Super Bowl Halftime Show: The Weeknd Making Unprecedented Change to Performance

This year’s Super Bowl, which fans are luckily able to watch for free, will feature the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers competing. As always, the big game will also have a halftime show that is sure to entertain the millions of viewers who tune in to the annual event. This year, The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, is headlining the show. Although, he’ll be doing things a bit differently.

According to Page Six, The Weeknd’s halftime show will take place in the stands. In doing so, they will be able to put on the show and observe COVID-19 safety precautions. A source said that the show will “only be in the stands and nothing in the field. It’s really phenomenal, different and historic.” Another source confirmed that The Weeknd’s set will largely take place in the stands, but they added that there is a possibility that he heads onto the field at some point.

In previous years, the stages and equipment for the Super Bowl halftime shows were assembled by around 5,000 staffers in about 13 minutes. However, the show will be put together by a fraction of that number this year. An insider close to the behind-the-scenes production explained, “It’s a total of 1,000 people, and they can’t touch the field. How do you pull off a show that’s not on the field and is as impactful as its ever been with same level of entertainment?” They added, “Wait till you see it, it’s beautifully done. It’s different and it’s historic.” Ahead of his halftime performance, The Weeknd spoke to reporters during a press conference and shared what viewers can expect from the major event.

The singer said that he will stick to the narrative behind his full-face bandages, a narrative that was on display in the gory music videos that he has released over the past year, per Billboard. However, he will still make sure that the performance is respectful for all viewers. The Weeknd said, “I definitely want to be respectful to the viewers at home. I will still incorporate some of the story line [from the videos] — it’s a very cohesive story I’m telling throughout this year, so the story will continue, but we definitely will keep it PG-[rated] for the families. I’ll try my best.”