Super Bowl halftime show: The Weeknd gives ‘brilliant’ performance with dancers in face bandages
'Blinding Lights' star has earned widespread praise for his performance
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Your support makes all the difference.The Weeknd has earned widespread praise for his performance during the 2021 Super Bowl halftime show.
The artist, real name Abel Tesfaye, was the first Canadian to headline solo at the event. He opened his performance on Sunday with the 2016 tune "Starboy". Shortly afterwards, viewers got a glimpse of The Weeknd with a group of dancers whose faces were wrapped in bandages – an aesthetic the artist has explored recently, which he views as a statement on celebrity.
The concert culminated when The Weeknd and a large group of bandaged dancers took over the field for a performance of "Blinding Lights" with an accompanying choreography. Viewers showered The Weeknd with praise on social media, deeming his show "brilliant" and "amazing".
The Independent gave the performance a 4.5-star review, deeming it "a thoroughly produced, brilliantly escapist 10 minutes" that "helped a deeply divided country – however briefly – dance away the pain of this past year".
Earlier in the evening, country star Eric Church and R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan performed the national anthem, while R&B artist HER was on hand to sing “America the Beautiful”. Their performances were also met with appreciation on social media.
Poet Amanda Gorman, who read during Joe Biden's presidential inauguration last month, read a poem during pre-show festivities, paying tribute to a teacher, a nurse, and a Marine Corps veteran during the coronavirus pandemic. Viewers called her performance as "phenomenal", "uplifting", and "inspirational".
In the afternoon, Miley Cyrus performed in front of selected healthcare workers for a special pre-game show. She was joined onstage by Billy Idol and Joan Jett.
Of course, this year's Super Bowl was also a chance for studios to debut high-profile trailers. The first teaser for M Night Shyamalan's Old was unveiled, as well as that of the anticipated Marvel series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
You can follow the 2021 Super Bowl as it happened thanks to our live blog below.
More from Amanda Gorman, the acclaimed poet who will recite a poem prior to the game tonight. She earned worldwide praise after reading during Joe Biden's inauguration last month:
Gorman recently spoke to Trevor Noah about the meaning of her reading at the Super Bowl:
Grammy-nominated artists Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church will sing the national anthem tonight, while HER will perform America the Beautiful. Here is everything you should know about their performances:
Who is performing the national anthem at the Super Bowl?
Super Bowl performance will mark second-ever duet
The Weeknd is READY to take the stage. There's still some time left before his performance – the Super Bowl broadcast begins at 6:30pm ET. There will be pregame festivities... and of course, the first half of the game needs to happen before the halftime show can take place.
And here we are! HER sings America the Beautiful ahead of the big game. Pre-game festivities are officially underway:
Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church perform the national anthem:
And here's the one and only Amanda Gorman, reciting a poem paying tribute to three heroes of the coronavirus pandemic:
Amanda Gorman's poem has truly won over viewers – understandably so.
Here are a couple of images of Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church singing the national anthem – and a special cameo from President Joe Biden and Dr Jill Biden:
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