Reflections on the World Cup Halftime Show

I’ve been mulling over the halftime show at the World Cup final. Honestly, it was something you just had to experience for yourself. It felt bizarre, almost like a fever dream—strange enough that I find myself both impressed and perplexed by how many folks thought it was a solid idea.

So, I shared my take on the halftime show with a few friends who, let’s just say, aren’t really into football.

Now, diving deeper into this—picture this: Madonna appearing from a mirror ball amidst roller skaters and then hopping into a dune buggy driven by none other than Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Poor Ronaldo looked so stiff behind the wheel, flashing a smile that, honestly, felt forced. He seemed totally tense until he was finally off-screen.

Madonna represented the American vibe of the halftime show, which is kind of significant. I’ll circle back on that.

Then we had Gustavo Dudamel leading the New York Philharmonic, with the Muppets performing “Seven Nation Army.” It brought a smile to my face—though I can’t quite explain why they chose that song, I didn’t mind; it was pretty amusing.

BTS brought their usual flair. Now, I’m a 41-year-old guy, and yeah, I have to admit my perspective on K-Pop is probably skewed by my 9-year-old’s obsession with it. Still, they put on an incredible performance. I mean, they, along with Blackpink, would make a fantastic choice for the Super Bowl halftime show.

Next came the Ted Lasso segment, which honestly made me ponder its impact outside the U.S. Sure, it’s got fans in the UK, but is it really reaching a worldwide audience? Otherwise, there could be some tension there. It felt a bit disjointed, which led us to Justin Bieber—representing Canada.

Now, Bieber’s never really been my cup of tea. I mean, it was fine. But I’ll admit, seeing a “BELIEBE” sign gave me a chuckle.

So now we have an American and a Canadian artist representing the hosts; it seemed only fitting to bring in someone from Mexico. Cue Shakira!

While I know Shakira is heavily involved with FIFA, she’s Colombian, not Mexican. It feels a bit off to just substitute one Latin artist for another. I get the whole “global” theme, but it struck me as odd to leave out Mexico entirely.

Shakira continued doing what she’s known for over the past two decades.

As we wrapped up, there was a heartwarming moment with a bunch of kids onstage, singing in front of millions of viewers. I could never pull that off myself.

The Muppets returned too, this time alongside Chris Martin and Coldplay in a take on Sesame Street. Technically, it was their segment, but Miss Piggy definitely didn’t get sidelined.

The overarching message of the show was all about global love. Honestly, I typically find that kind of thing a bit cringeworthy—but right now, it felt really necessary. It was chaotic yet fun, and although halftime shows might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it was a refreshing break. Still, the glaring issue was the absence of performers to showcase Mexico.