Super Bowl XLIX was the most viewed event in TV in history, pulling in over 120.8 million viewers according to Yahoo sports, which also reported that 49.7% of people who owned televisions were watching the Super Bowl. But of those 120.8 million people, how many are actually interested in football?
The Super Bowl is not just a game in American society, it’s a massive celebration. “Super Sunday” is almost a holiday and there is even a debate about shutting down schools and businesses on the day after, “Super Monday”. The commercials and the halftime show leave many people glued to their TV on a Sunday night in February. That is why businesses will hand over millions and millions of dollars for ad airing time and why performers go nuts about the halftime show.
The stage is huge so the performance has to be huge. And Katy Perry’s performance was huge to say the least. The beautiful 30 year-old superstar lived her “teenage dream” when she rode a giant, gold tiger across the turf of the University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Wearing a flamed, red and orange dress, she belted out the notes of her hit song Roar.
Perry’s show featured Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliot. Kravitz melted faces on his guitar while singing Perry’s hit I Kissed a Girl in a duet. Missy Elliot rapped her hits Work It, Get Ur Freak On, and Lose Control while Perry danced around in a hip-hop looking long black hoodie. Elliot’s songs were very popular among viewers even though they were all released over ten years ago.
In recent years, the half time show decisions have been to the dismay of many viewers. The Super Bowl used to be headlined with the legends of music. The Rolling Stones, The Who, U2, Tom Petty, Paul McCartney, Beyoncé, Aerosmith and many other legends of music all rocked the stage in the 2000’s. When it was announced last year that Bruno Mars would be the main performer, it left many people upset and confused. However, the outstanding 13 minute mini-concert left everyone stunned with a show that featured the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Mars definitely left a great taste in our mouths, with one of my personal favorite halftime shows of all time – even including a tribute to troops overseas dedicating songs to their family.
While Perry’s performance didn’t blow away everyone like last year’s, it certainly didn’t disappoint. “It was a great show. I just wish Lenny Kravitz sang his own music, he deserved more time,”
said music teacher and chorus instructor Mrs. Angela Jones. However, other students though differently, senior singers Madison Riggio and Becky Jump called the performance “disappointing” and “childish”.
Overall, Perry’s amazing vocals complemented her fantastic showmanship and it all added up for a good show that pleased most viewers. While her songs may be very typical, very pop-star sounding, and very mainstream, she still has a fantastic voice, and is a great entertainer. She also earned points with many for dressing with class and not ‘twerkin’ her way across stage. The performance was not only solid, but it was tasteful. It’s nice to see a female rock the biggest stage in the world without selling her soul to the devil and strutting around half-dressed in order to do so.