Flying? ‘Bad Romance’? What to Expect From Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl Halftime Show

http://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/03/arts/music/lady-gaga-super-bowl-halftime-what-to-expect.html

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Speculation about what will happen when Lady Gaga takes the stage as the main performer at the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday has been furious: Has the N.F.L. asked her to avoid talking politics? Will Beyoncé join her onstage? Will she cut a hole in Houston’s NRG Stadium and fly in through the roof?

(Answer to the last rumor: Probably not. The stadium’s roof is retractable).

As our chief pop critic, Jon Pareles, points out, in recent years the N.F.L. has turned to female pop stars to turn out big halftime spectacles, but Lady Gaga — who has flirted with arena-rock ambitions in the past — could bring a bit of rock ’n’ roll back to the proceedings. What we know for sure is that the 30-year-old entertainer will be singing and dancing for 12 minutes before an audience of more than 100 million. What else might happen? Here’s a rundown:

It’s an open question what songs Lady Gaga will perform on Sunday, but a series of behind-the-scenes teasers released by Pepsi feature music from two “Joanne” songs — “A-YO” and “Perfect Illusion” — and her 2009 song “Bad Romance,” a good suggestion that they’ll appear in her Sunday medley. Her biggest songs outside of those tracks are her No. 1 hits: “Born This Way,” “Poker Face” and “Just Dance.”

Last month, ET reported that an anonymous source claimed the N.F.L. had told Gaga, who was a vocal Hillary Clinton supporter during the presidential campaign, that she couldn’t get political during her halftime performance (the N.F.L. denied the reports). The singer glancingly addressed the issue in a news conference in Houston this week. “The only statements that I’ll be making during the halftime show are the ones that I’ve been consistently making throughout my career,” she said. “I believe in a passion for inclusion. I believe in the spirit of equality, and that the spirit of this country is one of love and compassion and kindness.” If “Born This Way” — a song about gay rights — does make the set list, Gaga might be able to get politics into the show after all.

Rumors have swirled about the pop singer’s plans to drop into the arena from the roof. In an appearance on the radio show Karson & Kennedy, Gaga appeared to confirm them, saying her sister had dreamed up the idea of her hovering above the stadium floor: “My sister was like, ‘I know, let’s suspend you in the air,’” she told the show’s hosts. She did not elaborate on the plans.

The 90-year-old balladeer will introduce Gaga in a video at her concert, according to a tweet sent by Gaga. The pair collaborated on the 2014 album, “Cheek to Cheek,” which revamps jazz standards by Gershwin, Porter and Irving Berlin. Mr. Bennett wished Lady Gaga good luck on Twitter on Thursday.

The jewelry retailer Tiffany said on Tuesday that Gaga would star in an advertisement for the company that would air just before she goes onstage.

Mr. Jackson, who has been Gaga’s choreographer and “visual director” for several years (he’s worked on everything from “Paparazzi” to “Just Dance”), has been vocal on Twitter about his excitement for the set.

“Watching Michael Jackson do the halftime show is one of the fondest memories that I have,” Lady Gaga said this week, adding, “You watch him go onstage and you can see that he’s getting his head into the zone and he’s having a true defining moment about what it must feel like to be a champion.”

This week Lady Gaga posted a photograph of herself on Instagram with a caption that said, “Houston, you are beautiful,” and included a bee icon. Scores of users interpreted the sign as a reference to the Queen Bee: Beyoncé, a Houston native, two-time halftime performer and Lady Gaga collaborator (most famously on “Telephone”). So, will Beyoncé be there? At her news conference, Gaga wouldn’t say, but considering Bey just announced she’s carrying twins and has a big night at the Grammys in a week, it doesn’t seem likely.