Super Bowl halftime show 2019: Maroon 5 perform Girls Like You and This Love
Maroon 5 play a set free from controversy
No reference to Colin Kaepernick row
?Maroon 5 took to the stage at the end of one of the most underwhelming first half displays in Super Bowl history. And the halftime show matched the sporting action in excitement.
The build-up to the event had been marred by controversy, with stars including Rihanna reportedly turning down the gig to show support for quarter-back Colin Kaepernick.
He has been without a team since he started kneeling during the pre-game performance of the US national anthem in protest against alleged police brutality against minorities.
The show itself passed without incident and saw Maroon 5 perform some of their best-known hits, including This love, Girls Like You, She Will Be Loved and Sugar.
At one point Levine stripped to the waist to show off his heavily tattooed torso - a small talking point in what was a highly inoffensive and bland performance.
Rapper Travis Scott was introduced by a Spongebob Squarepants animated short before an asteroid light installation announced his arrival on stage.
Scott, who is dating Kylie Jenner, performed his hit song Sicko Mode before falling backwards into the crowd. Rapper Big Boi also performed.
Following the half-time show, fireworks exploded over the stadium - an effect that only seemed to highlight the lack of spectacle in the musical display.
Fans were left unimpressed and voiced their displeasure on Twitter.
One user described it as the, "All time Worst ever half time show". Another described it as: "Very poor. The fact he had to strip to distract fans from the poor showing speaks volumes. I was expected a better show, dreadful."
Earlier, Gladys Knight performed a stirring rendition of the US national anthem Star Spangled Banner before the teams kicked off.
Seven-time Grammy winner Knight, alongside members of the US military, clenched her fist as she powerfully delivered the final verses of the anthem.
In the run-up to the Super Bowl, Knight, who is known for songs including Midnight Train To Georgia and That's What Friends Are For, said she was "proud" to perform despite the controversy surrounding the NFL and the national anthem.
The Super Bowl half-time show is one of the biggest events in US popular culture, with previous performers including Lady Gaga, Coldplay and Beyonce.
SpongeBob cameo
Among the talking points coming from the halftime show is the cameo of SpongeBob Squarepants.
SpongeBob character Squidward introduced Scott's song "Sicko Mode" - but for many the appearance was all too brief.
Trailer buzz
There is always much anticipation around the new movie trailers during the Super Bowl.
Among them this year was a teaser for the new Marvel film, Avengers: Endgame.
Jordan Peele, who shot to fame with his film Get Out, also previewed his new film, Us.
Halftime show - in pictures
Bud Knight
Bud Lite has shocked "Game of Thrones" fans with a spoiler about who gets killed in the final season of the hit HBO show. It's the Bud Knight.
Not really, of course. But the beer brand and HBO lit up social media with a surprise mash-up of a Super Bowl ad.
It starts off mundanely enough with the Bud Knight of "Dilly Dilly" fame appearing for a jousting contest. He loses and is about to be unmasked, when a dragon appears out of nowhere to incinerate the entire scene. The ad did double duty to promote the beer brand and the April premiere of the fantasy show's long-awaited final season.
Andy Goeler is the vice president of Bud Light marketing. He says the ad brought "together two of pop culture's most iconic medieval realms to deliver an unexpected surprise."
Nipplegate 2
Some people are reacting to Levine taking his top off.
No way, man
Ok, I take it back. Apparently they killed.
(But what did they kill? The institution that is the Super Bowl half time show? Music itself?)
The hot takes
Some agreed with me...
Underwhelming?
Adam is often feeling warm, now the vest comes off to show off his body artwork.
And in a blaze of fire and fireworks, that's it! It was all, you know, fine. I guess if Maroon 5 is your thing then that was probably great. If not, well... Given the political row overshadowing the gig, a token gesture might have gone down well. To me, it was all a bit bland. Inoffensive. Or is it just me?
Time for some Sugar
You don't see that often - Adam Levine crooning with Big Boi and Travis Scott.
The Maroon 5 singer discards his tracksuit jacket as he launches into Sugar. ...and then segues into Moves Like Jagger.
Hello Big Boi
A change of pace as Big Boi comes on stage...
She will be loved...
Adam Levine is back, singing a newer hit - Girls Like You. Cardi B usually sings this, but obviously not today. Instead he has a gospel choir, which is a nice touch.
And now we're on to She Will be Loved, that song which you will definitely have heard on the radio or in a film.
Enter Travis Scott
The rapper has taken the stage and is ON FIRE. Oh wait, it's just the effects on stage. He launches into his hit, Sicko Mode. I think.
This Love
And here's one I do know - This Love.
