Lady Gaga pays emotional tribute to New Orleans terror attack victims ahead of Super Bowl 59
For the Super Bowl, Lady Gaga is delivering heart and spooky fun in equal measure.
The Grammy-winning pop star performed an emotional tribute on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, dedicated to the victims of recent U.S. tragedies such as the New Year's truck attack in New Orleans, the Los Angeles wildfires and the plane crash in Washington D.C. The musical number, posted on Sunday, was introduced by NFL veterans Michael Strahan and Tom Brady.
"Here on Bourbon Street, always the heart and soul of New Orleans, this year began with a terror attack that tried to shatter its spirit," Strahan said. Brady added, "When tragedy strikes, we don't break — we come together, we rise above and never let evil win."
For her Bourbon Street performance, Gaga crooned a heartfelt rendition of her "Top Gun: Maverick" soundtrack hit "Hold My Hand." The singer opened the performance solo on piano before being joined by a band and soulful group of backing vocalists.
Watch Lady Gaga's pre-Super Bowl performance
Lady Gaga celebrates Super Bowl with 'sports' and 'spells'
Gaga also took to social media on Sunday to celebrate Super Bowl 59 with a high-energy dance video.
In the clip posted to Instagram, the "Abracadabra" singer can be seen strutting down a hallway as she lip-syncs and cavorts to the dark pop track, which she debuted during the Grammy Awards last Sunday.
Invoking the sartorial spirit of Wednesday Addams' older goth sister, Gaga was dressed in black from head to toe. The singer wore a long-sleeved dress, which she accessorized with matching sunglasses, belt buckle choker and a single glove.
"Goin into the SUPERBOWL like ABRA-OO-NA-NA," she captioned the post. "The category is: SPORTS or SPELLS!! 🧙♀️🖤"
The "Abracadabra" music video aired during a commercial break rather than in an official Grammys slot, but opened with a nod to the awards show. "The category is dance... or die," Gaga announced sinisterly.
Gaga is no stranger to the Super Bowl. The singer headlined the halftime show in 2017.
(This story was updated to correct a typo.)
Contributing: Alyssa Goldberg, Paste BN