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Image: beyonce.com
You would have to have lived under a rock for the last week to have not heard about Beyoncé’s half-time show at the Superbowl. With the controversy surrounding her lip syncing to a pre-recorded track of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at President Obama’s inauguration, many questioned the level of effort Beyoncé would put into this performance. Once the 15 minutes were up the doubters had been silenced, she had given it her all, and many of her loyal fans (myself included) were thrilled.
After a drum beat of her single ‘Countdown’ played in the background to an audience countdown, the anticipation built with excitement almost bubbling over as to what would follow. She began her set with an a cappella version to her single ‘Love On Top’. Dressed in a Rubin Singer creation that consisted of a pair of black ankle boots, knee high socks, leather motorcycle jacket with padded shoulders and leather skirt, she strutted down the stage in true Beyoncé style to ‘Crazy in Love’. The jacket and skirt were soon ripped off to reveal a leather leotard with Chantilly lace skirt as she performed the familiar dance moves that go along with the track.
Her performance has been hailed as the sexiest half-time show since 2004, which featured the infamous Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction, which wasn’t seen by all as an altogether good thing. Animal rights group PETA have raised issue that the outfit was apparently made of leather, snake, lizards, rabbits and other animals. So far Beyoncé has not responded to these claims, but there is no doubt that her outfit was carefully designed with the star in mind. In a press release Singer has stated that it took over 200 hours and a team of 14 to make the leotard.
The outfit has also sparked concerns from parents arguing that the small piece was not suitable for a family performance, some even quoted the costume as “trashy”. Personally, I feel there was nothing wrong with what Beyoncé was wearing, she had all ‘personal’ areas of her body covered, the outfit clearly supported her frame and there was no risk of there being any wardrobe malfunctions. It has long been argued that sex sells and this outfit was not over the top or ridiculously revealing, it was simply sexy. Having boosted sales of both her own and Destiny’s Child’s albums since, I think this has had a very positive effect.
After performing spectacular versions of her hits ‘End of Time’ and ‘Baby Boy’ both Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams shot out from under the stage with ‘Bootylicious’ used to introduce them, whilst the audience screamed with excitement.
The reformed Destiny’s Child then went on to perform ‘Independent Women’ and the popular single ‘Charlie’s Angels’ which was filled with pyrotechnic effects and ended with the famous Charlie’s Angels pose. After a brief pause they went into ‘Single Ladies’, a song that despite being a Beyoncé hit, was used to good effect with Kelly and Michelle staying to perform the iconic ‘Single Ladies’ dance routine.
The set was finished off with what appears to be becoming Beyoncé’s favourite closing number, which she uses to thank her fans for their constant dedication. As she asked her fans to raise their hands up towards her so she could see them all as she belted out ‘Halo’.
Many critics have hailed the show as “a dynamic performance” and others stating that it was so energetic it sucked all of the power out of the Superbowl stadium, which refers to the 15 minute powercut that followed Beyoncé’s huge performance.
Relive it here:
