A breakdown of the bizarre performances from Madonna, BTS, Shakira and more
Today’s World Cup Final offered the game’s first ever half-time show and hopefully the last.
After a tense first half, the audience was treated to the dream of a record half-time performance of 27 minutes and 22 seconds to ease the tension. But this wasn’t a Super Bowl-level fantasy.
Madonna opened the show singing her hit song Music From an underground skating rink inside a car driven by Brazilian legends Ronaldinho and Ronaldo. Before he could even make a joke about his sweatpants, the action broke out elsewhere.
Then there was a sudden transition to the Muppets when composer Gustavo Dudamel produced the White Stripes’ iconic work. Seven Nation Army. It must have made Jack White turn in his grave (because he’s probably sleeping in a coffin).
K-pop icons BTS, dressed all in red, hit it big Dynamitebefore being interrupted by them Ted Lasso Starring Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt, Hillsong priest Justin Bieber and those who experience quiet relaxation with his acoustic guitar. Everything is thankful.
Colombian star Shakira added appropriate energy to the World Cup with her performance. Dai Dai With Burna Boy. What would FIFA do without Shakira? Probably a show full of Muppets.
Before the match, Tom Cruise dressed as a back-field roadie and delivered a rousing speech in the middle of the field like football’s Gandalf.
“Football is a language spoken without words, a force that unites people, turning strangers into friends,” he said, before announcing today’s teams – “Espana and Argentina” – with all the cultural respect of an SBS commentator.
Post Malone also performed his new song while wearing a cowboy hat and the tightest Canadian tuxedo you’ve ever seen. Chrome HeartbreakerReturning to rap roots after going country before bringing out Swae Lee for Spiderverse hit sunflowers.
Star players including Will Ferrell, Pharrell Williams, Adrien Brody, Matt Damon (with his Argentinian wife Luciana Barroso), Spain’s Trevor Noah and San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama were in the stands.
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Robert Moran is deputy Spectrum editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
