In a show that started in the stands, then entered the stadium before dominating the entire field, The Weeknd presented a high-octane medley of his strikes during the Super Bowl LV Halftime Program. While things apparently went smoothly, the Grammy-winning artist still drew a lot of attention from social media.
He was the only artist.
Twitter users immediately started working on creating memes and comparing various aspects of the scene to each other – from the back-up dancers looking like robots in the stands to the golden room where The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, sang his hit song “Can’t Feel My Face”, for the bandaged dancers who occupied the entire field for the final.
The set of the R&B singer continued the plot of his character “After Hours”. It all started with Tesfaye in a bright red jacket – continuing the image inspired by his character “After Hours” and presentations at previous awards – supported by a large choir with bright eyes. Although many considered it scary, the sequence also resulted in memes from Jawas and C-3PO from Star Wars:
At one point Tesfaye appeared to be entering the stadium, winding through a golden maze of mirrors and making a stunning sequence. More memes and comparisons emerged:
Towards the end of “Can’t Feel My Face”, The Weeknd was accompanied by dancers dressed in identical fashion, except for the bandages on their heads. He went out into the field, transforming what would normally be a space full of fans into a big dance party. When his hit song “Blinded by the Lights” started playing, the support dancers created even more material for social media, with many tweeters wondering if the artist was trying to make a statement, including former surgeon general Jerome Adams:
Others provided more pop cultural references:
Mummies were summoned:
And other characters:
Weeknd spent $ 7 million of its own money – more than what the NFL disbursed – to produce the halftime show. The league also released a live visual album with the whole ensemble, along with pre-game performances of HER’s “America The Beautiful” and Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church’s “Star Spangled Banner”.
