Lady Gaga seemed to do everything at the Super Bowl halftime performance Sunday. She played the piano, sang, danced, and at one point, jumped off the stage to catch a football. One thing she didn’t do, was take on the politics. She did exactly what America needed her to do.
America needed a performance, a moment without politics and that’s exactly what Lady Gaga delivered. Gaga has never been afraid to get political in the past, and disappointed some folks who were looking for her to use the high-platform to send politically charged statement.
Ultimately, the performance was a mix of feel-good throwback songs with a dose of patriotism. Starting on the roof with red, white and blue lights in the background, Lady Gaga sang a brief medley of “God Bless America” and “This Land is Your Land.” She ended with the final line of the pledge of allegiance: “One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” … before jumping off the ledge, suspended by wires, and flying gracefully to the stage on the field.
Completing her 12-minute set without any guest appearances, she performed Woodie Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land,” along with her most recognized tracks including “Poker Face,” The Edge of Glory,” and “Born This Way.”
Before the show, Gaga simply promised to use her performance to promote inclusion.
“I believe in a passion for inclusion. I believe in the spirit of equality and the spirit of this country as one of love, and compassion, and kindness,” she told reporters at a news conference last week.
“My performance will uphold those philosophies,” she continued, “I don’t know if it will succeed in unifying America. You’ll have to ask America when it’s over.”
