As soon as Beyonce Knowles was seen posing below a huge fire-lit silhouette of herself, before stalking out onstage catwalk style, it was clear the Super Bowl XLVII half-time show was less about musical quality than about visual effects.
In a performance that highlighted the greatest hits from her musical career, Beyonce Knowles also included some of her oldest friends when both Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams joined her on stage in a small reunion of their former sensational group, Destiny's Child.
With her Destiny's Child ladies! The pop singer stormed the stage in a stunning leather outfit — no pants — and impossibly high boots to kick off the show, starting off the medley with her hit 'Crazy in Love.'
Superstar singer gave a breathless rendition of her greatest hits - defying her critics in the wake of her lip-synch at the Inauguration. Hundreds of thousands of people party through the day in New Orleans and its historic French Quarter.
Launching the show with a strong performance of 'Crazy in Love' complete with a guitar flaming as it played out its solo, Beyonce proved her doubters wrong by singing live one week after the controversy over her lip-synching at the Presidential Inauguration.
Somehow she managed to shake it and sing with the other leather-clad backup dancers on the stage through most of the performance. There was actually more dancing than singing for the first few minutes. No one complained, though. Beyonce looked and sounded phenomenal!
Pop star Beyonce Knowles showed off her super long legs and fit figure in a leather getup just over a year after giving birth to her first child, daughter Blue Ivy. Her long hair was curly and sweaty, which made for awesome hair in the air.
Beyonce Knowles gave a sneak peek into tonight's big show when she quieted critics by belting out an impromptu performance of the national anthem during a press conference in New Orleans earlier this week.
In fact the special effects – Beyonce Knowles and her dancers performed on top of a stage or in front of a screen both of which became huge video screens filled with technological fireworks – made the show hugely entertaining. What it lacked in spontaneity it made up for in pizazz. Beyonce Knowles knows how to fill a stadium and she easily filled the Mercedes Benz Superdome.
It's an exciting time for Beyonce Knowles leading up to tonight's big show — check out her road to the Super Bowl.
Beyonce Knowles half-time Super Bowl show photos:
