The Super Bowl’s half-time show is usually reserved for people to refill their glasses of alcohol and get more food from the kitchen, but Katy Perry went all out in her performance prompting people to sit down and watch the spectacle.
The record-breaking performance was seen by 118.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched half-time show ever, surpassing last year’s show by Bruno Mars. The entire University of Phoenix Stadium was lit up with thousands of tiny lights that were passed out to those who attended Super Bowl XLIX. Perry kicked off her massive 12-minute set by making a grand entrance atop a gigantic animatronic lion. The 30-year-old pop star sang her chart-topping hit, Roar, as she made her way through a hundred glowing orbs while wearing a fiery dress made by Jeremy Scott.
Katy Perry’s halftime show kicked off with a ROAR! Watch it again: http://t.co/tzlqjfzyZM #SB49 pic.twitter.com/BwY5scLMcV
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) February 2, 2015
When Perry shifted to Dark Horse, the stadium was fitted with 3D mapping technology, transforming the humongous stage into a massive chessboard complete with dancing pieces. Perry shocked everyone when she bought out Grammy Award-winning rocker Lenny Kravitz to do a rendition of her first hit, I Kissed a Girl. After that explosive bit, Perry shifted into a beach ball-inspired dress to sing Teenage Dream.
The family-friendly performance got a splash of color from the bright set pieces that included dancing sharks and lip syncing palm trees. A group of girls in vintage bikinis joined the chart-topping singer as she performed California Girls.
#KatyCats! What did you think of @KatyPerry‘s epic #SuperBowl show?! http://t.co/e21BRpooTk pic.twitter.com/eKxk9kWL9I
— MTV Voices (@mtvvoices) February 2, 2015
The biggest surprise of the night happened when Missy Elliott came out to perform her 2001 hit, Get Ur Freak On. Perry joined the influential female rapper wearing a blinged-out football jersey. Perry hyped up the Super Bowl crowd while dancing to Elliott’s biggest hits like Work It and Lose Control.
Missy Elliot performs with Katy Perry at Super Bowl halftime – and steals the show? http://t.co/ZJfHIQ1VpH pic.twitter.com/eeDz0KD7Xm
— The Globe and Mail (@globeandmail) February 2, 2015
After Elliott left the stage, Perry revealed yet another costume change to match her emotional performance of Firework. Perry was lifted off the field and was flown across the stadium in a sparkling shooting star as real fireworks exploded above the sky of the open stadium. “Thank you and God bless America!” Perry cheered as her performance came to a close.
To celebrate her monumental half-time show, Perry decided to get a special Super Bowl tattoo on her finger. “I thought it would be appropriate to draw blood tonight…XLIX,” she captioned the photo.
Looks like @katyperry commemorated her #SuperBowl experience in ink. More deets: http://t.co/rxLelFnGs7 pic.twitter.com/9ra2ilOj1j
— GLAM.COM (@glam_com) February 2, 2015