Super Bowl Halftime Show: Watch Bruno Mars & Red Hot Chili Peppers Sweat It Out

Carl Williott | February 2, 2014 5:45 pm

Bruno Mars started the Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime Show with a twist, emerging seated behind the drum kit, banging out a solo on the skins as an intro to “Locked Out Of Heaven.” From there it was a high energy display of pop showmanship, with Mars making the case he’s the hardest working young man in showbiz (the youngest to headline the Super Bowl, in fact). Through “Treasure” and “Runaway Baby,” he showed off strong (seemingly) live vocals and stellar footwork.

Then the shirtless hooligans of Red Hot Chili Peppers burst on stage for a spastic rendition of “Give It Away.” We’re not sure why it happened — Mars didn’t trade verses with Anthony Kiedis or anything, so RHCP were just kind of… there. Mars had worked up a solid lather by that point, so maybe it was just so he could take a breather before the final song, “Just The Way You Are,” where it was just Bruno and the spotlight.

While there was no power outage and Flea kept his pants on, all in all it was a solid, compelling affair that didn’t try to be too much. Check out the performance below.

Get an eyeful of even more pop music coverage, from artist interviews to exclusive performances, on Idolator’s YouTube channel.

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