Having The Weeknd perform in the 2021 Super Bowl, was one of the greatest decisions ever.

The Weeknd was the first-ever artist to not get paid for his presence or performance and he was also the first to spend $7Million of his own money. 

According to The New York Times article, only about 1,050 people attended the Super Bowl this year due to the Coronavirus. It’s such a huge change for everyone and it was especially really hard for the singer since he was risking his life and everyone else’s. Usually, 65,000 people work and perform with the singer but this year, only 25,000 did. That’s nearly half. As The Weeknd promised, he gave a show giving respect to kids watching it and tried to include a lot of the songs that made it big. This was the second Super Bowl produced by Jay-Z’s entertainment company, Roc Nation. In a random survey of 100 Morton East Students, about 70% agreed that The Weeknd’s performance was a hit. 

“The Weeknd’s performance at the Super Bowl was a hit because he’s simply amazing. He had it all planned since he released the album. The super bowl was just the end of the storyline. He was showing us all how the music industry can really mess you up in some ways,” Senior Lesly S. Leon said.

In addition to The Weeknd’s good performance, it just felt nice to see a concert during the pandemic.

“In my opinion, (his performance) was a hit because we haven’t seen him perform in months due to COVID.  The meaning that went into it was everything,” Senior Sienna Gonzalez said.

More importantly, some think The Weeknd’s performance was charitable. 

“Honestly, I would say that The Weeknd’s performance was more than amazing, especially considering how much money he put into that show. It’s insane because he didn’t even get paid, and I believe it was a fantastic show because of the amount of effort he put.  (Plus, you could really tell) he enjoyed performing,” Senior Brian Silva said.

Whereas another student disagrees.

“(The Weeknd) had such an unnecessary intro. In my opinion, he had too much going on, and for his first performance ever since Covid, it needed more color and he didn’t fit in with anything. Also, there were other ways he could have chosen to perform like something more happy, but it seemed he went the wrong way,” College student Luis Torres said. 

But, for many, there was just enough color.

“I loved it because It had a deep meaning to it.  (His performance) wasn’t really just a concert; we got to know certain versions of The Weeknd — he expressed himself in all these colors and fazes,” senior Maria Montes said.