Mars, 28, took his high-powered live show to the Super Bowl halftime, creating what felt like an intimate show in the stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., and super-sizing it in what has become a defining moment for those who preceded him on the list of halftime performers in the big game.
The Grammy Award-winning singer appeared on screen in a skinny tie and dazzling gold jacket. He played a deep-groove drum solo while rolling across the field on a raised, motorized platform, then joined his live band for a series of energetically executed hits. He then seamlessly integrated the Red Hot Chili Peppers into his set.
"There were a lot of doubters and my man delivered," Fox commentator Howie Long said after the performance.
There were no flubs, no negative moments that will live on at the water cooler Monday morning. And while you can argue about the entertainment value of watching shirtless Chili Peppers gambol about the stage, the 50-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famers managed to match Mars' energy in a brief appearance that was no less memorable.
Mars opened by displaying his high tenor with "Locked Out of Heaven" and "Treasure" before transitioning to "Runaway Baby."
That song, with its Brown-flavored beat, allowed the Hawaiian-born singer to dance in homage to "Soul Brother Number One," complete with an impressive gymnastics-style split as part of his moves. He broke down the band to silence and killed the lights for a moment, allowing the crowd's screams to be heard at home, before transitioning to the Chili Peppers and their funky "Give It Away."
The Chili Peppers, which included singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea sans shirts in temperatures that hovered in the 40s, powered through the song, then joined Mars and his Hooligans in a quick few bars from Black Sabbath.
Fox cut to video segments of soldiers around the world dedicating the next song to loved ones before going back to Mars. He appeared alone on a small stage in the center of the field where he sang the ballad "Just the Way You Are" with the stands full of lights and the sky aflame with the biggest fireworks display in Super Bowl history.
It was a powerful moment, and overall there was never a dull moment. That's about all you can ask, especially in a game that was full of them.
WHO WAS THAT GUY?
Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith was answering questions at his press conference when a man barged his way to the stage, grabbed the microphone and said:
“Investigate 9/11, 9/11 was perpetrated by people within our own government.”
According to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post, Matthew Mills was arrested from criminal trespass.
Per the NJ State Police, the 9/11 "truther" is Matthew Mills, 30, from Brooklyn (sigh). His media affiliation was listed as "unknown." NFL writer Bart Hubbuch wrote on his Twitter account: "Smith, clearly stunned by the intruder and his bizarre interruption, returned to the matter at hand."
"Somebody check his press pass," Smith joked.
But it’s not funny. In fact, it’s scary that with all of the security surrounding the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos for this Super Bowl event, someone could make his way into an official press conference.
Creepy.
BRONCOS SET RECORDS
It sounds like great news for the Broncos: Peyton Manning and Demaryius Thomas set Super Bowl offensive records.
But all those numbers did little against the Seahawks, most coming after Seattle was firmly in control.
Manning had 34 completions and Thomas 13 catches Sunday, both records. New England's Tom Brady (against Carolina in 2004) and New Orleans' Drew Brees (against Manning's Colts in 2010) each had completed 32 passes.
The previous receptions mark was 11, shared by Cincinnati's Dan Ross (1982 against the 49ers), San Francisco's Jerry Rice (1989 against the Bengals), and New England's Deion Branch (2005 against Philadelphia) and Wes Welker (2008 against the Giants).
GOODELL'S GUEST
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's Super Bowl special guest got a chance to see his hometown team.
Zack Lystedt, whose head injury sparked a wave of youth concussion legislation across the country, was invited by Goodell to attend Sunday's game and watch the Seahawks play.
Lystedt, then 13, became the face of concussion awareness after he nearly died from a head injury suffered in a youth football game in 2006. Lystedt needed two emergency brain surgeries to survive.
The injury led to the Lystedt Law, first passed in the state of Washington in 2009 and copied nationwide. The Washington law keeps athletes high school age and younger from returning to the playing field without a doctor's authorization when a concussion is suspected.
The NFL has come under fire in recent years for not placing enough emphasis on player safety, both while players are active and after their retirement. The league is in the process of settling a class-action lawsuit brought by more than 4500 ex-players, which alleged that the NFL had not done enough to protect their safety, in light of many of the players experiencing symptoms such as dementia and depression that were linked to their football experience.
SEATTLE CELEBRATES
University of Washington students were amped to celebrate the Seahawks' Super Bowl XLVIII win.
So amped that a few minutes after the game ended, they started lighting stuff on fire. Joshua Bessex, the editor-in-chief of Washington's student newspaper, tweeted an image of a couch burning on the school's campus in the University District of the city; TV station KIRO7 tweeted an image of a bonfire on the school's Greek Row, with a crowd of students surrounding it.
Elsewhere, scores of people took to the streets throughout the city, and Seattle police planned an increased presence on Sunday night for the crowds. They sent a tweet on the department's widely followed Twitter account saying, "Officers will be out and about citywide making sure everyone is celebrating safely."
Mayor Ed Murray said in a statement that a Seahawks victory parade would happen Wednesday. The last time a major Seattle sports franchise won a championship was in 1979 when the Supersonics took the NBA title.
JEWELRY STORE BET
Jeff Dennis Jewelers, a store in Gardendale, Ala., owes customers approximately $70,000 in refunds after its Super Bowl XLVIII bet went awry.
On Sunday morning, the store posted this message to its Facebook page:
"Today is the day! If there is a Safety scored by either team in today's game, we will refund tens of thousands of dollars to over 400 customers who purchased jewelry from us over the past 2 weeks!
Here's how it will work...
1. There has to be a safety in the game... (Either team scoring 2 points via a safety) 2. My phone starts blowing up. 3. We file the claim with the insurance company. (For the safety, not the phone) 4. They will send us a check in 2-3 weeks 5. We will have a refund party for the 3rd year in a town and give back lots of money. 6. Everybody who bought something is happy. 7. Insurance company bangs head against the wall, throws hands up in the air and pulls hair out!
Fun Stuff!
Now... Lets all sit back, enjoy the game, watch for a safety and when/if one occurs... Enjoy!"
It didn't take long for the phone to start blowing up. The Seahawks scored a safety 12 seconds into the game.
It's not the first time Dennis has run this promotion.
The store also refunded customers when Auburn was shut out in 2012's Iron Bowl.
Contributors: Kami Mattioli, Rana L. Cash, The Associated Press
VIDEOS:
Interesting coin toss
Twitter bowl
Primetime performers
