What to Expect From The Weeknd’s Super Bowl Halftime Show

If anyone has thrived over the past year, it’s The Weeknd. In March, he released the album After Hours to great critical and commercial success. He’s done performances for Saturday Night Live and the American Music Awards. The album’s gigantic single “Blinding Lights” was released in November 2019 and is still a top-five song on the Billboard Hot 100. But his hot streak doesn’t stop there; The Weeknd will headline one of the world’s biggest stages this Sunday at the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

The Super Bowl is the most-watched television event of the year in the United States. Playing the Super Bowl halftime show is a huge honor for any artist. The Weeknd’s glow up has been nothing short of miraculous. Under a decade ago, The Weeknd was an unknown and mysterious R&B. Now, he’s one of the world’s biggest musical stars.

You might be wondering what to expect from The Weeknd before he takes the stage in Tampa Bay on February 7. Let’s go over what we know about the upcoming performance and preview what we should expect.

What We Know About The Weeknd’s Super Bowl Halftime Performance

As per usual with the Super Bowl Halftime Show, we don’t have many insights on what to expect. We don’t know the setlist, we don’t know what the stage will look like, and we don’t know of any other artists who might make an appearance.

However, we do know that The Weeknd is spending $7 million on the performance to “make this halftime show be what he envisioned.” The Weeknd also commented that he wanted to make the halftime show a “cinematic experience.” But that’s all the information we have. The majority of the Super Bowl Halftime Show remains a mystery.

Predictions on The Weeknd’s Halftime Show Performance

He Opens With “Blinding Lights”

One of my favorite Super Bowl prop bets every year is “what song will the halftime performer open with?” The Weeknd has plenty of good candidates for an opener, including “Starboy,” “The Hills,” and “Pray For Me,” but “Blinding Lights” seems like the obvious choice. For one, it’s his biggest song to date and is still dominating the charts over a year after its release. In fact, the song has broken the record for most weeks in the top five on the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, it has the energy needed to start the performance off with a bang.

The After Hours Character Makes An Appearance

Since November of 2019, The Weeknd has consistently performed as a character based on his After Hours album. The look features a red suit, a bruised and cut face, and a nose bandage. From music videos to late-night performances, The Weeknd has stayed in character for a year. However, in the Super Bowl Halftime Show promo, he’s strayed from that look, instead opting to wear a leather jacket and sporting an unbattered face.

The promo might lead you to believe he’ll ditch the character for this performance, but I’m not so sure. Costume changes are common in the Super Bowl; last year, Jennifer Lopez wore five different costumes! So, I expect at least the character’s famous red jacket to make an appearance.

The Weeknd Plays “Pray For Me” as a Tribute to Chadwick Boseman

Tragically, actor Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020 from colon cancer. The Weeknd paid tribute to him with an Instagram post, and his ties to Boseman go back to the late actor’s breakout role in Black Panther. The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar teamed up for the song “Pray For Me,” which was featured in the film and was a single for the soundtrack. Given Boseman’s tragic death and The Weeknd’s ties to him, it would not be surprising for him to sing the song and honor Boseman.

At Least One Surprise Guest Makes an Appearance

While The Weeknd is the headliner for this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, it’s unlikely that he’s the only one who dawns the stage. In the past ten Super Bowl Halftime Shows, only The Who and Lady Gaga didn’t have a single special guest. Last year, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez headlined and also had special guests Bad Bunny, J Balvin, and Emme Muniz. The year before, Maroon 5 headlined and had Travis Scott and Big Boi as special guests. So, don’t be surprised when The Weeknd brings out a surprise guest to perform.

There are a number of popular artists who might perform with The Weeknd. He’s collaborated with stars like Ariana Grande, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Daft Punk, and Doja Cat in the past. If The Weeknd does decide to honor Chadwick Boseman, Lamar would be a logical choice. One surprise name to keep an eye on is Elton John. The Weeknd sampled Elton on “Scared to Live,” and Elton has praised The Weeknd recently.

He Plays At Least One Song From Trilogy

Before he was topping the charts, The Weeknd put out three mixtapes in 2011 — House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence. Eventually, those songs were remastered and packaged together as Trilogy. Trilogy never produced any hit singles; the subject matter was dark and not suitable for mainstream radio. However, it has garnered a cult-like following; for many of his early fans, myself included, The Weeknd has never topped Trilogy.

While it might seem strange for him to play a relatively unknown song from the beginning of his career, I think there’s a good chance that at least one song off of Trilogy is played as part of a medley. Medleys are fairly common for Super Bowl halftime acts, so there’s a fair chance The Weeknd does a medley of his own. Will he really give his original fans what they want by paying homage to his early work? I’ll venture to guess that he will. As far as Trilogy songs go, I’d say “House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls,” “Wicked Games,” or “The Morning” are the most likely options.

Whether these predictions are right or wrong, expect The Weeknd to put on a hell of a show at the Super Bowl. If you’re looking for some examples of the theatrics you can expect, look no further than his performance at the Video Music Awards (VMAs) this year.