SUPER BOWL LIV HALFTIME SHOW

Wilde Tuna February 4, 2020 0

HALFTIME SHOW WAS A HIT

Shakira and Jennifer Lopez took turns lighting up this years Super Bowl halftime show. The performance was filled with historic firsts, political statements and plenty of lights, sparkles, and choreography. Fans have been anticipating this since it had been announced that Jay-Z, owner of Roc-Nation sports and music management, would be helping to co-produce the show along with implementing a social justice strategy for the NFL. Initially, this move caused plenty of controversy considering the NFL’s treatment of former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who Jay-Z claimed to support before becoming a co-owner while Kaep himself remained a free agent. In the midst of the speculation of what this relationship would look like,the media revealed that the Roc Nation and international performing and recording artist Shakira would be sharing the stage with the legendary Jennifer Lopez. This would be the first time in NFL history that two Latina artists graced the half time stage together. Shakira initiated the show with plenty of pyrotechnics and high energy dancing to her international hits “She Wolf” and “ Hips don’t lie”. The singer only stopped dancing to give fans a guitar solo and to briefly tie her wrists with rope before belly dancing for us all. She ended her solo segment with a tribute to Afro-Columbian culture, Shakira herself is Colombian, as she and her troupe danced the Champeta to her song “Waka Waka (this time for Africa)”. Jennifer’s performance quickly followed. Her set included dancers dressed in “Nuyorican” style costumes to represent the New York Latin swagger she’s best known for. She appeared on a pole wearing a Versace leather bodysuit and pink draping that she ripped off before performing “Jenny from the block”.

The 50 year old mother of 2 had a total of 5 outfit changes , including her nude and metallic Versace bodysuit and her most political piece, a feathered cape featuring the Puerto Rican flag. The island, which many mainland Americans including President Trump forget, is a U.S territory. J.lo paraded around in the flag as she and her daughter Emmi sang a quick snippet of Bruce Springsteen’s “ Born in the USA” as a reminder. Emmi made her performance debut with other children in what seemed like cages to symbolize and acknowledge the thousands of Latino children currently detained at the border during the U.S immigration crisis. According to the New York Times “American immigration authorities apprehended 76,020 minors, most of them from Central America, traveling without their parents in the fiscal year that ended in September — 52 percent more than during the last fiscal year, according to United States Customs and Border Protection”. This is a record high that has been set thanks to crackdowns sanctioned under the Trump Administration.

The mother daughter duo sang together, in what may have been Jennifer Lopez’s most impressive live vocal achievement, while Shakira played the drums and dozens of children held hands dressed in all white with sparkly American flag logos. The performance has garnered plenty of praise from both fans and the media, and has now reached over 43 million views on YouTube alone. Shakira,J.lo and Emmi collectively showed America , in J.lo’s own words, what “ two little Latin girls can do”.