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The Weeknd‘s performance at the Super Bowl halftime show this weekend will be performed entirely live.
The Canadian artist, real name Abel Tesfaye, is this year’s guest performer during the much-hyped halftime show, which takes place during the main interval of the NFL showpiece game on Sunday (February 7).
In a new interview the show’s producer, Jesse Collins, said that everything in the show will be performed live despite fears that pre-recording may have been necessary to fit in line with COVID-19 protocols.
“It’s all happening in that stadium, in that moment,” Collins told Entertainment Tonight. “We’re not bouncing off to another stadium and then cutting in, like some people have had to do (before). We are fortunate enough in this situation that we are able to do a live, live show.
I’d like to thank @deoncole for letting me borrow his plum suit for this interview with @KevinFrazier!
Thanks Kevin, @etnow @theweeknd @RocNation @NFL #SuperBowl #jce pic.twitter.com/saNrgpufuJ
— Jesse Collins Ent. (@JesseCollinsEnt) January 26, 2021
“It’s gotta be about entertainment from a truthful perspective. Get away from the massive sets, all the hoopla, the flying this and that. And get to the core of what makes an artist special.”
Discussing what to expect from the show, Collins added: “I think there’s a lot of stuff happening in the show that people aren’t going to expect. It’s just going to be fun. It’s so perfect.”
“We started creating this thing back in September, and the message of it really worked out. The world worked out for the message that The Weeknd wants to communicate in this performance… It’s definitely a very special show.”
Last week, it was revealed that The Weeknd has put up $7million (£5.1million) of his own money for his Super Bowl halftime show performance.
All usual production costs for the upcoming halftime performance, which will last for 12-13 minutes, were covered by Super Bowl organisers, but Tesfaye voluntarily added $7million of his own money to “make this halftime show be what he envisioned”.
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