Super Bowl 51 kicked off its halftime show with a performance by Lady Gaga from the top of the stadium. The award winning singer-songwriter started her show with God Bless America, as drones illuminated the night sky in a series of patriotic colors.
From there, Gaga quite literally dove into her next song, Poker Face, as she jumped from the stadiums roof down to the stage. Gaga’s performance included a series of acrobatic maneuvers as she brought back many of her top hits. Featuring songs such as Born This Way, Telephone, Just Dance, Million Reasons, and Bad Romance. Junior Gia Jacobi watched the show and described the performance to be surprising.
“If I were to use one word to describe her performance, I would say surprised,” Jacobi said. “Many people I had talked to prior to the show thought that she would not do well, but she actually did very good. She is a great vocalist and can hold her own against everything else that was going on. It was all planned out, and I really enjoyed the crowd being incorporated into the show.”
Prior to the show, questions were asked as to whether or not Gaga would be inserting any of her political opinions into the performance. Gaga is known for speaking her mind and openly expressing herself, making it hard for fans to predict the artist’s actions. This topic was discussed in a press conference with Gaga herself prior to the show.
” The only statements that I will be making during the halftime show are the ones that I have been consistently making throughout my career,” Gaga said. “I believe in a passion for inclusion, I believe in the spirit of equality and the spirit of this country as one of love and compassion and kindness. My performance will uphold those philosophies.”
Gaga certainly embraced the show as she put on an athletic performance, played multiple instruments, and used acrobatic techniques. However, it is left up to the individual to determine if Gaga used the stage to make a statement. Senior Adam Martin stated that for the most part he believed Gaga to keep her political opinions out of her performance, but there was a moment that he felt her opinions to be shared.
“I think [Lady Gaga] made a bit of a political statement with her second song,” Martin said. “The whole, gay, lesbian, and bi [part of her song] was definitely controversial, but the rest was fine. I thought it was well run and pretty flawless.” Story by Marissa Hubbard
