In some exciting news, it was announced on Thursday morning that The Weeknd would be the headliner for the Super Bowl LV halftime show.
I love the pick. He’s a regular on my streaming rotation and I thought “Blinding Lights” was one of the best Wrestlemania themes ever. But I’m thinking he might be too edgy for viewers on the higher end of the SuperBowl demo. Which is everybody really.
Meaning. They might not have heard of him.
Or his style will really throw some off. The Weeknd is not a traditional artist. He takes artistic chances.
He lights himself on fire in one video. He has a panther riding shotgun after a burglary in another. His album art features him beaten and bloody. The opposite of the polished and precise.
That’s not going to play with everyone.
Now, he could go up there and put on a straight laced set. His music is strong enough to stand on it’s own.
But would that really be The Weeknd?
This Toronto superstar also has the misfortune of following Jennifer Lopez and Shakira who put on a halftime show last year that was widely considered one of the best programs ever.
And most likely, he’s going to have to put on this huge show in an empty or near empty stadium because of the pandemic. They could pipe in crowd noise but it won’t be the same without the fans going nuts.
It’s a brave endeavor and I’ll be watching and rooting for him.
But if you’re a fan of the Weeknd and there are some at your virtual or scaled down SuperBowl parties that have never heard of him, set their expectations.
He’s probably something good they’ve never encountered before.