Lady
Gaga soars over Super Bowl stage with bow to inclusion
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[February 06, 2017]
By Piya Sinha-Roy
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Standing atop
the roof of Houston's NRG Stadium with drones illuminating an
American flag in the night sky behind her, Lady Gaga kicked off her
Super Bowl halftime set on Sunday by singing "God Bless America" as
a subtle message of inclusion and unity in a deeply divided United
States.
As many speculated about whether the outspoken singer would use her
spotlight to address women's rights, immigration or President Donald
Trump, Gaga recited part of the American Pledge of Allegiance, "one
nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all," in
her opening song.
She then swung down from the roof to a stage suspended on cables and
embarked on a meticulously choreographed 13-minute set of her
greatest hits during the National Football League championship game
between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons.
This year's Super Bowl followed a fierce presidential election
campaign that Trump won in November but which left the country at
least as fractured afterwards as before it began. Trump was greeted
with massive protests just after taking office on Jan. 20, and his
policy moves have sparked further protests and controversy in the
first weeks of his presidency.
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Ahead of her high-profile performance, watched by more than 100
million U.S. viewers, Gaga, 30, said in a post on the Instagram
social media network that she planned to headline the slot entirely
on her own, eschewing a tradition of halftime main acts bringing on
special guests.
Dressed in a silver, sequined bodysuit and matching heeled boots,
Gaga sang her dance hits "Poker Face" and "Born This Way" - an
anthem for self-confidence and inclusion - as she performed aerial
acrobatics while suspended in the air.
She then descended onto the stage to dance through "Telephone" and
"Just Dance" before running through the crowd to a piano, where she
sang her new song, "Million Reasons," giving a shout-out to her
parents while she performed.
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Singer Lady Gaga performs during the halftime show at Super Bowl LI
between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons in Houston,
Texas, U.S., February 5, 2017. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
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After joining her diverse cadre of dancers for "Bad Romance," the
singer, known for her flair for the dramatic, ended her set by
dropping her microphone, catching a football and jumping off a set
of stairs onto the field.
While Gaga avoided making explicit political statements during her
set, it was Renee Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, and Jasmine Cephas
Jones, the Schuyler sisters on hit Broadway musical "Hamilton," who
caused a stir with a subtle statement of support for women.
As the trio sang "America the Beautiful" before the start of the
game, they added the words "and sisterhood," in the first verse that
contained the words "And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea
to shining sea."
The addition was immediately picked up on social media and became a
top trend on Twitter.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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