The Weeknd delivered a glittering Super Bowl Half-Time Show on Sunday night, complete with lookalike dancers, fireworks and huge sets.
The Canadian superstar capped a year of massive chart success by performing in the coveted half-time slot, with a set lacking none of the usual spectacle despite the limited attendance.
About 25,000 fans – including 7,500 vaccinated healthcare workers – were allowed inside the Raymond James Stadium, which has a capacity of 65,890. The rest of the crowd was made of cut-outs.
The singer’s set opened with him seated against the backdrop of a cityscape populated by backing dancers dressed as gospel singers, before he launched into his 2016 hit, Starboy, followed by The Hills.
For Can’t Feel My Face, the singer took fans on a kaleidoscopic trip through a mirrored funhouse, unsteadily holding the camera up to his own face. Cue the inevitable memes...
Other hits in The Weeknd’s spectacular set included I Feel It Coming and Save Your Tears, before he was joined by a small army of backing dancers – all dressed in his trademark red jacket and bandages – for his 2020 mega hit Blinding Lights.
His set went down a treat with fans – including a certain singer’s sister...
The Super Bowl, one of the year’s biggest cultural events in the US, featured the usual Hollywood star power, with blockbuster film trailers and celebrity-filled adverts appearing during the many commercial breaks.
A 30-second slot reportedly cost about 5.5 million dollars (£4 million).
Matthew McConaughey appeared as a flat version of himself in an ad for Doritos 3D while Will Ferrell, Awkwafina and Kenan Thompson promoted car maker General Motors.
Post Malone joined Cedric The Entertainer for a Bud Light promotion while Drake and Paul Rudd starred in an advert for State Farm insurance.
Brad Pitt voiced a teaser building up a game that had been billed as Brady – one of the greatest American footballers ever – against the league’s current leading star Mahomes.
Before the game, singer-songwriter H.E.R. performed America The Beautiful while country music star Eric Church was joined by singer Jazmine Sullivan for the US national anthem.
Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old poet who garnered worldwide attention after starring during last month’s presidential inauguration, also performed before the game started.