The Weeknd’s Super Bowl half-time show spawns wave of memes: ‘These are bringing me back to life’

Singer's Super Bowl debut gave social media users a lot of new material for jokes

Yesterday’s (7 February) Super Bowl saw The Weeknd take to the stage for the highly anticipated halftime show. 

The R&B musician – real name Abel Tesfaye – joined the likes of Diana Ross, Prince, and Michael Jackson as Super Bowl halftime show headliners. 

Due to coronavirus restrictions, the “I Feel It Coming” singer performed his 10-minute set in the absence of fans. However, lights, fog and fireworks were incorporated into a show that has been widely praised by viewers. 

In addition to applause for the Grammy winner’s performance, Twitter users were quick to make numerous memes of The Weeknd’s visually spectacular set. 

The most popular posts circulating on social media are based on one particular segment of the show, in which the musician sang his 2019 hit “Blinding Lights” in a disorienting hall of mirrors. 

(Getty Images)

Journalist Conor Ryan shared a brief clip from the segment on Twitter, accompanied by the caption: “Me trying to follow the hostess to my table at the Cheesecake Factory.”

Others echoed the same sentiment, stating: “*Five-year-old me in the grocery store looking for my mom*”.

“Me looking around for ‘real pants’ when the pandemic’s over after only wearing sweatpants for a year,” quipped a third person. 

Another user posted multiple screenshots of the musician looking bewildered in the video, together with the caption: “I miss going out & waking up the next morning seeing a bunch of pics like this in my camera roll.” 

“When your parents try to talk to you on Facetime,” wrote someone else. 

In addition to “Blinding Lights”, The Weeknd performed other hits of his, including “Can’t Feel My Face”, “The Hills”, “Starboy” and “Earned It”. 

Read more: Super Bowl 2021 Review: The Weeknd unites a divided country

The Canadian musician reportedly spent $7 million (£5.1m) of his own money to pay for the show's theatrical effects. 

For his performance, the Weeknd surprised viewers by not wearing facial bandages, which have become a signature of his in the past year.

Dozens of dancers, however, wore identical bandaged faces for a synchronised dance routine on the field.

The 30-year-old recently revealed the significance behind his ongoing costume, telling Variety that it is “reflecting on the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrity and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and be validated”.