Other than the actual game, one of the things that people look forward to the most about the Super Bowl is the halftime show. Just before this past Thanksgiving, it was announced that Katy Perry would take on the task of performing during Super Bowl halftime. I, myself, am completely indifferent towards the singer, but I’m sure all of her fans (Katy Cats, I think they’re called) were thrilled at the announcement. I wasn’t planning on watching the Super Bowl this year, but curiosity got in the way, and so I tuned in just before halftime to see what Katy Perry came up with.

Katy Perry caught the audience’s attention as soon as she stepped onto the field riding a metallic lion, appropriately leading her set list with one of her many number one hits, “Roar,” leading it up with another single from her album Prism, “Dark Horse.” She then  performed her infamous debut single, “I Kissed A Girl,” with special guest, Lenny Kravitz. She quickly transitioned from the metallic and futuristic vibe to a psychedelic and surreal one with back to back performances of “Teenage Dream” and “California Gurls.” With these two songs, the stage was adorned with a beach set and dancing beach balls and sharks, both of which bewildered every audience member both in the arena and the millions watching at home. Katy’s surprises didn’t stop at Lenny Kravitz or the dancing objects, though. Now having the audience’s full attention, Perry took it back to the early 2000’s and introduced her final special guest, Missy Elliot, and performed a medley of her biggest hits, including “Get Ur Freak On.” Finally, Katy ended her setlist, soaring over the entire stadium on a shooting star, performing “Firework,” as fireworks went off all over the arena.

Katy’s biggest strength out of the entire performance was captivating the audience with authentic feats, displaying true dancing and vocal ability combined with enthusiasm and creativity throughout her show. In the midst of media speculation of her ongoing feud with Taylor Swift, Perry had optimal opportunity to garner more media attention with that catapult, especially with circulating rumors that she was apparently set to “diss” Swift in her grand performance. However, she showed her true integrity by instead choosing to gain the audience’s attention with pure entertainment through her ingenuity.

Overall, Katy gave a good performance. It was entertaining enough to sit through, yet didn’t contain the unnecessary shock value to stir a whole lot of controversy. Perry maintained her class-act stature and dedicated the entire performance to the music and integrity of her music without it getting too out of hand. While some elements of the show borderlined on gimmicky (remember the dancing sharks and beach balls?), the performance was thrilling, fun, and most of all, a true teenage dream.