It's all perfectly fine. They didn't try anything amazing like flying down from the roof - like Lady Gaga.
And we're off
The lights have gone down and... Maroon 5 make their entrance, taking the stage in the centre of the park amid a bunch of fireworks. And they're running through a bunch of what I suspect are their songs.
Cardi B on Kaepernick
We have one more short ad break before they come out. One person we won't be seeing - Cardi B.
She told AP: “My husband, he loves football. His kids play football. It’s really hard for him … He really wants to go to the Super Bowl, but he can’t go to the Super Bowl, because he’s got to stand for something. You have to sacrifice that. I got to sacrifice a lot of money to perform. But there’s a man who sacrificed his job for us, so we got to stand behind him.”
What's the score
And if you're wondering what's happening in the football - it's 3-0, the second lowest scoring first half in Super Bowl history. That sounds underwhelming. Will Maroon 5 liven things up?
Here we go
That's the halftime whistle - now for the show!
Here is Maroon 5 warming up earlier
From Nipplegate to The Mouseketeers
As we prepare for the not-so-much anticipated Maroon 5, let's take a look back at past shows.
Have a look at 21 unforgettable Super Bowl halftime shows.
2 minutes to go
We have 2 minutes of the second quarter to go. Given this is NFL, this will be a longish 2 minutes. But still, it's getting close...
#ImWithKap
A number of celebrities are vowing to stand in solidarity with Kaepernick.
Rapper Common, comedian Nick Cannon, film director Ava Duvernay and actress Jodie Turner-Smith were among the individuals to post a tweet including words of support for Kaepernick with the #ImWithKap hashtag.
Roger Waters of Pink Floyd also said he had signed a petition aimed at persuading Maroon 5 to boycott the shot (probably a bit late now). The petition now stands at 115,000.
What about the ads?
This must be one of the few events where advertising is almost as big a talking point as the sport and music.
Women's empowerment has swiftly taken center stage in this year's Super Bowl ads.
Hulu kicked off the theme with a first quarter ad for its next season of the feminist show "The Handmaid's Tale."
Next, Serena Williams appeared as spokeswoman for Bumble, which bills itself as a feminist dating app where women make the first move. The tennis icon urges women not to wait to be given power, saying, "we already have it."
Later in the evening, supermodel Karlie Kloss will play up her identity as a businesswoman in an ad for Wix.com. She wears an understated green T-shirt to show how she used the platform to create her professional website.
Toyota will highlight the perseverance of Antoinette "Toni" Harris, a female football player at a California community college.
Gladys Knight performed the national anthem
Gladys Knight scored a touchdown with her rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl 53.
The legend's voice shined brightly as she hit all the right notes ahead of the big game between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta.
Noise and controversy surrounded the 74-year-old's performance since some have boycotted the NFL over treatment of Colin Kaepernick, the former quarterback who protested racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem. While some performers declined participation in the Super Bowl, Knight said she hoped her anthem would unite people.
Before Knight performed, the R&B sister duo Chloe x Halle harmonised like a veteran girl group as they sang "America the Beautiful."
Who else is playing?
Joining Maroon 5 will be two rappers from Atlanta, rising star Travis Scott and local stalwart Big Boi, best known as half of duo Outkast. Atlanta has a majority black population and is one of the key cities for hip hop and R’n’B, so it makes sense to reflect the local music community. But there is a distinct impression they only got the gig after everyone else turned it down.
'Music’s least wanted gig'
This is what Variety called it - which is some turnaround given it used to be one of the most coveted slots a musician could ask for. So what's the difference this year? In a word, politics.
NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem in 2016 as a protest against racial inequality and has been frozen out of the game ever since. Other athletes have taken a knee in solidarity, and Kaepernick has drawn huge support from music stars across the board. Has this inspired an unofficial boycott of the ceremony? Well Cardi B is currently the hottest rap star in the US. She also features on Maroon 5’s latest single Girl Like You. So she would be an obvious guest and was certainly invited to participate. But asked when she would perform at the Super Bowl, she told reporters “when they hire Colin Kaepernick back.”
Read Neil McCormick's full story on the row.
Welcome
If you don't already know, the Super Bowl has been under way for about 40 minutes so far. Which means the half time is - slowly - approaching. (Don't expect it anytime before 1am UK time).
The half time show has been graced by the likes of Prince, the Rolling Stones, and Madonna. This year it's Maroon 5.
Why, you ask? Well, they are a three-time Grammy Award-winning multiplatinum band. They have sold over 53 million albums and 48 million singles. With nine No. 1 singles, Maroon 5 set the record for the most No. 1 singles by a group in the 20-year history of the top-40 chart.
And because, if you believe the reports, no one else wanted the gig.