Charlie Puth set the tone for Super Bowl LX with a piano rendition of the U.S. national anthem, and while the moment drew applause inside Levi’s Stadium, it also sparked a wave of mixed reactions online as fans weighed in on his performance.
Before the New England Patriots or the Seattle Seahawks took the field, the singer opened the evening by accompanying himself on the electric piano, delivering a performance that was both spare and moving.
Puth started softly, gradually increasing the intensity before his voice rose on the “rocket red glare” line, joined by a choir as joint Navy and Air Force planes flew overhead to close the pregame spectacle.
As the final note sounded, he raised his arms and waved to the crowd, visibly absorbed in the moment.
Puth’s performance was part of a star-studded pre-show lineup that also included Coco Jones with Lift every voice and singBrandi Carlile performing America the BeautifulAnd Green Day.
Bad Bunny headlined the Apple Music Super Bowl LX halftime show later that night.
Before the match, Puth explained how seriously he took this moment.
“I think the best way for me to approach this specifically is for the arrangement to be all about me,” he said in a recent conversation with Apple MusicIt’s Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden.
“I’m always reverse engineering how I hear my own music in my head, and then it’s just a matter of taking it apart and making it into a workable product to keep. I’ve been rehearsing this in my head for months, if that makes sense.”
His appearance was not without controversy even before kickoff. When some fans questioned whether it was the right choice for such an iconic slot, one X user compared it unfavorably to Whitney Houston’s legendary 1991 performance.
Puth responded directly, writing: “I will never claim to be as good a singer as Whitney Houston ever was. But I assure you that we are preparing a truly special arrangement – in D major. It will be one of my best vocal performances.”
Fan Reaction to Charlie Puth’s Super Bowl LX Performance
Once the anthem was broadcast, social media quickly filled with reactions.
On the Reddit music forum, opinions were divided.
One listener wrote: “The performance itself was fantastic, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the arrangement. A little cheesy.”
Another commented: “Sounded like a Christmas carol,” while someone else added: “Got the vibe of a Disney song.” »
Questions about vocal effects dominated much of the discussion.
One user said: “I don’t know, to me it sounded very automatic and pre-recorded…” while another echoed the sentiment saying: “You could literally hear it go off when it went off the rails.” Very off-putting. »
One disappointed fan asked: “Why did he use the autotune feature?? He sounds so much better without it.”
Others rushed to his defense.
“Not to be that girl, but of all the people who don’t need auto-tune, it’s Charlie,” one commenter wrote.
“This man is a musical genius and his pitch is perfect.” Another added: “You’ve never heard him live? Dude has an internal autotune that God gave him.”
Praise also poured in from fans who loved the moment, with one writing: “That was easily one of the best renditions I’ve ever heard,” and another simply posting: “Bro absolutely cooked.”
On the popculture forum, the tone was more favorable.
One fan urged critics to relax, writing: “He was great. Stop hating things.”
Another insisted: “His voice was wonderful and he didn’t lip sync,” while a third pointed out: “His voice really seemed to have an effect on it, so it sounds like his albums. Now you can do some of the effects live.”
The performance of the anthem comes as Puth continues the rollout of his upcoming fourth album, Everything that’s smartscheduled for release on March 27.
Talk to The Hollywood Reporter last year, he hinted at a new chapter in his music, saying: “I can’t say when, but I plan on releasing music soon. And when it comes out, I feel like a lot of question marks will be answered… Life for me is a lot different than it was 10 years ago when Just one call Or We will see each other again is out, so there are things to say.
Whether considered emotional or overproduced, Charlie Puth’s Super Bowl LX anthem clearly struck a chord, sparking debate, praise and criticism in equal measure as fans across the Internet shared their reactions in real time.
