandemic. It enhanced this overall performance.
The wink he gave the camera in the middle of his performance had all the girls blushing, including me. That simple wink made it feel like you were the only one watching and he was performing just for you.
This was definitely a dream come true performance by The Weeknd. The smile on his face at the end of the performance said it all.