Super Bowl Halftime

The Super Bowl 2018 is about football. Sure. But outside all the yard-running and punt-snapping, the championship game has undeniably snowballed into a major pop culture event – the big-budget commercials, the celebrity endorsements, the megawatt halftime show. Here’s a look at some of the night’s most entertaining moments.

Billed as a halftime show “guest star,” Beyonce proved that no one sidelines Queen Bey – especially when that someone is Coldplay. In line with their hippie roots, Coldplay kicked off the show in technicolour fashion as lead singer Chris Martin belted out “Viva La Vida” atop a lotus-shaped stage. A gaggle of dancers dressed as flowers descended on the field, followed by plenty of daytime fireworks and confetti. Despite the band’s best efforts, Twitter was not having it.

Four songs later, reprieve arrived in the form of Bruno Mars, who brought the party back with a groovy rendition of “Uptown Funk.” Mars was backed up by an 80s-inspired dance crew that delivered a gimmick-free performance full of Mars’ signature swagger.

Then, quite literally out of left field, the camera panned to Beyonce and her veritable army of dancers. Dressed in a gilded leather military jacket, Beyonce delivered the first live performance of her latest hit, “Formation,” a gritty track dropped Saturday that’s been lauded for its celebration of black culture.
One of the performance’s most meme-able moments came as Beyonce crooned, “I got hot sauce in my bag,” and flame cannons exploded in the near distance.

Beyonce’s show-stealing performance comes as little surprise; according to Twitter Canada, Canadians tweeted about Beyonce ten times more than Coldplay before the halftime show began.