A colorful World Cup halftime performance brings out Shakira, Madonna and Justin Bieber
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Madonna, Justin Bieber, BTS and Shakira each brought one of their own to the World Cup’s first halftime show in a whirlwind performance on Sunday that also featured Burna Boy, Ted Lasso and more Muppets.
The show, which was otherwise known as MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, was an attempt to bring Super Bowl vibes to the World Cup, but the 11-minute performance was more crowded than the usual one player, his American football counterpart for 13 minutes.
Each title here spent about two minutes playing. Madonna opened the show with her 2000 dance hit Musiche was joined by former Brazilian football stars, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
It started with a pre-recorded scene in the rink before he entered the stadium in a dune buggy, singing, “Music brings people together.”
Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel led the orchestra through a song by the White Stripes Seven Nation Armywhile the Muppets house band – including drummer Animal – provided a hairy shake in the background.
K-pop sensations BTS took to the stage with a variety of red and black moments singing later Dynamite following a nod to the Norwegian Viking line.
To promote the upcoming season of Ted LassoJason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt, according to the actor, suggested Justin Bieber, who changed the tempo All Hallelujahperformed with an acoustic guitar and a common sense.
“Well, young man, let’s go! Your big gun!” Sudeikis said to Bieber. “Get out of there, don’t panic, no one is watching.”
Shakira and Burna Boy followed with their official World Cup song Dai Daiheard before all 104 games during this tournament. The Colombian star was barefoot, wearing a yellow and pink feathered dress and surrounded by similarly dressed dancers – including a group of children – before the Afrobeats icon joined her in a song whose title is the Italian version of “Let’s go!”
Shakira has done a number of World Cup songs, including the 2010 one Waka Waka (This Time in Africa).
A show put together by the PS22 Chorus of elementary school students from Staten Island, NY, supported by Dudamel and joined by Chris Martin – the Coldplay singer who chose to perform – as well as Shakira and many other Muppets and Sesame Street characters, including Kermit, Miss Piggy, Count von Count and Cookie Monster.
Dudamel and about 40 musicians — about half from the New York Philharmonic and half from Venezuela’s Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra — were on stage, though their music was pre-recorded Wednesday at the Manhattan Center.
Post Malone, Jennifer Hudson performed the closing ceremony
Jennifer Hudson, Robbie Williams and others performed a number of songs, Post Malone delivered an old song and a new song, and Tom Cruise gave a heartfelt speech at the closing ceremony before the game.
British singer and former Take That member Williams performed his FIFA anthem Desirewearing a blue track suit. She was joined by Pussycat Dolls member Nicole Scherzinger and Italian singer Laura Pausini in blue dresses.
Broadcaster ShowSpeed took the stage first and sang his World Cup theme song Championsat the top of the Empire State Building image. Next up was Post Malone, who took to the New York/New Jersey Stadium with a tarp covering the New York skyline. He sang a brand new song, Chrome Heartbreaker, and was joined by Swae Lee to perform their 2018 duet Sunflower on a platform with a heavy hexagon in the middle of the field.
Cruise, who was also part of the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, followed them with a speech presented in a polo shirt and jeans.
“Let’s celebrate the tournament that brought the world together,” he said.
Most of the national anthems were piped during the tournament, but were performed live on Sunday. EGOT winner and talk show host Jennifer Hudson performed The Star-Spangled Banner. Dressed in a white suit with red, white and blue accents, he stood in front of a bank of world flags, singing a cappella before being joined by a brass band.
The Spanish Brass played a Spanish musical instrument La Marcha Realfollowed by the Argentine Anthem Nacional Argentinasung by pop star María Becerra, wearing a flowing dress reminiscent of the Argentine flag.
