Between Adam Levine's nipply dad-dancing, and Big Boi's fur coat, the internet was ablaze
over the pair's lackluster performance during their halftime show collab.
And what about that Spongebob snub?
Log on and enjoy, because the keyboards got hot during halftime at Super Bowl LIII.
Rainning on the parade
Actor Rainn Wilson, best known as Dwight Schrute from The Office, reacted to the Super Bowl
halftime show with three simple words: "Maroon 5 hours."
His tweet quickly gained thousands of likes, highlighting just how many people felt that
the band were on the stage for way too long.
Not only was Maroon 5's set list super safe with older hits like "She Will Be Loved" and
"Moves Like Jagger,” but it seemed to go on forever.
One user suggested that Maroon 5 had actually "been around like 15 years too long."
Levine chose to ignore the backlash when he took to Instagram after the event, instead
discussing the "responsibility" that comes with performing at the Super Bowl.
The frontman wrote:
"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."
Lebron wanted more Travis Scott
Giving so much time to Maroon 5 meant that the other acts on the bill had precious little
to work with.
Rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi also performed, but they were more like guests at a Maroon
5 show, something that didn't go over too well on Twitter.
One disappointed viewer tweeted: "Needed more Travis Scott and Big Boi.
Maroon 5 is outdated."
In the end, all Scott did was emerge from a bizarre fireball display to perform a version
of "Sicko Mode" before crowd surfing away.
Some viewers expected him to return, including NBA star LeBron James.
After Scott disappeared from the stage, James tweeted: "Soooooooo…
This halftime show though.
That's all for Travis or nah?!"
That Target tank top
If you were following along on Twitter during the game’s halftime show, you may have noticed
several photos of pillows popping up among the hashtags.
In case you didn’t notice, the tank top Levine wore during part of the halftime show
bore a striking resemblance to similarly patterned pillows, which can apparently be bought with
matching curtains.
"We’re telling you, as two stylists, your clothes look cheap."
Jenni Chilton Dodson told the Huffington Post that she bought her pillows about five years
ago when they were still in style, saying:
"That pattern was apparently very popular at one time.
It had just [came] out of my mouth that his shirt was the ugliest thing I had ever seen,
and then I glanced at my couch…
We just about died laughing!"
Unfortunately, or fortunately, it appears that those tank top curtains are no longer
as popular as they once were.
Quick, someone tell Adam Levine!
Tattoo taboo
Things didn't get much better for Levine as the show went on.
The singer eventually removed his shirt, and according to comedian Elijah Daniel, looked
"like an uncle at thanksgiving when Kid Rock comes on."
The singer's torso is almost fully covered in tattoos, but his ink didn't exactly impress
Twitter users.
TV writer Matt Oswalt tweeted, "Are all of Adam Levine's tattoos inspired by stuff he
sees while shopping at Hot Topic?"
MSNBC LIVE anchor Stephanie Ruhle suggested that he had the worst tattoos in show business,
asking, "Is anyone happier than Ben Affleck right now?
He no longer has the worst famous guy tattoos of all time.
Thanks Adam Levine.”
Ruhle was of course referring to the A-List actor's infamous (and very real) giant phoenix
tattoo, which he once swore was fake.
"The tat on your back: real, or fake for a movie?"
"Fake for a movie."
Think before you ink, kids!
Two parts of Levine's torso that aren't covered in tattoos, which were on
full show by the end of his set.
Countless viewers saw this as a clear double standard, seeing as Janet Jackson was heavily
criticized after one of her breasts was accidentally exposed during her 2004 halftime performance
with Justin Timberlake.
The NSYNC frontman once said of the famous wardrobe malfunction:
"I think the ensuing backlash was tough on both Janet and me.”
However, there's been no such backlash over Levine showing flesh.
Comedian Aisha Tyler tweeted, "Why is it okay to see Adam Levine's boobs and not Janet Jackson's?
Asking for a friend."
The Emmy-nominated talk show host wasn't the only media personality to dub the situation
hypocritical, with ESPN host Katie Nolan tweeting that, "Super Bowl halftime rules feel
inconsistent."
Moves like Jagger?
The Maroon 5 singer's dancing was the topic of much discussion in the Twittersphere, with
users comparing Levine to everyone from Napoleon Dynamite to Michael Scott.
"Dancing!
It is a primal art form used in ancient times to express yourself with the body!"
Stephanie McNeal of BuzzFeed News was reminded of Rick Astley in his video for "Never Gonna
Give You Up" while watching Levine bust a move to Travis Scott's "Sicko Mode".
An Atlantic writer tweeted that the Maroon 5 man looked like "a human Hollister cologne."
The general consensus was that Levine lacked the cool factor, and being in the company
of Scott and Atlanta legend Big Boi only served to highlight that.
Even former football pros couldn't help but poke fun at the contrast.
Retired tight end Martellus Bennet tweeted: "They invited Adam Levine to the barbecue,
and it's not going as planned.
He brought the potato salad with raisins in it."
No Kaepernick shoutouts
Given the situation with Colin Kaepernick, many hoped that one of the performers would
pay tribute to him in some small way, especially those in the same profession.
Retired NFL nose tackle Ian Williams took to Twitter to express his disappointment when
nobody saw fit to mention Kaepernick's name, saying, "So no shoutouts to Kaepernick during
the Super Bowl halftime show???
I was hoping to see something."
Pro soccer player Bilal Duckett noticed Williams' comment and got in on the conversation, revealing
that he thought Atlanta's finest would come through on the day.
Duckett tweeted: "I really hoped Big Boi would step out with SOME message.”
Marching band madness
Many Twitter users were quick to pick up on the fact that the drumline used during the
halftime show was comprised of mainly white faces.
Complex reported:
"The move was particularly disrespectful given the Super Bowl is being hosted in Atlanta,
a city with some of the best historically black colleges and universities… in the
country.”
Another angered user tweeted: “The NFL wanted to tout Atlanta's rich civil rights history
but couldn't have an HBCU dry line up there?”
But perhaps the most famous person to weigh in on the topic so far is Donnie Wahlberg.
The singer tweeted: "It's Black History Month, the Super Bowl is in Atlanta, home of multiple
Historic Black Colleges and HBCU marching bands.
And the halftime show features…
A white headline act?
A mostly white marching band?
And a white man's nipples?
WTF?"
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about your favorite stuff are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.