Lady Gaga lights up Super Bowl, sends subtle political message

Steering clear of direct dig at Trump, pop star opens with ‘This land is your land,’ offering inclusive theme; ads also highlight inclusion, multiculturalism

  • Singer Lady Gaga performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl LI at NGR Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Timothy A. CLARY
    Singer Lady Gaga performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl LI at NGR Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Timothy A. CLARY
  • Singer Lady Gaga performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LI Halftime Show at Houston NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, February 5, 2017.  (AFP/ VALERIE MACON)
    Singer Lady Gaga performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LI Halftime Show at Houston NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, February 5, 2017. (AFP/ VALERIE MACON)
  • Singer Lady Gaga performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LI Halftime Show at Houston NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, February 5, 2017.  AFP/ VALERIE MACON)
    Singer Lady Gaga performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LI Halftime Show at Houston NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, February 5, 2017. AFP/ VALERIE MACON)
  • Musician Lady Gaga performs onstage during the Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl LI Halftime Show at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas.   Christopher Polk/Getty Images/AFP)
    Musician Lady Gaga performs onstage during the Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl LI Halftime Show at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Christopher Polk/Getty Images/AFP)
  • Lady Gaga performs during the Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl 51 Halftime Show at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP)
    Lady Gaga performs during the Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl 51 Halftime Show at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP)

HOUSTON — Lady Gaga dazzled the Super Bowl with a high-tech, tightly choreographed celebration of American diversity and unity as she chose the power of show business over direct provocation.

Performing at the halftime show of American football’s title match — generally the most watched US television event of the year — Lady Gaga turned the stadium in Houston into a sea of lights as she let hundreds of drones into the sky.

Before the performance, all eyes were on Lady Gaga to see whether she would use the platform to rip into President Donald Trump at a tense time in US politics.

Even with Vice President Mike Pence in attendance, Gaga — a sworn foe of Trump — kept with the game’s guidelines to steer clear of overt politics.

https://youtu.be/Gqn-jOMnTt8

Instead the singer, known for her audacious outfits, delivered what by her account could be a subtle message.

She opened with “This Land is Your Land,” the anthem by leftist folk legend Woody Guthrie that has come to be seen as an alternative national anthem for the United States.

Gaga was backed up by an upbeat, ethnically diverse cast of dancers, who at one point joined in a group hug. At other points dancers performed reverse somersaults and hoisted her onto a disco-like walkway.

“How are you doing tonight, Texas? How are you doing tonight, America?” Gaga asked.

“We’re here to make you feel good,” she said. Gaga played a medley of her hits including “Born This Way,” an anthem of inclusion in which she speaks of acceptance of people regardless of ethnicity or sexual orientation.

Super Bowl performances are rarely directly provocative, although last year Beyonce startled many by playing her single “Formation.” Its video had a message against police brutality.

Ads spotlight inclusion, steer clear of overtly political

Home-sharing giant Airbnb injected a surprise political message during the Super Bowl with a television spot highlighting multiculturalism and the hashtag #WeAccept.

While the American football championship normally frowns on overtly political ads, the subtle message from Airbnb came amid a heated debate followingTrump’s order to block the flow of immigrants and refugees into the United States.

The 30-second Airbnb spot shows a series of faces of people from different races, genders and ages with a running line of text saying “No matter who you are, where you’re from, who you love or who you worship, we all belong.”

https://youtu.be/5qUTYHnLz2g

The ad was among several apparently promoting tolerance and multiculturalism at a time of deep political polarization.

On Twitter, Airbnb founder and chief executive Brian Chesky also announced the group would donate $4 million over four years to the International Rescue Committee to assist refugees.

“Airbnb’s goal is to provide short term housing over the next five years for 100,000 people in need,” Chesky tweeted.

The ad, which was not revealed ahead of the game, prompted considerable reaction on Twitter.

“Great job airbnb executing a positive ad that draws people together & helps your brand. Acceptance starts with all of us,” one Twitter user wrote.

But another Twitter user responded, “All of these commercials pushing multiculturalism is propaganda to accept Muslim refugees that seek to invade.”

Trump’s January 27 decree prohibits entry to all refugees, regardless of nationality, for 120 days, and bars Syrian refugees indefinitely.

It also suspends the issuance of visas for 90 days to migrants or visitors from seven mainly Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

However the travel ban has been lifted temporarily following a federal district judge’s order that it be suspended nationwide on Friday.

The ad was among several which aimed to deliver a message. A separate spot from the home improvement retailer 84 Lumber showed the journey of a mother and daughter who appeared to be traveling in the Mexican desert seeking to reach the United States, and invited viewers to watch the full ad online.

On YouTube, the five-minute film described as “too controversial for TV” showed the pair arriving at a large wall, unable to cross.

The retailer had to revise its spot for television after it was rejected for being overtly political.

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