This year’s Super Bowl halftime performance was Katy Perry and, though I was skeptical about how well she would live up to past performances, she did extremely well.
Atop a giant tiger, Perry opened up with her hit “Roar.” She was wearing an outfit that seemed to be a mix between Katniss Everdeen’s “Girl on Fire” suit from “The Hunger Games” and Will Ferrell’s skiing outfit from the movie “Blades of Glory.”
The stage, an electronic screen of sorts, smoothly transitioned into a chessboard while Perry began her song “Dark Horse” and dancers dressed as chess pieces surrounded her.
Perry’s voice was soon drowned out by the sound of an electric guitar. Lenny Kravitz emerged with stunning pyrotechnics yielding a Gibson Les Paul. He played a riff and sang a verse from Perry’s breakout single “I Kissed a Girl.” When the chorus came around, Perry joined Kravitz on the vocals and the duo rocked out until the chorus was over.
Lenny Kravitz’ spotlight was not long-lived as Perry seamlessly transitioned into a new wardrobe resembling a beach ball and started singing “Teenage Dream,” while the stage became a beach, equipped with its own backup dancers of singing trees, beach balls and sharks. Though the choice of dancers was a little odd, it was still enjoyable. The song soon became “California Girls” and more backup dancers, dressed as surfboards and ocean waves, joined the party.
Missy Elliott then joined Perry onstage. Her spotlight lasted a little bit longer than Kravitz’s. She and Perry performed Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On,” “ Work It,” and “Lose Control.”
The performance was capped off by Perry’s “Firework.” After her final wardrobe change, Perry sported a shimmery silver dress adorned with stars. She was lifted up into the air by a big, mechanical shooting star and flown in a circle around the stadium.
Not only was Perry’s show over-the-top fun and exciting, but through all the theatrics, the vocals were still on point.
This halftime show was spectacular and definitely memorable. The show went off without a hitch, and we should be expecting it to land a place among the greats.
