Super Bowl LV was held Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, and with every good Super Bowl comes an equally extravagant halftime show. Each year, one or more artists, as well as a possible surprise guest, takes the stage to perform the show of a lifetime.
This year, it was the starboy himself, Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd. Now, being probably NC State’s biggest The Weeknd fan and historian, I was excited to see my all-time favorite artist perform on the big stage. Having now witnessed his performance, I would like to share my honest and open review of The Weeknd’s Super Bowl halftime show.
Leading up to the performance, The Weeknd made it known he had put a bit of his own money into the show in order to properly make his vision come true. According to CNN, that amount was $7 million, and we saw what he was able to do with $7 million!
As the show began at 8:30 p.m., viewers were transported to a Vegas strip walk. It was like staring at a postcard from Vegas as we saw a perfectly still man sat in the middle, The Weeknd himself.
As the camera continued to pan out, we saw him simply chilling with the bright lights of the makeshift Vegas strip. Then an angel-like figure appeared, and a choir began singing his song “Call Out My Name.”
In my opinion, it was such a beautiful, slow way to begin his set. I was worried that he wouldn’t be able to incorporate his slower, more melancholy songs into his performance and would be forced to stick to his upbeat pop songs that are often debuted on the radio. I was so glad that was not the case.
His performance continued with “Starboy,” and let’s talk about that note! Since he first performed “Starboy” on Saturday Night Live back in 2016, I have been in love with that note, and I just have to mention how beautiful it is, that’s all.
The Weeknd’s song “The Hills” followed “Starboy,” and considering this song has been my ringtone since it came out, I enjoyed it. I like the beat every time, and it mixed so well with the choirs dancing and The Weeknd looking directly into the camera. It was as if he was talking directly to me when he said, “I’m just trying to get you out the friend zone.” Like, yes, I would like that very much, sir.
After this, we were led into what seemed to be a Vegas maze, and The Weeknd appeared to be just as lost as we were. Most people found this performance nauseating, but I loved it and its creativity. As he performed his popular song “Can’t Feel My Face,” The Weeknd’s dancers in the red suits were a great addition, combining his two personas from two separate albums together and further amplifying the chaos of the song.
After this dizzying experience, The Weeknd performed hit after hit with two groovy disco songs: “I Feel It Coming” and “Save Your Tears.” He then replaced the upbeat tempo with an orchestra of violins as he transitioned to his song “Earned It.”
This rendition of “Earned It” was beautifully constructed, from the violins and dancers to the smooth and soulful vocals, not to mention the eye contact and the wink. It was truly spectacular.
The camera then cut to the field, where we saw dozens of dancers in red coats stomping to “House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls.” This was probably my favorite part because this was like a tribute to his OG fans and how he began his career. This song comes off of one of his first mixtapes, also named “House of Balloons.” I screamed when I heard this, and for any true fan of The Weeknd’s, this was a truly special and iconic moment.
The Weeknd then finished his set with his iconic song “Blinding Lights.” I will say, before this performance, I had grown quite tired of this song. Despite that, this performance had me just as hype as when I heard it for the first time. I really liked how the lights glared in the camera to make the audience at home feel as if they were blinded by the lights as well. What really made this performance special was the eye contact he maintained at the very end, making this moment feel even more personal.
This performance was unique and special in its own way, and overall, I enjoyed it a lot. I will admit this may not be everyone’s favorite halftime performance, but you have to appreciate the skill, work, money and talent this man put into this show, and for that, he deserves all the praise. He’s gone from a homeless teenager to one of the biggest stars in music today, and for that, he has my respect and admiration for all the work he has done to make this dream a reality.
Students who are interested in watching The Weeknd’s performance can watch it here.
