Rudy Giuliani blasts Beyonce’s half-time performance at Super Bowl 50
“This is football, not Hollywood, and I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us, and keep us alive,” Giuliani said on Fox & Friends.
Beyoncé’s single, ‘Formation’, brims with cultural and political references to the struggles of the black community.
The video for the track opens with Beyoncé crouching atop a New Orleans police cruiser, up to its tires in flood water.
A young boy in a black hoodie — much like Trayvon Martin wore on the day of his fatal shooting at the hands of neighbourhood watch co-ordinator George Zimmerman — also appears multiple times dancing in front of officers dressed in riot gear.
Even more clearly, the camera pans to the words “stop shooting us” written in graffiti on a white brick wall.
While Coldplay headlined at Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show, it was R&B super stars Beyonce and Bruno Mars who delivered the sizzle with a lively, upbeat production.
Known mainly for mellow hits, Britain’s Coldplay amped up the energy, staging ‘Viva La Vida’ on a colourfully illuminated floor surrounded by dancing violinists.
After Coldplay crowd-pleasers ‘Paradise’ and ‘Adventure of a Lifetime’, a black-leather-clad Mars, who headlined the half-time show in 2014, bounced through ‘Uptown Funk!’, with producer Mark Ronson on DJ decks on stage.
However, all eyes were on Beyoncé, who gyrated her way through her latest single. Prior to the game, some fans speculated on social media that Beyoncé could deliver a politically charged performance.
However, partnered with Mars on the football field, the tone of the performance was lighter than the video.
They subtly conveyed the themes of ‘Formation’ with female dancers dressed in black shorts, crop tops and berets, in what was perceived as an homage to the black nationalist Black Panther Party movement of the 1960s and 70s.
Cedric Betts of Millbrae, California, who saw the performance live at the game, said Beyoncé’s message was clear.
“As black people we have to embrace these moments because it’s not often we get them,” he said.
An ad immediately following the show announced Beyoncé’s ‘Formation’ world tour beginning in April, her first major tour in three years.
Even for music’s biggest stars, the Super Bowl halftime show is the largest stage of their careers, drawing more than 100 million viewers.
