She blew the roof off! Lady Gaga electrifies the Super Bowl as she leaps from the top of the stadium in spectacular half-time show - before Tom Brady's Patriots clinch victory in dramatic finale(photos)
Tom Brady, pictured, engineered the Patriot's comeback who were 28-3 down approaching the third quarter of the game
Lady Gaga tore the roof off of NRG Stadium in Houston on Sunday with one of the greatest Super Bowl halftime shows in history and delivered not the barnstorming anti-Donald Trump protest some feared, but a subtle message of inclusion and unity.
From the outset, Gaga served notice this was no ordinary halftime show -- she began her performance from the lip of the stadium roof, an army of 300 drones forming a twinkling American flag in the sky. Then she took flight (literally) at the end of the pre-recorded sequence.
The singer, clad in a sparkling silver bodysuit and knee high boots, then appeared to leap from the edge the retractable roof onto the stage with the help of some sturdy wires -- and the performance was nonstop from there.
And although she didn't mention President Trump once, her performance was praised as 'incredible' by Ivanka Trump afterwards.
Fierce: Lady Gaga's Super Bowl half time show began with a rendition of This is Your Land and transformed into a barnstorming rendition of her greatest hits
Music speaks for itself: Her hit 'Born This Way' became a gay rights anthem but in the context of Sunday's show fit into the idea of accepting differences, a thread through much of the game's commercial messaging
Hell of a halftime show! Lady Gaga sang America The Beautiful from atop the stadium in Houston at the star of her Super Bowl 51 performance
Lady Gaga's (left and right) incredible Super Bowl halftime show, was due in part to Intel's fleet of 300 drones that helped create her dazzling performance. As the pop star opened up the show, hundreds of drones soared behind her and lit up to form the Star Spangled Banner
Ahead of the show, all eyes were on Lady Gaga to see whether she would use the platform to rip into President Donald Trump at a tense time in US politics.
Even with Vice President Mike Pence in attendance, Gaga -- a sworn foe of Trump -- kept with the game's guidelines to steer clear of overt politics.
Super Bowl performances are rarely directly provocative, although last year Beyonce startled many by playing her single 'Formation.' Its video had a message against police brutality.
Instead the singer, known for her audacious outfits, delivered what seemed to be a more subtle message.
'How are you doing tonight, Texas? How are you doing tonight, America?' Gaga asked.
'We're here to make you feel good,' she said.
Soaring down: Lady Gaga kicked off her Super Bowl halftime by appearing to jump off the roof of the NRG stadium in a pre-recorded segment and was then lowered down onto the stage
She then swung down from the roof to a stage suspended on cables and embarked on a meticulously choreographed 13-minute set of her greatest hits
Inferno: With just 13 minutes at her disposal, Gaga could not pull off many changes of costume and utilized pyrotechnics throughout her performance
Flaming success: The show was a tour de force of choreography with Lady Gaga and her dancers entertaining the crowd in Houston and tens of millions at home
On the field, the New England Patriots made the greatest ever comeback in Super Bowl history to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime.
The impressive fightback was engineered by New England's quarter back, Tom Brady, who won his fifth championship at the age of 39.
Since 2002 that Patriots have five Super Bowl wins in seven trips to the championship game.
Their victory on Sunday added another chapter to the Patriots legacy as Brady engineered a jaw-dropping comeback from a 28-3 third quarter deficit to steal the title and deny Atlanta a maiden Super Bowl.
Brady, pictured with the Vince Lombardi trophy, is the first quarterback to have won the super bowl five times
Brady shook hands with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell following the game moments after the unbelievable game
She opened with 'This Land is Your Land,' the anthem by leftist folk legend Woody Guthrie that has come to be seen as an alternative national anthem for the United States.
Gaga then mixed up her biggest songs -- from 'Let's Dance' and 'Poker Face' to 'Born This Way' -- an anthem of inclusion in which she speaks of acceptance of people regardless of ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Twitter lit up as she performed that second song in front of Vice President Mike Pence, which includes the line: 'No matter gay, straight or bi / Lesbian, transgendered life / I'm on the right track baby / I was born to survive.'
Setting the stage on fire: Lady Gaga performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl
True: The show was keeping with her recent theme of family connection but still had her trademark theatricality
Podium: She was backed up by an upbeat, ethnically diverse cast of dancers, who at one point joined in a group hug
Showstopper! Gaga promised she would do it 'her way' and she did as she launched into a 13 minute solo halftime show
Shining star: The 30-year-old donned a silver sequinned body suit with padded shoulders and long sleeves which she paired with knee-high matching silver boots
Pure pop: After she landed Lady Gaga launched into a medley of her greatest hits with inch perfect choreography throughout
Here us now: Once onstage, she commanded a large troupe of dancers and musicians, props that breathed fire and audience members swinging lights in synchronization
Dressed in a silver, sequined bodysuit and matching heeled boots, Gaga sang her dance hits 'Poker Face' and 'Born This Way'
Big deal: The Super Bowl half time show is so important that Las Vegas even set odds on what color Gaga's hair would be
On her feet and off: Lady Gaga performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston
Acrobatic: Lady Gaga is helped by one of her backup dancers during her energetic half time show at the Super Bowl on Sunday
Responsibility: This year's Super Bowl followed a fierce presidential election campaign that Trump won in November but which left the country at least as fractured afterwards as before it began
A million reasons: Gaga shouted out to her parents as she sang her recent ballad 'Million Reasons' and played the piano
All as one: The 72,000 crowd at the NRG Stadium in Houston all sway together as Lady Gaga sings her ballad a Million Reasons
The singer was then lowered into the stadium and down onto the field to perform a number of her classic hits including 'Poker Face' and 'Born This Way.'
