There is nothing that gets America more unified than the Super Bowl. Something about the biggest football game of the year makes Americans feel patriotic. Whether you were rooting for the 49ers or the Chiefs, we can all agree that we mainly watched the Superbowl for the halftime show.
Usher, who performs R&B and pop music, was Super Bowl XVIII’s halftime performer. With hits like “DJ Got Us Falling in Love” and “OMG”, it seems like the performer would be a big hit. Well, he omitted many of his popular songs and cut the rest short (why was “OMG” played for a maximum of ten seconds?). In a poll taken by the Gazette, 23.6% thought it was the worst halftime show, 33.5% of people thought the show was “not great,” 15% said it was just okay, 17.3% said it was great, while 10.6% said it was the best halftime show. As we can see from this poll, most people had more negative feelings towards the show than positive.
The show started with several dancers on the field before the stage. The dancers were in elaborate outfits, doing acrobatics and intense dancing. The show had a lot of activity, and the beginning set the stage for this. A few seconds in, Usher came in and started singing, which later turned into aggressive dancing while lip-syncing. Throughout the performance, Usher seemed overshadowed by the excessive number of dancers, ranging from acrobats to pole dancers. About halfway through the show, Usher decided to do a strip tease of his own, taking off his shirt and running his hands all along his body. Frankly, I don’t know what he was going for with this, but it was something.
A big part of halftime shows is the surprise guests that artists bring out. Many fans speculated and hoped that Usher would bring out Justin Bieber, but he did not. The guests that performed with Usher were Ludacris, Alicia Keys, Lil John, will.i.am, H.E.R. and Jermaine Dupri. Yeah, Justin didn’t make the list. The guests added to the performance; Alicia Keys is the biggest one being talked about currently. Keys, who started her bit by playing the piano in a gorgeous red bedazzled outfit, started her set by playing “If I ain’t got you.” Her singing was terrific. However, viewers are focusing on the sensual way that Usher performed with her. Loads of touching and outlining her shape behind her left fans uneasy, as both parties are married to other people. The internet took this bit by storm, posting memes and videos about how weird and uncomfortable it must’ve been for both spouses.
Overall, the show felt overproduced and inauthentic. It was more like a Magic Mike strip tease than a halftime performance. The performance felt like a cheap way to convince everyone that Usher is hot. The lack of singing and the amount of activity made the show overstimulated and, an oxymoron, boring.