On Sunday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced off against the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla. for this year’s Super Bowl LV. Though the Bucs ultimately walked away with the victory, the true champion of the night was arguably The Weeknd, who performed at the Pepsi Halftime Show.
In the 14-minute, seemingly Us-inspired set, the “Blinding Lights” artist treated viewers to a compilation of some of his greatest hits, including “Starboy,” “I Feel It Coming,” “The Hills,” “Earned It” and “Can’t Feel My Face.” Accompanied by a choir that initially gave every bit of “What the hell am I looking at? What the hell is looking at me?,” the artist formerly known as Abel Tesfaye unintentionally sparked the meme of the night when transitioning into “Can’t Feel My Face.” Joined by a gang of backup dancers sporting bandaged faces and red jackets in tandem with his “After Hours” theme, The Weeknd’s up-close and choreographed confusion sent social media into a particularly hilarious firestorm.
One user drew a comparison to one of my favorite pre-pandemic activities: dining indoors.
Others recalled one particularly relatable (and lowkey traumatic) moment from all of our childhoods.
Some also accurately noted that the spirit of Jordan Peele was evidently present throughout the performance—and you know, the thought of my Tethered busting a move to this dance sequence deep within the bowels of the Earth is actually enough to make me want to baptize myself in Holy Water. So thank you Jordan and Abel, this is exactly what my spirit needed.
Personal feelings aside though, the Starboy’s performance was good enough to secure the seal of approval from Dionne Warwick. So I guess all’s fair in fear and trepidation—and the Super Bowl.