The Weeknd’s FULL Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show by
NFL on
YouTube
In a spectacle that started in the stands, then went inside the stadium before taking over the entire field, The Weeknd performed a high-octane medley of his hits during the Super Bowl LV halftime show. While things seemingly went off without a hitch, the Grammy-winning artist still grabbed lots of social media attention.
He was the sole performer.
Twitter users immediately went to work creating memes and comparing various aspects of the set to one another — from the back-up dancers looking like robots in the stands to the gold room in which The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, sang his hit song “Can’t Feel My Face,” to the bandaged dancers who took over the entire field for the finale.
The R&B singer’s set continued his “After Hours” character’s storyline. It started off with Tesfaye in a sparkly red jacket — continuing the imagery inspired by his “After Hours” character and previous awards show performances — backed by a large choir with glowing eyes. While many considered it creepy, the sequence also resulted in memes of Star Wars’ Jawas and C-3PO:
Halftime Jawa performance? #SuperBowlpic.twitter.com/66Fsmahtvs
— Elliott Bambrough (@E2TheBam) February 8, 2021
I auditioned for the #PepsiHalftime but didn’t book. Congrats to C3PO & their ancestors. pic.twitter.com/pZR4fkVDuc
— Anna Roisman (@AnnaRoisman) February 8, 2021
At one point, Tesfaye seemed to go inside the stadium, weaving through a golden maze of mirrors and performing a dizzying sequence. More memes and comparisons poured in:
me trying to follow the hostess to my table at the Cheesecake Factory pic.twitter.com/mhB6LKCIiF
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) February 8, 2021
What my food sees while in the microwave #PepsiHalftimepic.twitter.com/o28gcN0ZHp
— Rene Gallardo (@realtypapi) February 8, 2021
When the camera man lost sight of the weekend inside the fun house #superbowl#PepsiHalftimepic.twitter.com/nqqSp27CdH
— Sarcastictall_G (@SarcasticTall_G) February 8, 2021
What my coworkers see on zoom meetings when I think my camera is off #PepsiHalftime#SuperBowlpic.twitter.com/J8I9bmk4XI
— Meggy (@MeggyNikirk) February 8, 2021
Toward the end of “Can’t Feel My Face,” The Weeknd was joined by dancers identically dressed except for the bandages on their heads. He made his way out onto the field turning what would’ve normally been a space full of fans into one big dance party. As his hit song “Blinded by the Lights” started playing, the backup dancers created even more fodder for social media, with many tweeters wondering whether the artist was trying to make a statement, including former Surgeon General Jerome Adams:
I did like the mask wearing and the social distancing at the #SuperBowl halftime show.
Well done! pic.twitter.com/fToM9LpdCT
— Jerome Adams (@JeromeAdamsMD) February 8, 2021
Others provided more pop cultural references:
The weekend’s dancers look like tethered Jason from us pic.twitter.com/5ppKZ7jdMH
— Julian Bass (@thejulianbass) February 8, 2021
Mummies were invoked:
I would admit the #SuperBowl Halftime show with @theweeknd was pretty colorful and bright.With Dancing Mummies and Less of a Stripper Party Dance show like last year! 🤣 https://t.co/fs9qhdqu7hpic.twitter.com/fhG7RA3H49
— Woody and Daffy Duck (@DaffyWoody) February 8, 2021
And other characters:
Basically the #SuperBowl Halftime Show. pic.twitter.com/aqrLfYlZyY
— Bob Hagh (@BobHagh) February 8, 2021
The Weeknd spent $7 million of his own money — above what the NFL shelled out — to produce the halftime show. The league also released a live visual album featuring the whole set, along with the pre-game performances of “America The Beautiful” by H.E.R. and the “Star Spangled Banner” by Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church.
Super Bowl LV highlights and halftime show30 photos