Published : Feb. 2, 2015 - 20:06
GLENDALE, Arizona (AFP) ― Singer Katy Perry dazzled at Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show in a dizzying performance that featured dancing land sharks, a prowling metallic lion and a levitating star that shot sparkles into the Arizona night.
Perry stalked into the University of Phoenix Stadium field in Glendale, Arizona, riding the huge, fiery-eyed lion as she sang her megahit “Roar” while wearing a flame-festooned dress.
Katy Perry performs on stage during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show at University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday in Glendale, Arizona. (AFP)
The 30-year-old star performed a brief duet with rock legend Lenny Kravitz, and the pair sang “I Kissed A Girl,” one of Perry’s first big hits in 2008, during a brief-but-raunchy performance.
The crowd cheered during the slightly bizarre next segment that saw Perry perform on a desert island set, complete with palm trees and dancers dressed up to look like goofy sharks or beach balls as the star sang “California Gurls.”
The Super Bowl’s halftime show has become a must-see event in the middle of the NFL’s championship extravaganza.
Halftime performances generate massive ratings and, sometimes, unexpected controversy such as when Janet Jackson inadvertently suffered a “wardrobe malfunction” that saw much of her breast exposed in 2004, or Prince’s 2007 show that featured a strangely shaped guitar that cast a phallus-shaped shadow.
Perry’s 12.5-minute performance did not appear to generate any such controversy and the reaction on social media appeared overwhelmingly positive, with many users praising her live singing, her dancers and her three quick costume changes.
Missy Elliott was the star guest of the performance, making a foggy entrance to sing hits including “Get Ur Freak On” and “Work It.” The newly svelte rap diva’s high-energy number “Lose Control” was a crowd pleaser.
Perry’s grand finale was a spectacular rendition of her huge hit “Firework.”
She climbed onto a star-shaped platform and elevated above the football field, cruising around the stadium as fireworks burst around her, to enthusiastic cheers and applause from the crowd.