After three opening ceremonies and a closing ceremony that struggled to find a clear narrative, the World Cup final half-time show arrived as the tournament’s final chance to get its entertainment offering right.
The stakes went beyond filling the interval. This was the first half-time show staged at a World Cup final, placing it under immediate comparison with the polished spectacle of the NFL Superbowl and raising the question of whether football’s biggest tournament could deliver a musical production worthy of the occasion.
With Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber, Shakira, Burna Boy and Gustavo Dudamel on the bill, there was no shortage of star power. What the show needed was the coherence, pace and professionalism missing from much of the tournament’s earlier entertainment.
Madonna opened with Music, the title track from her 2000 album, entering from the stadium tunnel before being escorted towards the field by Brazilian football greats Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
The performance was in line with her recent turn to nostalgia. There was nothing transgressive here, unlike her imperious performance at the 2012 Super Bowl half-time show, when Madonna arrived on a throne carried by an army of gladiators.
Instead, she essentially recreated a scene from the Music video, complete with her dancing in a club while wearing a cowboy hat and sequined outfit. It was refreshing because she seemed humbled by the occasion, taking the opportunity to simply deliver the song rather than trying to own the event.
Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel followed, conducting an orchestral rendition of The White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army alongside members of the Muppets as a backup band.
The song has become the equivalent of Beethoven’s 5th in the sporting arena, with its instantly recognisable riff chanted by supporters around the world.
It was an effective segue into Korean group BTS, who delivered the biggest dance spectacle of the show.
Dressed in red and black and surrounded by more than two dozen dancers, the group performed Dynamite with expert choreography and the kind of super-slick precision expected of them.
Actor Jason Sudeikis recreated his star-making turn as Apple TV football coach Ted Lasso, alongside Brendan Hunt as Coach Beard, then introduced Justin Bieber with a nod to the character. Bieber performed Everything Hallelujah on guitar before changing the final line to “World Cup Hallelujah”.
It was a lovely moment, capturing some of the homespun quality of Bieber’s Coachella performance and offering a fine reminder of the talent behind the headlines.
Shakira and Burna Boy returned to Dai Dai, the official tournament song.
The song fell flat when it was first performed at the opening ceremony in Mexico. Shakira appeared tense, almost like a deer caught in the headlights, while the performance around her lacked the energy required to sell a tournament anthem on such a large stage.
This second attempt was markedly better. Burna Boy was more engaging, while Shakira, ever the professional, appeared relaxed and in command.
It was still a pity that the show gave us yet another rendition of Dai Dai. We understand that it is the official tournament theme, but the song had already been heard a million times by then.
Chris Martin, Shakira, the Muppets and a children’s chorus closed the show with We Believe, as the field display formed the word “Love”.
Martin’s presence in the background was no accident. As the show’s curator, he shaped a production whose Technicolour palette and globe imagery often resembled an extension of Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres tour.
But that was not a bad thing as the half-time show finally delivered the professionalism and slickness the tournament deserved.
