The "Blinding Lights" singer took his ongoing face bandages saga to the next level with explosive visuals and a litany of hits -- that still managed to leave many underwhelmed.
Blame the pandemic, blame high expectations set by previous performers, but it can never be a good sign when some of those performers start trending during your Super Bowl Halftime Show.
But that's what happened to The Weeknd, when Twitter suddenly lit up with names like Bruno Mars and Michael Jackson, two artists The Weeknd has often been compared with. Those comparisons were happening again, but not in a good way.
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View StoryMany modern fans consider Mars to have had one of the most riveting and exciting Halftime Shows in recent memory with Beyoncé (who also got plenty of love Sunday night) while Jackson's 1993 turn became an almost instant classic and gold standard for how to take a Halftime Show to the next level.
The Weeknd certainly created some bold visuals, taking advantage of Covid-era restrictions to actually kick off his set from the stands. Since the game can't be sold out for safety reasons, he took over a whole section for a very intricate cityscape setting for a choreographed choir to back him.
At one point, he took us behind those stands (which were honestly built just for this) into a gold-tinged nightmare of visual nausea as he and the camera battled it out to see who could make viewers seasick first.
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View StoryBut it was here that his infamous bandaged look made a return, but not on his face. The Weeknd was clean, untarnished and beautiful -- looking like himself throughout the performance. But he had a veritable army of dancers in those bandages he only recently explained.
So is he closing the chapter on this story, or only moving it to the next level? Only time will tell. In the meantime, fans were left both impressed with his deep catalog of hits and incredible music -- he even took it back to his "House of Balloons" mixtape days -- and how underwhelmed they were by this performance.
He has all the talent in the world, in many ways as talented a musician and performer as Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson (or nearly so) and yet so often his live sets just leave so many feeling ... meh.
Don't get us wrong, he has plenty of fans and supporters who were loving everything he did out there. But they weren't the ones getting other artists trending. And it's the fact that those artists did trend so high during and after his performance that stands out.
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View Story.@TheWeeknd kicks off the #PepsiHalftime show with Starboy! #SBLV pic.twitter.com/DFAi1LNtNl
— NFL (@NFL) February 8, 2021 @NFL
Honestly, the Super Bowl could just do Beyoncé and Bruno Mars every single time and I’d be happy pic.twitter.com/ulKS2vTJie
— Rachel Belisle (@Rachel_Belisle) February 8, 2021 @Rachel_Belisle
each new halftime show just reminds me that Bruno Mars should do it every year
— Megan Schuster (@megschuster) February 8, 2021 @megschuster
I feel like I’m watching Tito do a Michael Jackson impersonation
— Mike McClure Jr. (@PastorMikeJr) February 8, 2021 @PastorMikeJr
Weeknd ain’t Michael Jackson but that boy got Hits🏅
— YouTube: Benny Gold ♊️ (@__BennyGold) February 8, 2021 @__BennyGold
I just don’t think anything is gonna be able to beat the 2016 super bowl halftime show for me. Coldplay, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars were just too good. #PepsiHalftime #HalfTimeShow
— Kaitlin Marie 🤍 (@kaitlinmarie12) February 8, 2021 @kaitlinmarie12
I maintain that the last good super bowl halftime show was when Bruno Mars and Beyonce took over Coldplay's set
— Delia Cai (@delia_cai) February 8, 2021 @delia_cai
I wish we were blessed enough to be watching Michael Jackson perform rn
— Raldy Mena (@raldys_auntie) February 8, 2021 @raldys_auntie
This half time show makes me miss Bruno Mars and Beyoncé #HalfTimeShow #PepsiHalftime
— Tangerina🌊💦💦 (@wutsstoppingyou) February 8, 2021 @wutsstoppingyou
that was... underwhelming. lemme go watch beyoncé and bruno mars halftime show performance again.
— shade jean (@MsSueDenimKim) February 8, 2021 @MsSueDenimKim
I feel like the NFL ordered Michael Jackson from Wish.
— ☠ Andy Piazza ☠ (@klrgrz) February 8, 2021 @klrgrz
Weekend cracks me up with the practice squad Michael Jackson moves #PepsiHalftime
— 🧀TRUBISKY’s TITTY (@AmbiguousThug2) February 8, 2021 @AmbiguousThug2
He definitely think he Michael Jackson and I got news for him.
— ✨Thick Saban✨ (@RaveenTheDream) February 8, 2021 @RaveenTheDream
I’d take Bruno Mars over The Weeknd for a halftime show any day! #HalfTimeShow
— Mara Imani (@Maraimani_) February 8, 2021 @Maraimani_
Before bed tonight, I'm going to cleanse my palette by rewatching the Prince, Lady Gaga, Coldplay/Beyonce/Bruno Mars, and JLo/Shakira's halftime shows.
— Tori (@to_re_me) February 8, 2021 @to_re_me
Ima let The Weeknd finish but Bruno Mars still has the best Super Bowl halftime performance. #SuperBowl
— Oiolyka (@osanch26) February 8, 2021 @osanch26
I love The Weeknd but that shit was mid. No one beats Bruno Mars Super Bowl performance
— Uncle Jesse🌎☄️💫 (@YesJess__) February 8, 2021 @YesJess__
It’s giving very much “i wanna be Michael Jackson” vibes
— 🌹 (@_KiingRose) February 8, 2021 @_KiingRose
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