Katy Perry didn’t open the halftime show on the stage. The pop singer opened the show riding a gigantic gold lion, while wearing a flame-adorned dress. Perry rode the animatronic lion across the football field as she performed “Roar.” Once Perry made it to the stage, the singer started performing her other Number 1 hit, “Dark Horse.” While performing “Dark Horse,” Perry and a plethora of dancers performed on a moving three-dimensional chessboard. The circus-like atmosphere featured flipping acrobats and multi-colored balloons. As Perry welcomed rocker Lenny Kravitz to the stage, flames exploded behind her, and the two performed “I Kissed a Girl.” Perry disappeared for a second, and reemerged onto the stage wearing beach wear. All of a sudden, the stage transformed into a beach setting.
While the pop singer was singing “Teenage Dream,” dancing sharks, palm trees, and beach balls surrounded the stage. Just as Perry began singing “California Gurls,” rap star Missy Elliott made a surprise guest appearance. The stunned crowd cheered Elliott on as she performed her hits “Get Ur Freak On” and “Work It.” Perry played the role of Elliott’s “hype woman,” while sporting a custom black football jersey. The pop singer left the stage again, and Elliott performed one of her biggest hits, “Lose Control.” After a brief absence, Perry arose from the middle of the field while standing on a small platform. Wearing a star-encrusted gown, the pop singer performed the last song of the night, “Firework.” As fireworks exploded into the sky, Perry soared through the crowd while riding on the platform. Katy Perry’s Super Bowl halftime show performance is expected to have drawn in 113 million viewers.
Another Super Bowl performance that was trending on Twitter, was Rihanna and Kanye West‘s surprise DirecTV concert. Rihanna performed an hour-long set, and West joined her for ten minutes. The rapper performed his hit “Only One,” and the two superstars performed “All of the Lights,” “Run This Town,” “Diamonds (Remix),” and “Diamonds From Sierra Leone” together. Some fans were expecting Paul McCartney (he was at the Super Bowl) to make an appearance on stage with Rihanna and West, in order to perform their new song “FourFiveSeconds.” There is a lot of speculation that the trio will surprise audiences, and perform the song at this year’s Grammy Awards. Rihanna was also joined on stage by Rae Sremmurd, most known for their hits “No Type” and “No Flex Zone.” Rihanna performed “No Type” with the rap duo, and Rae Sremmurd performed “No Flex Zone” by themselves.