It wouldn’t truly be the Super Bowl if it wasn’t filled with some sort of controversy on and off the field, and the 50th Super Bowl surely didn’t disappoint.
83,000 fans filled the seats at Levi’s stadium to watch the defensive battle that was the Carolina Panthers versus the Denver Broncos. The Broncos would come out the victors, sending future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning out in style.
The NFL spared no expense, bringing in megastars Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Beyoncé for the halftime show. Each artist brought their own flavor to the show, pleasing the crowd separately before doing a collaborative performance.
British stars Coldplay showed the world why they have sold more than 80 million albums worldwide, performing a slew of hits that had the stadium singing in unison. Coldplay front man Chris Martin danced around the colorful stage setup in a custom pair of Jordan Spizikes, interacting with fans. Despite featuring several accomplished musicians, the band was accompanied by a live band and orchestra.
Fireworks shot off into the night as a group of dancers navigated the field wielding colorful flowers and wands.
Bruno Mars followed suit with a Run DMC inspired performance, dressed in leather outfits and rope chains. Mars wooed the crowd, showing off his dancing skills as he performed the 2015 hit “Uptown Funk”.
Beyoncé’s dancers and band channeled their inner Black Panther, dressed in all black from the berets to combat boots. Beyoncé drew inspiration from the “King of Pop” himself, wearing a jacket reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s during his performance at Super Bowl XXVII.
Performing her currently released single “Formation”, Knowles-Carter uses the performance to tackle social issues addressed in the song and show her allegiance to the African-American community.
The three performers left the stage as a video tribute of all the performers of Super Bowl’s past was shown, from Katy Perry to deceased legends like Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson. The show proceeded to take a left turn, as the three performers came together to sing about believing in love.
The change from upbeat performance to a pseudo “We Are The World” was somewhat awkward, but welcomed for many reasons. Whether the song was about loving regardless of gender, religion or sexual preference is uncertain, but the central message of love is appreciated.
In the midst of a hard-hitting game that will be remembered just as much for it’s post game activities as on the field, the performance was exceptional.
