Brow Beat

Watch Beyoncé Seamlessly Blend Activism and Swag in Her Super Bowl Halftime Performance

Beyoncé.
Beyoncé brings “Formation” to the Super Bowl.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Twenty-four hours after Beyoncé surprise-released her new single “Formation,” our greatest living pop star took the stage to give the song its live debut on music’s biggest stage. Beyoncé had a lot to live up to after giving one of the all-time great halftime performances in 2013, but she sidestepped expectations by going in a slightly different direction, and bringing her #BlackLivesMatter-inspired single to television’s most-watched event.

It’s no secret that Beyoncé is an electrifying live performer, with an almost superhuman ability to blend  live vocals with flawless choreography, and she’s used performances to make profound political statements before. But while the performance wasn’t as explicitly political as the video (which includes such unambiguous statements as a bit of graffiti reading “Stop shooting us”), make no mistake that it was, in all its unapologetic blackness (Beyoncé’s Michael Jackson-inspired gold bandolier was an especially nice touch), no less a statement.

Coldplay also performed.

Update, Feb. 7, 2016, 9:30 p.m.: In the minutes following her performance, Beyoncé also announced a new world tour, with tickets going on sale next week. Watch a teaser below.

The complete list of dates, via Pitchfork:

04-27 Miami, FL - Marlins Park
04-29 Tampa Bay, FL - Raymond James Stadium
05-01 Atlanta, GA - Georgia Dome
05-03 Raleigh, NC - Carter-Finley Stadium
05-05 Nashville, TN - Nissan Stadium
05-07 Houston, TX - NRG Stadium
05-09 Dallas, TX - AT&T Stadium
05-12 San Diego, CA - Qualcomm Stadium
05-14 Los Angeles, CA - Rose Bowl
05-16 Santa Clara, CA - Levi’s Stadium
05-18 Seattle, WA - CenturyLink Field
05-20 Edmonton, Alberta - Commonwealth Stadium
05-23 Minneapolis, MN - TCF Bank Stadium
05-25 Toronto, Ontario - Rogers Centre
05-27 Chicago, IL - Soldier Field
05-29 Detroit, MI - Ford Field
05-31 Pittsburgh, PA - Heinz Field
06-03 Boston, MA - Gillette Stadium
06-05 Philadelphia, PA - Lincoln Financial Field
06-07 New York, NY - Citi Field
06-10 Baltimore, MD - M&T Bank Stadium
06-12 Hershey, PA - Hersheypark Stadium
06-28 Sunderland, England - Stadium of Light
06-30 Cardiff, England - Millennium Stadium
07-02 London, England - Wembley Stadium
07-05 Manchester, England - Emirates Old Trafford
07-07 Glasgow, Scotland - Hampden Park
07-09 Dublin, Ireland - Croke Park
07-12 Dusseldorf, Germany - Esprit Arena
07-14 Zurich, Switzerland - Letzigrund
07-16 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Arena
07-18 Milan, Italy - Stadio San Siro
07-21 Paris, France - Stade de France
07-24 Copenhagen, Denmark - Parken
07-26 Stockholm, Sweden - Friends Arena
07-29 Frankfurt, Germany - Gommerzbank Arena
07-31 Brussels, Belgium - Roi Boudoin

Read more in Slate: