Today: Nov 13, 2024

Adam Levine wears guitar but does not play it

Victoria BresnahanNews Editor

The first few minutes of the halftime show consisted of Maroon 5’s front liner Adam Levine simply wearing his guitar, and not playing it.

The jumpsuit-like outfit he had on seemed out of a place, and so was the quietness of his voice for such a major concert performance. Levine opened the show with his 2002 hit song “Harder to Breathe,” which still seemed relevant and recognizable enough to the crowd.

Before rappers Big Boi, a Georgia native, and Travis Scott joined the band on stage, Levine made the half-time show slightly more exciting with his solo for the band’s successful 2002 hit song “This Love.” While short in time, Levine proved he could actually play the guitar. Having seen Maroon 5 twice in concert, their half-time performance was nothing short of a disappointment in comparison. It was awkward looking and at some points the band looked confused as to how they got on stage. During their arguably most well-known song ‘She Will Be Loved,’ lights appeared in the sky that spelled out ‘One Love.’ While random in nature, this message seemed out of place and a cheap attempt to fix the controversy surrounding the NFL in recent years.

There was no exciting entrance—like Lady Gaga’s 2017 half-time performance—or musical presentation. However, “SpongeBob SquarePants” fans were in for a treat in a quick reference to the character in-between songs. In between Maroon 5 and Travis Scott’s performances, a scene from an iconic SpongeBob episode, “Band Geeks,” in which he and other members of a Bikini Bottom band play during the halftime show for the Bubble Bowl, appeared on the screen. The small homage to the show, and possibly to its creator Stephen Hillenburg who died in November, should have led the band into playing ‘Sweet Victory’ by David Glenn Eisley—unfortunately, Travis Scott took over the stage instead. Having never listened to Scott or Big Boi before, I cannot comment on their performances.

However, all three performances seemed like a entirely separate concept. It seemed like one of the most random couplings of singers in recent Super Bowl shows. By the end, Levine had stripped off his shirt and sang the remaining of the show shirtless. It seemed acceptable for him to showcase his bare chest, but Janet Jackson’s clothing mishap in 2004, in which her nipple was revealed, led to a massive controversy. Think back to 2017 during Gaga’s performance as well and how her exposed midriff was scrutinized by some on social media. Interesting how it is acceptable for male singers to perform in such a way, but women cannot. Either way, the double standard came off sour.

Overall, the performance seemed to be put together at the last minute. Moreover, the singers seemed weird singing next to each other. Big Boi’s classic rendition of “The Way You Move” was by far the most entertaining part of the show. Unfortunately, after he rolled up to the stage in a Cadillac convertible and to top it off only gave a short performance while being compared to Maroon 5’s multi song concert. In the future, the half-time show should feature bands or singers who not only have a huge following but can also look comfortable while performing in front of millions of viewers.

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