LADY GAGA PULLS OFF HALFTIME WITHOUT A HITCH
Minutes before her halftime show at Sunday’s Super Bowl LI, Lady Gaga previewed her performance in a dramatic blackand-white Tiffany commercial: “I’m coming for you.”
She wasn’t kidding, kicking off her 13-minute performance from the top of NRG Stadium with an a cappella snippet of
God Bless America, before leaping from the roof.
Her opener indicated how the rest would go — tightly choreographed and perfectly executed, if a little sterile.
Beginning her set wearing an iridescent bodysuit and bedazzled boots, Gaga somersaulted through the air onto a stage straight out of
Mad Max, performing Poker Face atop a metal tower. Surrounded by caped dancers, she segued into Born This Way, complete with a crotch grab straight from Michael Jackson’s 1993 halftime show.
As thrilling as her army of dancers was, perhaps she should’ve stayed on her highwires a little longer, as her show’s risky stunts — and surprises — ended as soon as she unhooked from her harness.
Running through her hits, Gaga teasing a potential Beyoncé cameo on Telephone (there wasn’t one) before emerging in a spiked gold jacket for Just Dance, the lyrics projected in lights held by fans. The orbs quickly changed to warm candlelight as she sat at a piano and declared, “We’re here to make you feel good,” before a stirring Million Reasons that lingered just a little too long. Gaga’s Mad Max- channeling performance continued with the night’s best, and last, performance. Backed by dancers in dystopian white getups, Gaga quick-changed into high-waisted crystal underwear and a sparkling football uniform-inspired crop top for Bad Romance, flames erupting behind her.
Then, she ascended stairs, dropped the mike and leapt out of the frame. Show over.
At her pre-Super Bowl news conference, Gaga suggested her performance wouldn’t be free of politics. “I believe in a passion for inclusion, the spirit of equality and the spirit of this country, one of love and compassion and kindness,” she said.
But a political protest never arrived, as Gaga opted for patriotism and unity over making a divisive proclamation.