No, 'Satan' didn't appear during The Weeknd's Super Bowl show
The Weeknd’s Super Bowl performance has set social media alight, and some viewers think the word ‘Satan’ flashed on the screen— but it’s not all it seems.
Canadian singer The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, performed during yesterday’s Super Bowl halftime. The show impressed fans, and cost the artist a reported $7million out of his own pocket.
The show saw The Weeknd perform hits like The Hills, I Feel It Coming and I Can’t Feel My Face. The majority of his set was performed in front of a set modelled on the city from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.
Unlike previous years, 2021’s Super Bowl halftime show was performed mainly in the stalls in order to comply with coronavirus regulations.
However, one video has resurfaced online, and confused fans.
The Weeknd’s ‘Satan’ performance video is from 2017
Following on from his Super Bowl performance, a YouTube video has resurfaced. Within the clip of a performance, the word ‘Satan’ flashes on the screen behind the stage.
However, the video in question is actually from a 2017 performance at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen. Although the video is dated from 2017, some have confused it for The Weeknd’s Super Bowl performance instead.
“How was this video posted three years ago?” asked one viewer in the comments. While another asked: “Is this from tonight? Or a different concert?”
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While others pointed out the confusion: “Hey…people in the comments…this was not the Super Bowl halftime show.”
Regardless of when the video is from, one fan defended the use of the word ‘Satan’, explaining the meaning of the song was about battling inner demons: “Uh, the song he’s singing is about a man’s inner battle with Satan.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM-Vai-4pnw&feature=youtu.be
His 2021 Super Bowl performance
While the ‘Satan’ video may not be from The Weeknd’s Super Bowl performance, some viewers still drew comparisons.
The dancers with covered faces in particular reminded viewers of ‘fallen angels’, which are often present in stories of the devil. One fan even joked about conspiracy theorists reacting to it:
Solid 7/10 for The Weeknd's Halftime Show Satanism. The dude falling out of the sky with the glowing red eyes (Satan the falling angel) and the red/black outfits on The Weeknd and his masked back-up dancers have Illuminati folks triggered as all get out.
— Poker and Politics (@PokerPolitics) February 8, 2021View Tweet
Others however felt the performance as a whole had a dark feel to it, comparing it to The Silence of the Lambs:
Looked like bride of Satan. I felt like I was in a silence of the lamb movie watching the antichrist making an appearance in the beginning
— Ben Lapina (@LapinaBen) February 8, 2021View Tweet
While many instead saw the artistic vision behind the themes, drawing comparisons to Michael Jackson’s Thriller, of which some dance moves were also inspired by:
The Weeknd doing his best to channel his inner MJ and recreate thriller 😂😂
— Dave (@D_smarty1) February 8, 2021View Tweet
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