This year's Super Bowl followed a fierce presidential election campaign which Trump won in November but which left the country at least as fractured afterwards as before it began. Trump was greeted with massive protests just after taking office on January 20, and his policy moves have sparked further protests and controversy in the first weeks of his presidency.
Ahead of her high-profile performance, watched by more than 100 million U.S. viewers, Gaga, 30, said in a post on the Instagram social media network that she planned to headline the slot entirely on her own, eschewing a tradition of halftime main acts bringing on special guests.
Expressing herself: The New York City born singer brought the house down with her sensational performance on Sunday night
The Super Bowl halftime show, with an audience usually topping 100 million, is easily the biggest show of an artist's career
From the outset, Gaga served notice this was no ordinary halftime show -- she began her performance from the lip of the stadium roof, an army of 300 drones forming a twinkling American flag in the sky. Then she took flight (literally) at the end of the pre-recorded sequence.
The singer, clad in a sparkling silver bodysuit and knee high boots, then appeared to leap from the edge the retractable roof onto the stage with the help of some sturdy wires -- and the performance was nonstop from there.
And although she didn't mention President Trump once, her performance was praised as 'incredible' by Ivanka Trump afterwards.
Fierce: Lady Gaga's Super Bowl half time show began with a rendition of This is Your Land and transformed into a barnstorming rendition of her greatest hits
Music speaks for itself: Her hit 'Born This Way' became a gay rights anthem but in the context of Sunday's show fit into the idea of accepting differences, a thread through much of the game's commercial messaging
Hell of a halftime show! Lady Gaga sang America The Beautiful from atop the stadium in Houston at the star of her Super Bowl 51 performance
Lady Gaga's (left and right) incredible Super Bowl halftime show, was due in part to Intel's fleet of 300 drones that helped create her dazzling performance. As the pop star opened up the show, hundreds of drones soared behind her and lit up to form the Star Spangled Banner
Ahead of the show, all eyes were on Lady Gaga to see whether she would use the platform to rip into President Donald Trump at a tense time in US politics.
Even with Vice President Mike Pence in attendance, Gaga -- a sworn foe of Trump -- kept with the game's guidelines to steer clear of overt politics.
Super Bowl performances are rarely directly provocative, although last year Beyonce startled many by playing her single 'Formation.' Its video had a message against police brutality.
Instead the singer, known for her audacious outfits, delivered what seemed to be a more subtle message.
'How are you doing tonight, Texas? How are you doing tonight, America?' Gaga asked.
'We're here to make you feel good,' she said.
Soaring down: Lady Gaga kicked off her Super Bowl halftime by appearing to jump off the roof of the NRG stadium in a pre-recorded segment and was then lowered down onto the stage
She then swung down from the roof to a stage suspended on cables and embarked on a meticulously choreographed 13-minute set of her greatest hits
Inferno: With just 13 minutes at her disposal, Gaga could not pull off many changes of costume and utilized pyrotechnics throughout her performance
Flaming success: The show was a tour de force of choreography with Lady Gaga and her dancers entertaining the crowd in Houston and tens of millions at home
On the field, the New England Patriots made the greatest ever comeback in Super Bowl history to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime.
The impressive fightback was engineered by New England's quarter back, Tom Brady, who won his fifth championship at the age of 39.
Since 2002 that Patriots have five Super Bowl wins in seven trips to the championship game.
Their victory on Sunday added another chapter to the Patriots legacy as Brady engineered a jaw-dropping comeback from a 28-3 third quarter deficit to steal the title and deny Atlanta a maiden Super Bowl.
Brady, pictured with the Vince Lombardi trophy, is the first quarterback to have won the super bowl five times
Brady shook hands with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell following the game moments after the unbelievable game
She opened with 'This Land is Your Land,' the anthem by leftist folk legend Woody Guthrie that has come to be seen as an alternative national anthem for the United States.
Gaga then mixed up her biggest songs -- from 'Let's Dance' and 'Poker Face' to 'Born This Way' -- an anthem of inclusion in which she speaks of acceptance of people regardless of ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Twitter lit up as she performed that second song in front of Vice President Mike Pence, which includes the line: 'No matter gay, straight or bi / Lesbian, transgendered life / I'm on the right track baby / I was born to survive.'
