Gaga’s halftime steals the show at Superbowl LI
Chloe Steinig
Lady Gaga performed at the Pepsi Halftime at the Superbowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas last night. The first woman to perform at the prestigious show without any guests, her 13 minute performance chronicled her entire career as an award winning artist.
Performing the national anthem for last year’s Superbowl, which made her the first back to back performer, Gaga is no stranger to the NFL field. At the halftime press conference on Jan. 2, she said she has been planning her performance since she was four years old.
“Watching Michael Jackson do the halftime show is one of the fondest memories that I have,” Gaga said. “He incapsulates everything you love about a performer.”
Her performance was nothing short of a spectacle that Jackson could put on. Starting off on the roof of the stadium, she opened with her own mash-up rendition of “God Bless America” and “This Land is Your Land,” accompanied by lights forming the shape of the American flag via Intel drones. Gaga then bungee jumped while spinning off the roof and landed on the field, transitioning into a short snippet of her No. 1 Billboard song “Edge of Glory.”
Grammy award winning “Poker Face” was next, with Gaga landing on an elevated platform with spikes mimicking her own sparkly, shoulder-padded bodysuit. “Born this Way”, a signature anthem of Gaga, followed with intense choreography alongside backup dancers. In a caption of an Instagram post before her performance, Gaga touched on the song’s main message: acceptance.
“I dedicate every second to the love, diversity, compassion, and wild spirit of our fan base,” Gaga said. “To that kid who felt unwanted, or the grown up who remembers how hard it was to find acceptance. This is for you.”
Rumors swirled days before the performance that Beyonce would make an appearance alongside Gaga, but that turned out to be false. Gaga performed “Telephone” by herself, doing choreography straight from the music video that has over 270 million views.
Next was the song that put her on the map: “Just Dance.” Holding an electric keytar, the crowd surrounding the stage jumped up almost as high as the drop Gaga experienced from the roof to the field from excitement. Members of the crowd held up lights that were incorporated into ballad “Million Reasons” that sprawled out across the field in all directions. Coming down from the piano during the song and hugging a fan while singing, emotions from viewers were high.
“Bad Romance” was the grand finale. Gaga won two Grammys for the song in 2010: one for best female pop performance and one for best short form music video, and it is clear to see why it was the perfect end to an unforgettable performance. Flames and fireworks shooting up from the open roof, Gaga stood triumphant and jumped off, catching a crystal studded football.
Niagara Wire 