In last week’s Super Bowl LV, some hoped the Kansas City Chiefs would go on to win a back-to-back Super Bowl after winning last year against the 49’ers. While some are happy about the result of last night’s game with Tom Brady getting his 7th Super Bowl win for the Buccaneers, most are stunned by the performance of the Chiefs in a game that wasn’t very exciting to watch.
However, what was exciting was the Halftime show, performed by The Weeknd, who I’ve gotten the chance to see live in Cincinnati. The Weeknd brought his typical production but improved it in every way possible, investing $7 million dollars of his own money into the performance.
With a stunning performance of “The Hills” and all of his older hits, I’m sure most people at home were singing along to all of the words like I was. He transitioned into his newer songs, where he performed “Blinding Lights” into a crowded lightroom similar to his music video. As his posse marched onto the field wearing bandages on their heads, most people identified the applications as jockstraps or adult diapers. However, there was a deeper meaning to the bandages that most critics failed to understand.
The Weeknd explained the importance behind the bandages recently to Vanity Fair. He explained the bandages represent the social pressure in Hollywood to please or conform to societal norms of beauty.” Given the current pandemic parameters and meeting strict COVID guidelines for the half time performance this year, he geared his show to the audience at home with absolute grace under pressure.
The Weeknd, a Canadian artist, put a refreshing spin on the typical Super Bowl halftime show. In the past, we have had our share of wardrobe malfunctions, objectification of women, and just straight-up terrible shows. With his more profound message of self-love, being yourself, and non-confirmation to society, the Weeknd provided a fantastic halftime performance and exceeded my expectations of show your mother would approve.