by The Cowl Editor on February 14, 2019
Music
by Anne DeLello ’20 A&E Staff
Going into the Super Bowl this year, there was a great deal of controversy surrounding the halftime show and the people who were performing in it. Maroon 5, Travis Scott, and Big Boi all performed on Feb. 3 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and the question is, did they surpass America’s expectations, or did the Super Bowl halftime slump continue?
The overwhelming majority says yes, the slump has continued. Maroon 5 gave a bland performance with a few exciting interruptions from Travis Scott and Big Boi. The band played to their strengths by featuring hit songs such as “She Will Be Loved” and “Sugar” in their set, but the fan favorites did not make the performance anything special.
As USA Today put it, “Maroon 5 managed to clear the hilariously low bar of not being the worst halftime show of all time.” In other words, they were nothing special, but at least they did not make things worse for the NFL.
The lacking performance given by Maroon 5 may have been exactly what the NFL wanted this year. With the controversy surrounding their treatment of Colin Kaepernick and the stars who said no to performing at this year’s game, a mediocre show that did not draw much attention may have been their goal all along.
Although appearances from Big Boi and Travis Scott redeemed the night slightly, it was not enough to make this halftime show anything more than average.