Adam Levine has responded to critics of Maroon 5’s Super Bowl performance, which many have called the ‘worst ever’.
The band followed in the footsteps of many iconic musicians when they took to the stage for last night’s Super Bowl halftime show; a gig many consider one of the most prestigious of a musician’s career.
For Maroon 5, it could potentially have been the most damaging.
The band was already under scrutiny by many for signing up to perform in the first place, as many celebrities and members of the public boycotted the game in support of Colin Kaepernick, an NFL footballer who finds himself without a team after kneeling during the national anthem as a symbol of protest against racial injustice in America.
Cardi B and, according to Rolling Stone, Rihanna were among the celebrities who turned down the huge show, although rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi opted to join Maroon 5 on stage.
Maroon 5’s performance was met by a mass of unimpressed viewers – not to mention Nickelodeon fans who were ready to hear a SpongeBob SquarePants’ Sweet Victory in the set, only to be greeted by a brief clip from the show.
The devastating turn of events was, in my boyfriend’s words, ‘the biggest betrayal of this generation’.
Many people took to social media to share their opinions of the show:
Some said the experience lasted ‘too long’ and others said the show was ‘rough’ and even ‘boring’, reviews which I’m sure the production team in charge were gutted to hear after splashing all out.
Despite the poor reviews, the band’s frontman took to Instagram after the show to reflect on his time on stage, and hold his head high against the critics.
Sharing a picture from the performance, Levine wrote:
When we accepted the responsibility to perform at the SBHTS, I took out my pen and just wrote. Some of the words that came to me in that moment eventually made their way onto the incredible lanterns that flew high and low tonight.
We thank the universe for this historic opportunity to play on the world’s biggest stage. We thank our fans for making our dreams possible. And we thank our critics for always pushing us to do better. One Love.
While the reviews probably aren’t what Maroon 5 hoped to hear, at least they’ve taken the pressure off whoever performs next year!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.