Lady Gaga's high-flying Super Bowl halftime show dazzles

Superstar Lady Gaga blew the roof off the NRG stadium in Houston, Texas, during her Super Bowl halftime performance Sunday.

The Paparazzi singer beganon the venue's retractable rooftop singing God Bless Americaand a few lines fromThis Land IsYour Landin a subtle political statement that tried to unify a polarized nation through mutual patriotism.

• Patriots beat Falcons 34-28 in OT

"One nation, under God, indivisible," she recited in a happy tone as the backdrop lit up with red and blue lights. "With liberty and justice for all."

High energy, high acrobatics

From that point, it was all her. There were no cameos, duets or surprise appearances she didn't need them. The pop singer gave an upbeatandhighly-produced show,leapingonto the stage with suspension cables to begin a medley of some of her most popular tunes. She also had three costume changes throughout the show.

Starting with Edge of Glory, she kept the energy (and acrobatics) high with Poker Face, the inclusive-themedBorn This Way,Telephone and Just Dancebefore slowing it down on the piano for Million Reasons and then ending with the crowd-pleaser Bad Romance.

Throw in a shout-out to her parents, incredible live singing, and a final dramatic mic drop, and the crowd was won over.

Lady Gaga gives shout out to parents (Courtesy: NFL/CTV/FOX)

8 years ago

Duration 0:16

Lady Gaga says hi to her mom and dad mid-performance

'One of the best ever' halftime performances

That was clear from reaction online her performance scored points with plenty of viewers who commended her vocal abilities and theentertainment value of the show.

TV news personality Piers Morgan called it "one of the best ever" Super Bowl halftime performances, while actor Chris Pratt describedit as "freakin' awesome."

But wait, did she or didn't she?

Gaga's openingmessage was so subtle, in fact, that many people might not even have caught it.

This Land Is Your Land, the famous1940sAmerican protest song, has been a rallying cry inmany U.S. cities by anti-Trump protesters.

Gaga, who openly supported Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during the 2016 American election, said in a news conference earlier this week that she believes"in a passion for inclusion and "in the spirit of equality" and that her halftime performance would uphold those philosophies.

But whether the song represented a partisan message or non-partisan earnestness,her end game was simple:

"We're here to make you feel good," Lady Gagasaid on stage during the show. And she did.

Lady Gaga's halftime show mic drop (Courtesy: NFL/CTV/FOX)

8 years ago

Duration 0:17

Lady Gaga jumps off stage at the end of the performance