The Weeknd's Super Bowl 55 backup dancers had bandaged faces and Twitter has thoughts
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The Weeknd rocked out during the Super Bowl 55 halftime concert in a performance called "capable and charismatic" by Patrick Ryan of USA TODAY.
The pop/R&B star did not don the face bandages that made headlines at November's American Music Awards during the breakneck 13-minute set which included hits "Blinding Lights" and "Save Your Tears."
But the parade of backup dancers who shadowed The Weeknd definitely showed off the masks.
That was noticed on Twitter. Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams gave plaudits to the performance partially based on the masks.
"I did like the mask wearing and the social distancing at the #SuperBowl halftime show. Well done!" Adams tweeted, adding jokingly in a separate tweet that the look was not effective in preventing COVID-19. "I'm not too sure about the jock strap face masks though."
The Weeknd's so-called "After Hours" look, named after his latest album, started with a bloodied face, modeled after the album's cover. It then progressed to bandages covering his entire face, as someone might appear after having dramatic plastic surgery. He recently told Variety the bandages were a reflection of "the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrity and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and be validated."
More than one Hollywood celebrity validated the masks with a response.
"The Weeknd’s backup dancers..." tweeted actor/comedian Bob Saget, adding multiple masked and bandaged emojis.
The Weeknd’s backup dancers...
🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷 🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷 🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷 🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷 🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷 🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷 🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷🤕😷— bob saget (@bobsaget) February 8, 2021
Twitter user Julian Bass compared the backup dancers to the creepy tethered child Jason from Jordan Peele's horror film "Us." Universal Pictures, the studio that distributed "Us," even retweeted the thought.
The weekend’s dancers look like tethered Jason from us pic.twitter.com/5ppKZ7jdMH
— Julian Bass (@thejulianbass) February 8, 2021
Super Bowl 55: Jazmine Sullivan shines in mellow national anthem with Eric Church
The Weeknd delivers a charismatic Super Bowl halftime show, but he was no JLo, Shakira, Beyoncé, or Prince
Dionne Warwick just loved the entire show, making her thoughts known on Twitter.
"Well done @theweeknd. Loved the set and pyros. You looked and sounded great! A Big Hug and Loud Applause!!," Warwick tweeted.
Well done @theweeknd. Loved the set and pyros. You looked and sounded great! A Big Hug and Loud Applause!! #SuperBowl
— Dionne Warwick (@dionnewarwick) February 8, 2021
Olivia Munn wrote on Twitter, "This #SuperBowl halftime show makes me excited to go to concerts again."
This #SuperBowl halftime show makes me excited to go to concerts again. #TheWeeknd
— O M (@oliviamunn) February 8, 2021
Comedian David Spade was more critical, calling The Weeknd "Kayne light" in comparison to Kanye West.
Kanye light pic.twitter.com/CNOZn4r1lv
— David Spade (@DavidSpade) February 8, 2021
Another meme was created as Twitter users commented on The Weeknd running with a confused expression through a maze of lights, followed by a shaky camera.
"Me trying to follow the hostess to my table at the Cheesecake Factory," tweeted sports journalist Conor Ryan.
me trying to follow the hostess to my table at the Cheesecake Factory pic.twitter.com/mhB6LKCIiF
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) February 8, 2021
One Twitter user called it "6-year-old me looking for my mom in walmart" while another said "Me 6 hours into an IKEA trip, trying to find a shortcut out." Remote workers can relate to this one from media scholar Jenn McClearen: "Trying to figure out which email has the Zoom link in it."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Weeknd's bandaged backup dancers sparked memes, social reaction