Amanda Gorman, the young poet who delivered a captivating performance at US President Joe Biden's inauguration, opened the Super Bowl last night with a new work celebrating essential workers.
In a pre-taped performance, the 22-year-old delivered her poem 'Chorus of the Captains', paying homage to three people declared honorary captains in the night's coin toss: an educator, an intensive care nurse and a US Marine Corps veteran.
"They've taken the lead / Exceeding all expectations and limitations / Uplifting their communities and neighbors / As leaders, healers and educators," she said.
Gorman became an international sensation after reciting her original work 'The Hill We Climb' at the inaugural ceremony, a poem inspired by the attack on the US Capitol that declared democracy "can never be permanently defeated".
What a moment. @TheAmandaGorman #SBLV pic.twitter.com/v8VM9uhPww
— NFL (@NFL) February 7, 2021
The performance saw her work soar to the top of bestseller lists even before their publication, and IMG Models signed her for fashion and beauty campaigns.
The Super Bowl is among the world's largest stages, with at least 80m viewers.
It means her work will reach an even wider audience than Mr Biden's inauguration that saw some 40m tune in.
Tom Brady threw three touchdowns as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers thumped the Kansas City Chief 31-9 to win the Super Bowl, giving the evergreen 43-year-old quarterback a record-extending seventh championship ring. I Read more: https://t.co/rCao27xrtY #SuperBowlLV pic.twitter.com/uNlSKo2S3E
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) February 8, 2021
About 25,000 fans, including 7,500 vaccinated healthcare workers, were allowed inside the Raymond James Stadium, which has a capacity of 65,890.
The rest of the crowd was made of cut-outs.
Canadian superstar The Weeknd enlisted a small army of lookalikes for a glittering Super Bowl half-time show packed with hits.
He capped a year of massive chart success by performing the coveted half-time slot, with a set lacking none of the usual spectacle despite the limited attendance.
It opened with the R&B singer seated against the backdrop of a cityscape populated by backing dancers dressed as gospel singers.
He launched into his opening number, 2016 hit Starboy, followed by The Hills.
For Can't Feel My Face, The Weeknd brought fans inside a brightly lit corridor, unsteadily holding the camera up to his own face.
A full moon rose above the stage while The Weeknd sang I Feel It Coming and fireworks erupted in the Florida sky.
After a rendition of Save Your Tears, The Weeknd performed Earned It from the Fifty Shades Of Grey soundtrack.
He joined a small army of backing dancers - all wearing the same red jacket as him but with bandages on their faces in line with the aesthetic for his After Hours album - on the field to perform 2020 hit Blinding Lights.
BLINDING LIGHTS 🙌 @TheWeeknd #PepsiHalftime #SBLV pic.twitter.com/Qv9yyW8wED
— NFL (@NFL) February 8, 2021
As the lookalikes lay down, a triumphant The Weeknd, who before the show revealed he spent seven million dollars on the performance, stood beneath a sky filled with fireworks.
The Super Bowl, one of the year's biggest cultural events in the US, featured the usual Hollywood star power, with blockbuster film trailers and celebrity-filled adverts appearing during the many commercial breaks.
A 30-second slot reportedly cost about $5.5m.
Matthew McConaughey appeared as a flat version of himself in an ad for Doritos 3D while Will Ferrell, Awkwafina and Kenan Thompson promoted car maker General Motors.
Post Malone joined Cedric The Entertainer for a Bud Light promotion, while Drake and Paul Rudd starred in an advert for State Farm insurance.
Brad Pitt voiced a teaser building up a game that had been billed as Brady, arguably the greatest American footballers ever, against the league's current leading star Mahomes.
Before kick-off, singer-songwriter H.E.R. performed America The Beautiful while country music star Eric Church was joined by singer Jazmine Sullivan for the US national anthem.
