New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The NFL put out all the stops for the 50th Super Bowl, including an extravagant halftime show that mostly lived up to the hype. Coldplay, Beyonce and Bruno Mars were the main performers this year.
It was quite an occasion � and Beyonc� was the undoubted star (in a non-sporting sense, of course.) Coldplay were lightweight but effective, Bruno Mars did what he does � and there were many interesting and funny ads and film trailers to savor. What a night!
The show started with a performance of "Viva La Vida" after a brief rendition of "Yellow." It then segued into short snippets of his other more popular songs, along with colorful umbrella displays on the field.
Soon enough, the show shifted to guest star Bruno Mars, who opened up with his 2015 smash hit "Uptown Funk." Right afterwards, Beyonce made her appearance with "Formation," the new single she unexpectedly debuted the day before the game.
Eventually, all three performers joined together on the stage for a brief matchup of their songs, before Colplay was left alone again.
The final segment of the show was devoted to the 50th anniversary of the halftime show, with a montage of previous years' performances flashing by, while everyone joined together for the last uplifting image.
Beyonc� performing "Formation" at the Super Bowl is a huge, purposeful statement. Putting black America centerstage smack dab in the middle of Coldplay's set was a significant moveright from the start, but it is especially poignant in the context of the song's defiant social commentary, the constant criticism against black Panthers quarterback Cam Newton for so-called excessive arrogance, and a $1.5 million donation from Tidal � Jay Z's ever-halting streaming service � to nonprofit social justice organizations like Black Lives Matter on February 5th, the day Trayvon Martin would have turned 21.
In short, Beyonc� dominated the show the minute she stepped onto the field, from her knowing smirks during meticulously choreographed dances to the moment when she joined Coldplay and Mars onstage to make sure everyone knew she could smoke them whilst sharing the screen. More crucially, she transformed one of the biggest events in sports, corporate synergy, and entertainment into a distinctly political act.
Before the game, Lady Gaga performed a classically lovely version of the national anthem, accompanied by a piano and looking sharp in a red pantsuit with matching eye shadow. Perhaps relieved with the pressure done, she vamped a little on �the brave� at the end, causing a flutter among betting houses that annually set odds on how long it would take to sing �The Star Spangled Banner.�
