After months of preparation, The Weeknd took the biggest stage of his career on Feb. 7. The singer was this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show performer, and he absolutely killed it. Instead of bringing out a slew of celebrity guests to join him for some of the performances, The Weeknd kept his halftime performance as a solo show, and absolutely commanded the entire stadium in Tampa.
.@TheWeeknd kicks off the #PepsiHalftime show with Starboy! #SBLV pic.twitter.com/DFAi1LNtNl
— NFL (@NFL) February 8, 2021
To kick off the Halftime Show, The Weeknd performed his hit “Starboy”. He showed up to the event in a glittery red blazer and black gloves, with his facial hair grown out. Next up, he sang “The Hills,” followed by his first biggest hit “Can’t Feel My Face.” The next song was “I Feel It Coming,” as well as “Earned It” and “Blinding Lights.” The performance was done from a section of the stands, which was marked off specifically for The Weeknd and his dozens of background vocalists. By the end of the set, he took over the middle of the field, along with a huge group of dancers who all wore matching red and black outfits.
The Weeknd was announced as the Halftime Show performer in Nov. 2020. The decision came amidst a huge year for the superstar artist, who released his fourth album, After Hours, in March. In addition to songs from the album blowing up the charts, The Weeknd has also been playing a character and telling a very specific story throughout the After Hours era.
BLINDING LIGHTS 🙌 @TheWeeknd #PepsiHalftime #SBLV pic.twitter.com/Qv9yyW8wED
— NFL (@NFL) February 8, 2021
In various music videos and award show appearances throughout the year, The Weeknd has displayed a bruised, bloody or bandaged face. Most recently, he rocked prosthetics and intense makeup to mimic the look of someone who had major plastic surgery in his Jan. 2021 video for “Save Your Tears.” In the lead-up to the Super Bowl, The Weeknd opened up about the buzz surrounding his very out-there looks from the year.
“The significance of the entire head bandages is reflecting on the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrity and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and be validated,” he explained. “It’s all a progression and we watch The Character’s storyline hit heightened levels of danger and absurdity as his tale goes on.” The Super Bowl Halftime Show was even bigger than all of that, though, as The Weeknd threw it back to the beginning of his career to sing hits from throughout his entire time in the spotlight. It was epic!