Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show
Rihanna performs a solid greatest-hits melody from 200 feet in the air.
By Peter Nomeland
The Super Bowl halftime show has given us some iconic performances by some of our favorite musicians.
Often a greatest-hits compilation with extravagant production values, like what we’ve seen artists like Prince or Beyonce, are incredible and career-defining performances… And then we get years with the Black Eyed Peas or M*roon 5. The bar was set very high last year when Dr. Dre headlined an all-star group of hip-hop legends such as Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar.
Enter Rihanna who, after years of holding out from doing the show, becomes the latest pop star to step into the halftime-show arena. If you take away anything from this halftime show, it’s just the sheer amount of certified hits Rihanna has accumulated. The show featured a whopping 12 songs packed into the 13-minute performance, beginning with “Bitch Better Have My Money” and ending with “Diamonds,” the latter of which I referred to in my high-school group chat as “one of the best pop songs of our time.” The vocals sounded great, the army of backup dancers dressed as Antarctica scientists displayed outstanding choreography and skill, and Rihanna herself looked incredible as usual in her all-red attire.
The show's highlight, however, was the set Rihanna and the dancers were located on. Towering platforms that raised up to 200 feet were a simple and awe-inspiring performance feature that you look for in shows like this. Rihanna isn’t known as a great live performer per se, leaning on her backup dancers, and the lack of a Jay-Z surprise verse on “Umbrella” was disappointing. But all in all, it was a great halftime performance by an all-time hit-maker.
Oh yeah, she also announced that she’s pregnant again during the show, so there's that surprise too.