After discussing the performance with my peers, I did not hear one positive opinion about this year’s Super Bowl halftime show. Between Maroon 5, Big Boi and Travis Scott, you would think that at least one of these famous artists would have made a good impression on viewers, but this is not the case.
Beginning the show with the song “Harder to Breathe” was a bold move from Maroon 5, and as they continued to perform hits from their 2002 album, Adam Levine began stripping until he was shirtless. Revealing his tattoo-covered body may have seemed like a good idea to Levine, but don’t neglect the fact that he turns 40 this year. Additionally, he danced around stage with an electric guitar draped over his body, even though he really only busted out one riff throughout the entire performance after asking, “Can I play guitar for you right now?”
Despite all of this negativity, this halftime show did execute one part phenomenally: SpongeBob’s legendary “Sweet Victory” clip. By commemorating the recent death of the show’s creator, Stephen Hillenburg, and implementing the Bubble Bowl into this halftime show, SpongeBob fans were overwhelmed with feelings of nostalgia, which were quickly interrupted by Scott’s burning asteroid entrance.
Seeing Levine on stage attempting to dance along to Scott’s famous song “SICKO MODE” was downright uncomfortable to witness. It was clear that he was out of his element while on stage with Travis, who was basically just yelling into the microphone while a pool of teenage girls cheered him on in tears. It felt as if Travis just chose a bunch of his favorite lines from the song and threw them together to fill his very short window in the show. Levine and Scott jumped up and down as they faced one another, and Levine decided to strum out a cord of “SICKO MODE” here and there.
After Travis’s quick appearance, viewers could actually appreciate Levine’s talented voice as he sang the beginning of “Girls Like You,” but since Cardi B refused to attend the Super Bowl, her part was filled by a large choir, which only confused the audience further. Then, Big Boi came out in an old-fashioned Cadillac to perform OutKast’s “The Way You Move” in the same location where he launched his rapping career.
All in all, after being disappointed by the Rams and Patriots’ first half, fans were just as underwhelmed with Maroon 5, Big Boi and Travis Scott’s performances. Not even a half-naked Adam Levine could save the show.
