Beyoncé and Bruno Mars steal Super Bowl halftime show

By Ryan, February 12, 2016

By Deirdre Logan // Sports Editor

The Denver Broncos were the official winners of Super Bowl 50. Peyton Manning led the team to a 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers. Over 100 million viewers all over the globe tuned in to the game and the halftime show starring Coldplay.
Panther’s fans of High Point, such as freshman Drew Ingle and freshman Nate Greenstine, were disappointed by the turnout of the game.
“Panther’s offense was not able to match up the Bronco’s defense and I think that was our issue,” Greenstine said. “I’m extremely disappointed.”
The game started off slowly with the Bronco’s leading the Panthers 13-7 at the end of the first half. In the past, the halftime show has polled more viewers than the actual game and fans like freshman Graelyn Glover only tune in to watch the performance. The show came in perfect timing to rescue viewers from the relatively uneventful first half.
The show opened with a mash up of Coldplay’s most famous song “Viva la Vida” and “Yellow.” Lead singer Chris Martin kept his performance upbeat and engaging by getting up close and personal with the crowd. He even dove into the fans within the first couple minutes. The stage was decorated in a wide array of vibrant color and lit up underneath.
When the song transitioned to another Coldplay hit “Paradise,” the stadium exploded in more color with fireworks, streamers, flags and dancers holding up colorful umbrellas. At the end of the song, hundreds of fans held up cards spelling out “Believe in Love.”
The show took a modern turn when Bruno Mars came out to sing “Uptown Funk.” While Martin spent much of his time jumping around on stage, Mars dominated on the dance floor. He was soon met, however, by Beyoncé who came out strong singing her new hit “Formation.” Beyoncé began to steal the show with a whole crew of backup dancers and 30-foot flames that went off during every line of the song.
Beyoncé appeared to honor the late Michael Jackson by wearing an outfit inspired by the one he wore when he performed during the halftime of Super Bowl 27 in 1993.
Coldplay contrasted the entire set by wearing dark blues, grey and black. Visually, they stood out as a hole in the vibrancy of the surrounding scene. This was also the case musically as they stood out as a calm sound in the midst of the captivating guest star performances.
“I’ve been a fan of Beyoncé since I was born,” Glover said, “so to see her in the halftime show again three years later was absolutely amazing. She killed it as always.”
Beyoncé and Mars stole the show when they had a sing-off to “Uptown Funk” and “Single Ladies.” Martin joined them on the stage for this performance but was drowned out by the incredible dance and vocals of the two guest stars.
“I feel like they brought back Bruno Mars and Beyoncé because Coldplay couldn’t put on a thrilling performance,” Ingle said. “Coldplay ended up doing a nice job honoring the 50 years of Super Bowl history.”
Martin slowed things down with a performance of “Clocks.” He honored the 50 years of Super Bowls by showing a footage mash-up of previous halftime performances including U2, Michael Jackson, Katy Perry and Bruce Springsteen.
The Super Bowl was not as exciting as fans had hoped, but the brilliant performance of Coldplay, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars captivated viewers and kept them entertained. More viewers tuned into the halftime show than the actual game.
“In the end, you can’t win them all,” said Erin Creedon, sophomore. “Both teams fought really hard but Beyoncé slayed the Super Bowl.”