In a show that started in the stands, then went inside the stadium before taking over the entire field, Super Bowl LV break show. While things seem to have gone smoothly, the Grammy-winning artist has attracted a lot of attention on social media.
He was the only performer.
Twitter users immediately began working on creating memes and comparing different aspects of the set to each other – from backup dancers looking like robots in the stands to the golden chamber in which The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye sang his hit song “Can’t Feel My Face” to the banded dancers who took over the entire field for the final.
The set of the R&B singer continued her story of the character “After Hours”. It started with Tesfaye in a bright red jacket – continuing the image inspired by his character “After Hours” and previous awards showing shows – supported by a large choir with bright eyes. Although many found it creepy, the sequence also led to Star Wars’ Jawas and C-3PO memes:
At one point, Tesfaye seemed to enter the stadium, weaving through a golden maze of mirrors and creating a dizzying sequence. Several memes and comparisons have appeared:
Towards the end of the movie “Can’t Feel My Face”, Weeknd was joined by dancers dressed identically, except for the bandages on his head. He went out on the field transforming what would normally have been a space full of fans into a big dance party. As his hit song “Blinded by the Lights” began to sing, backup dancers created even more social media feeds, with many tweeters wondering if the artist was trying to make a statement, including former surgeon general Jerome Adams. :
Others provided several pop cultural references:
The mummies were invoked:
And other characters:
Weeknd spent $ 7 million of his money – on top of what the NFL did – to produce the show at halftime. The league also released a live visual album with the entire set, along with pre-game shows “America The Beautiful” by HER and “Star Spangled Banner” by Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church.
