Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. TOTOTO The World Cup final offered the game’s first and, hopefully, last halftime show. After a nerve-wracking first half, spectators had the fever dream of a halftime performance (which lasted a record 27 minutes and 22
The World Cup final offered the game’s first and, hopefully, last halftime show.
After a nerve-wracking first half, spectators had the fever dream of a halftime performance (which lasted a record 27 minutes and 22 seconds) to ease the tension. But this was not a Super Bowl-level spectacle.
Madonna opened the show singing her hit. Music from an underground skating rink, in a car driven by Brazilian legends Ronaldinho and Ronaldo. Before you could even make a joke about his tracksuits, the action moved elsewhere.
Then there was a sudden shift to the Muppets, with composer Gustavo Dudamel performing the iconic White Stripes song. Seven Nations Army. He must have had Jack White turning in his grave (because he probably sleeps in a coffin).
K-pop icons BTS, all dressed in red, put on their smash Dynamitebefore they were interrupted by Ted Lasso stars Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt, who replaced edgy Hillsong priest Justin Bieber and his acoustic guitar for a laid-back vibe. All Hallelujah.
Colombian star Shakira brought the appropriate energy for the World Cup by performing the tournament anthem. dai dai with Burna Boy. What would FIFA do without Shakira? Probably quite a show with the Muppets.
Before the game, Tom Cruise, dressed as a roadie backstage, gave a rousing speech from midfield as if he were the Gandalf of football.
“Football is a language spoken without words, a force that unites people, that turns strangers into friends,” he said, before announcing the teams – “Spain and Argentina” – with all the cultural respect of an SBS commentator.
Post Malone also showed up in a cowboy hat and the tightest Canadian tuxedo you’ll ever see, performing his new song. Chrome Heartbreakera return to his rap roots after moving into country, before featuring Swae Lee for the hit Spiderverse. Sunflowers.
It all made as much sense as the phrase “New York, New Jersey.” Let’s never visit this again.
Notable figures such as Will Ferrell, Pharrell Williams, Adrien Brody, Matt Damon (with his Argentine wife Luciana Barroso), Trevor Noah in a Spain jersey and San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama were seen in the stands at the game.
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Robert Moran is Spectrum deputy editor at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect by email.From our partners
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