“I know it’s football time, but go Lakers!” Halsey joked to the crowd at the basketball team’s home venue, the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Thursday night (Feb. 10).
And, yes, it was in fact “football time,” as the singer’s hour-and-a-half-long performance headlined the first night of Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest, and (football aside) also marked their return to the stage since, in their words, having a “whole a– baby” in July 2021.
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“Can you believe a baby came out of here? Sometimes I look at it while I’m in bed and think, ‘How did it fit?’” they said, bending over to take a proper look at their uterus. “Just kidding. Giving birth is, like, the most beautiful thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been on stage and I was really, really nervous today,” they continued. “I spent a couple years straight touring and I was f—ing arrogant as f—. Something happens when you tour your a– off, you just walk on stage like, ‘Can’t even tell me nothing.’ That’s not how I felt today. It’s been a long time and I’m so happy that we can be here together enjoying concerts because I didn’t know if we’d ever be able to do it again and I’m so happy.”
Halsey’s inner nerves were undetectable to the audience, as they strutted around the stage with the same dynamic charisma their fans have always known and love, performing discography-spanning hits from If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power‘s “I Am Not a Woman, I’m a God” and Manic‘s “Graveyard” to Badlands‘ “Colors” and Hopeless Fountain Kingdom‘s “Bad at Love,” which they revealed they haven’t performed since 2017.
Only gods do this on stage 💦 @halsey @SBMusicFest pic.twitter.com/lghhodqemw
— CryptoArena (@CryptoArena) February 11, 2022
Halsey’s oozing sense of gratitude for the return to live music after two years of a pandemic was felt equally through Machine Gun Kelly, who took the stage just before his “Forget Me Too” collaborator.
“I used to work at Chipotle. It’s kind of crazy that I’m here performing where I used to watch Kobe [Bryant] play,” he told the crowd. “I do just want to say, if you don’t know anything about me, don’t listen to the Internet. I’m a kid from Cleveland, and used to work and just f—ing begging to be in a place like this. I was selling my tapes everywhere, and now I just spend my money on weed and chill. If you work at Chipotle right now, just know that you can do it like I did.”
He also recalled his first Vans Warped Tour show in 2010, with only 11 people in attendance. “I just want to thank those 11 people for turning into 11,000 people 12 years later,” he said, before paying homage to the “scene I grew up in” with a cover of Paramore‘s 2007 hit, “Misery Business.”
The rest of his set was jam-packed with surprise guests, including Willow for their new collaboration “Emo Girl,” Travis Barker for “Concert for Aliens,” Trippie Redd for both “All I Know” and “Candy” and, of course, Halsey for “Forget Me Too.”
We’re in love with an Emo Girl, hbu? ❤️🔥@machinegunkelly @OfficialWillow @SBMusicFest pic.twitter.com/WQaGJ4z4lP
— CryptoArena (@CryptoArena) February 11, 2022
To finish off his set, MGK brought a fan that he recognized from “like, 800 shows” up on stage with him, a testament to the star’s dedication and gratitude toward those who support him. For the “Bloody Valentine” closer, the fan stood under a pipe on the Super Mario-themed stage, and got slimed à la Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.
“What did you guys think was in these Mario pipes? It’s not just for show!” MGK joked.
See both Machine Gun Kelly and Halsey’s full set lists below. Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest continues on Friday (Feb. 11) with performances from Mickey Guyton, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani and on Saturday (Feb. 12) with performances by Miley Cyrus and Green Day. See tickets via Ticketmaster here.
Machine Gun Kelly Set List
Title Track
Kiss Kiss
Split a Pill
Drunk Face
Nothing Inside
Concert for Aliens (with Travis Barker)
Misery Business (Paramore cover)
All I Know (with Trippie Redd)
Candy (with Trippie Redd)
F*ck You, Goodbye
I Think I’m Okay
Forget Me Too (with Halsey)
Emo Girl (with Willow)
My Ex’s Best Friend
Bloody Valentine
Halsey Set List
Nightmare
Castle
You Asked for This
You Should Be Sad
3AM
Graveyard
Bad at Love
Colors
Darling
Manic
Experiment on Me
Gasoline
Honey
Be Kind
Without Me
I Am Not a Woman, I’m a God
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