Lady Gaga Dedicates Her Super Bowl Halftime Concert 'For Everyone'
HOUSTON (AP) — Lady Gaga said she hopes her Super Bowl halftime show will celebrate "inclusion" and the "spirit of equality" during a time of national division.
"This performance is for everyone. I want to, more than anything, create a moment that everyone that's watching will never forget," she said in a press conference Thursday.
Lady Gaga wouldn't reveal what songs she would sing, how many costumes she'll wear or any staging details, but promised a "tremendously athletic" show and no reappearance of her infamous meat dress.
The 13-minute concert will also feature an appearance by Tony Bennett, who Lady Gaga called a "tremendously wise man." Lady Gaga and Bennett recorded the 2014 album of duets, "Cheek to Cheek."
In addition to Lady Gaga, three original cast members of the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit "Hamilton" will sing "America the Beautiful" during pregame festivities and Luke Bryan will perform the national anthem.
The showdown between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons airs Sunday on Fox. Lady Gaga, who admitted many of her relatives are Pittsburgh Steelers fans, wouldn't reveal who she's rooting for. "I'm going to keep that one to myself," she said.
The six-time Grammy Award-winner, whose hits include "Poker Face" and "Born This Way," said she considers being asked to be the halftime headliner is due to her fans, affectionately known as "little monsters."
"Essentially, that kid that couldn't get a seat at the cool kids table and that kid who was kicked out of the house because his mom and dad didn't accept him for who he was? That kid is going to have the stage for 13 minutes," she said. "And I'm excited to give it to them."
It's the first Super Bowl in Houston since Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction." Lady Gaga said no such mistakes will happen on Sunday and she's been training with her dancers for weeks. "Everything is going to be nice and tight," she said. "I wouldn't worry about that."