Setting the stage on fire: Lady Gaga performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl
True: The show was keeping with her recent theme of family connection but still had her trademark theatricality
Podium: She was backed up by an upbeat, ethnically diverse cast of dancers, who at one point joined in a group hug
Showstopper! Gaga promised she would do it 'her way' and she did as she launched into a 13 minute solo halftime show
Shining star: The 30-year-old donned a silver sequinned body suit with padded shoulders and long sleeves which she paired with knee-high matching silver boots
Pure pop: After she landed Lady Gaga launched into a medley of her greatest hits with inch perfect choreography throughout
Here us now: Once onstage, she commanded a large troupe of dancers and musicians, props that breathed fire and audience members swinging lights in synchronization
Dressed in a silver, sequined bodysuit and matching heeled boots, Gaga sang her dance hits 'Poker Face' and 'Born This Way'
Big deal: The Super Bowl half time show is so important that Las Vegas even set odds on what color Gaga's hair would be
On her feet and off: Lady Gaga performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston
Acrobatic: Lady Gaga is helped by one of her backup dancers during her energetic half time show at the Super Bowl on Sunday
Responsibility: This year's Super Bowl followed a fierce presidential election campaign that Trump won in November but which left the country at least as fractured afterwards as before it began
A million reasons: Gaga shouted out to her parents as she sang her recent ballad 'Million Reasons' and played the piano
All as one: The 72,000 crowd at the NRG Stadium in Houston all sway together as Lady Gaga sings her ballad a Million Reasons
The singer was then lowered into the stadium and down onto the field to perform a number of her classic hits including 'Poker Face' and 'Born This Way.'
This year's Super Bowl followed a fierce presidential election campaign which Trump won in November but which left the country at least as fractured afterwards as before it began. Trump was greeted with massive protests just after taking office on January 20, and his policy moves have sparked further protests and controversy in the first weeks of his presidency.
Ahead of her high-profile performance, watched by more than 100 million U.S. viewers, Gaga, 30, said in a post on the Instagram social media network that she planned to headline the slot entirely on her own, eschewing a tradition of halftime main acts bringing on special guests.
Expressing herself: The New York City born singer brought the house down with her sensational performance on Sunday night
The Super Bowl halftime show, with an audience usually topping 100 million, is easily the biggest show of an artist's career
Exuberance: Gaga commanded the show herself, unlike many predecessors who brought in guest stars to bolster their act
Meet and greet: At one point Lady Gaga went walkabout in the crowd at the NRG Stadium in Houston
Pride: Ahead of her high-profile performance, watched by more than 100 million U.S. viewers, Gaga, 30, said in a post on the Instagram social media network that she planned to headline the slot entirely on her own
Lady Gaga performs during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 51 football game against the Atlanta Falcons
Super Bowl performances are rarely directly provocative, although last year Beyonce startled many by playing her single 'Formation.' Its video had a message against police brutality
High energy: Gaga later swapped out her sequinned bodysuit for a pair of glitter short shorts and a white crop top with silver stud detailing and layered epaulettes on the shoulders and let her blonde hair fly loose
Did it all! She also added a funky gold tinsel-style cropped jacket over her bodysuit for one segment of her stunning show
Born this way: Gaga's set list included her biggest hits including Poker Face, Telephone, Million Reasons and Bad Romance
Open roof: Lady Gaga performs during the Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl 51 Halftime Show at NRG Stadium
Stylish: With the nation on edge politically, the NFL had little taste for a show that would ruffle feathers
She did not have any guest performers opting instead to do a 13 minutes solo set as she rocked the Houston stadium during the face off between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots.
She kicked off her set wearing a silver sequinned body suit with padded shoulders and long sleeves which she paired with matching shiny boots.
Meet and greet: At one point Lady Gaga went walkabout in the crowd at the NRG Stadium in Houston
Pride: Ahead of her high-profile performance, watched by more than 100 million U.S. viewers, Gaga, 30, said in a post on the Instagram social media network that she planned to headline the slot entirely on her own
Lady Gaga performs during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl 51 football game against the Atlanta Falcons
Super Bowl performances are rarely directly provocative, although last year Beyonce startled many by playing her single 'Formation.' Its video had a message against police brutality
High energy: Gaga later swapped out her sequinned bodysuit for a pair of glitter short shorts and a white crop top with silver stud detailing and layered epaulettes on the shoulders and let her blonde hair fly loose
Did it all! She also added a funky gold tinsel-style cropped jacket over her bodysuit for one segment of her stunning show
Born this way: Gaga's set list included her biggest hits including Poker Face, Telephone, Million Reasons and Bad Romance
Open roof: Lady Gaga performs during the Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl 51 Halftime Show at NRG Stadium
Stylish: With the nation on edge politically, the NFL had little taste for a show that would ruffle feathers
She did not have any guest performers opting instead to do a 13 minutes solo set as she rocked the Houston stadium during the face off between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots.
She kicked off her set wearing a silver sequinned body suit with padded shoulders and long sleeves which she paired with matching shiny boots.
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