Twitter Has Some Choice Words About The Weeknd's Super Bowl Show
The Weeknd's halftime show at Super Bowl LV was a dizzying whirlwind of his most popular songs. One portion of his performance took place in a mirrored hallway filled with bright lights that left audiences nauseous, and another segment involved dancers dressed in identical red suits and gauze masks, which gave viewers déjà vu á la Jordan Peele's Us. The result was a flock of football fans as excited as they were divided.
Many viewers praised The Weeknd's performance, while others just couldn't get past the visual vertigo. And more than a few audience members have cropped key screenshots and turned them into memes because these days, everything has to be a meme. Opinions vary widely and there is little room for middle ground. You could probably spend all day scouring Twitter for every reaction under the sun, but here are the choicest responses Twitter users had for The Weeknd and his Super Bowl halftime show.
Some people couldn't stomach the Super Bowl Halftime show
The most common reactions were, understandably, accolades. After all, The Weeknd sang for almost 15 minutes straight. That can't be easy, and other celebrities praised him for his larynx and showmanship. Fellow singer Dionne Warwick, winner of numerous Grammies, sent The Weeknd a digital hug and congratulated his performance's set and pyrotechnics. Meanwhile, many actors also chimed in: Seth Green of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Robot Chicken fame kept his praise short and sweet, simply stating that he loved The Weeknd's show, while Jana Kramer of One Tree Hill fame said she thought it was "perfect and not overdone."
The second-most-common reaction revolved around the theme of nausea, with many of those who experienced vertigo coming from the world of sports writing. Mike Halford from TSN's Halford & Brough podcast joked that The Weeknd should have been renamed "the motion sicknss," while Katie Barnes of ESPN claimed that the halftime show did its best to make them "throw up." Fortunately, some audience members were able to enjoy The Weeknd's performance in spite of the motion sickness. WFAA anchor Jonah Javad acknowledged that while the halftime show gave him "the spins," he still found it "fun" overall.
Some felt that The Weeknd's performance was a waste of $7 million
Even though The Weeknd is one of the most streamed artists of the year, that does not equate to universal adulation; given that not everyone likes the artist, it stands to reason some audience members simply wouldn't appreciate his halftime show. One of the performance's most common criticisms — aside from the dizzying camerawork — was its budget. It's no secret that The Weeknd spent $7 million from his own pocket on the show — and he wasn't paid a dime for his performance, causing some viewers to wonder where all that money went. Twitter user Beef Stew complained the show consisted mostly of cardboard cutouts and 10 smoke machines, which couldn't rack up such a bill. Another commenter, Abel, echoed this sentiment by implying The Weeknd was ripped off because his audio mix was off. User Beth Lackey, meanwhile, asked if The Weeknd could get some of his money back, and another user responded that all his money probably went towards the fireworks. As we all know, fireworks are non-refundable.
Not all criticisms were levied at the show's budget. For example, Alan Bersten of So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars fame wondered if part of The Weeknd's performance was shot on a GoPro, which might explain some viewers' nausea.
It's time to meet The Weeknd on The Weeknd Show Tonight
The modern internet traveler can transform the most innocuous images into memes, and The Weekend's performance is full of screenshots begging for exactly that treatment. One of the most fascinating takeaways from The Weekend's performance came from Courtney Theriault, a reporter for City News Edmonton, who pointed out that the halftime's first act, which featured singers standing behind building cutouts, looked remarkably similar to the opening of The Muppet Show. Meanwhile, Ryan Schocket had a sizzling take on The Weekend's dizzying performance: instead of experiencing nausea when the show entered the mirror-laden corridor, Schocket joked that the scene was an artist's rendition of what Pizza Rolls would see while being cooked in the microwave. But seriously, who microwaves Pizza Rolls anyway?
Even though many viewers likened the backup dancers to the creepy legion of doppelgangers in Us, many also roasted the camera work, especially when The Weeknd entered the hallway. Twitter users cited memes to rib the blurry camera, as well as when the cameraman momentarily lost sight of The Weeknd. However, the most important comment was spawned from The Weeknd's backup performers. While the artist says they were a commentary on celebrity culture, Twitter user Rachel Agnes offered up that her mother noticed that they all wore masks and stood six feet apart. Even though The Weeknd got to perform in a stadium, he still enforced social distancing on the field!