Super Bowl 55: The Weeknd Just Did Something No Halftime Performer Has Ever Done
Super Bowl 55 is right around the corner. Sure, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs will be going head to head for the title of Super Bowl Champs, but what a lot of people are really looking forward to is the halftime show. The Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye, is set to take the stage this weekend and reportedly, it will be like no other show fans have ever seen before.
What is going to be so different about this performance?
This will be a historic Super Bowl any way that you look at it. The world as a whole looks completely different right now due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This year, the stadium won’t be quite as full and there will be heavy restrictions on how many people can be in one area at a time. These limitations will influence The Weeknd’s performance.
“Due to the COVID, and for the safety of the players and the workers, we built a stage within the stadium,” the singer said during the Super Bowl press conference. “And we’re also using the field as well. But we wanted to do something that we’ve never done before.”
“We built the stage in the stadium, but I’m not gonna tell you anything else, because you’d have to watch on Sunday,” he said.
What will the performance be like?
The Weeknd has been building a story with all of his appearances and work surrounding his album, After Hours. The star began appearing bloody and bruised in his music videos for “Heartless,” “In Your Eyes,” “Blinding Lights,” “Too Late,” and “Save Your Tears.
At this year’s American Music Awards, the singer showed up with bandages all over his head, which caused concern. He recently told Variety the reason behind the drastic look.
“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 told the outlet.
“I suppose you could take that being attractive isn’t important to me but a compelling narrative is.”
The singer wants to continue this storyline at the Super Bowl but be respectful of the event’s wide range of viewers.
“I will still incorporate some of the storyline,” he said at the press conference. “It’s a very cohesive story I’ve been telling throughout this era, and throughout this year, so the story will continue, but definitely, we’ll keep it PG for the families.”
The Weeknd is jealous of one Super Bowl performance
Every year, Super Bowl performers up the ante and try to outperform the artist who went before them. During the conference, The Weeknd admitted that he has always admired Diana Ross’ Super Bowl performance.
“I don’t know what technically the greatest is but my favorite is definitely Diana Ross,” he said. “She’s just so glamorous. And the show just makes me smile. She has a great exit with the helicopter.”
In fact, the “Star Boy” singer wishes he had done the move himself.
“She lands in the middle of the field, grabs onto it and flies out into the crowd onto the clouds,” he continued. “I wish I could have done that. I wish I thought of it to be honest.”
