Lady Gaga delivered a heartfelt pre-Super Bowl performance in New Orleans on Sunday.
The superstar, 38, took the stage in a stylish white dress and oversized hat as she sang Hold My Hand while playing the piano during the surprise performance.
The pre-recorded performance, which took place on Bourbon Street, was in honor of the victims of the New Year’s Day terror attack, which killed 14 people, as well as the Los Angeles wildfires, the airplane crashes in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and those affected by Hurricane Helene.
She was joined by a full band and choir, with the audience consisting of Louisiana State Police troopers, New Orleans police officers, first responders and law enforcement.
Tom Brady, the Former New England Patriots quarterback, and Michael Strahan — who wore L.A. Fire Department and NOLA Strong t-shirts — also appeared in the tribute, which introduced the broadcast.
‘This year began with a terror attack that tried to shatter it’s spirit. But the resilience of New Orleans is matched by the resolve of our country,’ Strahan, 53, said, as Brady, 47, added, ‘When tragedy strikes, we don’t break, we come together.’
Lady Gaga delivered a heartfelt pre- Super Bowl performance in New Orleans on Sunday
The superstar, 38, took the stage in a stylish white suit and sang Hold My Hand while playing the piano
Hold My Hand featured in the ending of 2022’s blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick, and was nominated for a Grammy and Golden Globe.
Fans loved the ‘magical’ performance, sharing crying memes on social media to show how emotional it made them.
‘Lady Gaga was magical! What a beautiful and touching tribute to the lives lost in #NOLA,’ one wrote on X.
‘Lady Gaga turning pain into power, who else felt chills watching this?’
‘This performance was so moving, powerful and beautiful.’
‘Touching tribute by Lady Gaga,’ another added.
Another fan wrote on X, ‘This was beautifully done.’
‘This was a class act. She is a great performer.’
The pre-recorded performance, which took place on Bourbon Street, was in honor of the victims of the New Year’s Day terror attack, which killed 14 people
She was joined by a full band and choir, with the audience consisting of Louisiana State Police troopers, New Orleans police officers, first responders and law enforcement
Tom Brady , the Former New England Patriots quarterback, and Michael Strahan also appeared in the tribute, which introduced the broadcast
She wore an all-white ensemble
Hold My Hand featured in the ending of 2022’s blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick , and was nominated for a Grammy and Golden Globe
The New Year’s attack occurred when a man who had been radicalized by ISIS drove a truck down the popular French quarter of New Orleans
Gaga’s Super Bowl LIX appearance comes just days after dropping her latest single, Abracadabra, and a week after sharing the stage with Bruno Mars to perform California Dreamin’ at the Grammy Awards.
Before the Super Bowl, Gaga premiered All I Need Is Time at FireAid in Los Angeles.
Co-written with fiancé Michael Polansky, the upbeat song was created specifically for the telecast.
Gaga is next set to release her seventh studio album, Mayhem.
Fans have already heard two tracks from the 14-track album: Disease and Die With a Smile, a collaboration with Mars.
‘The album started as me facing my fear of returning to the pop music my earliest fans loved,’ the singer said in a press announcement last week.
Gaga also took to Instagram on Sunday, sharing a video of herself on her way to the Super Bowl.
She danced in a hotel hallway to her new song Abracadabra, wearing a long black dress with chunky high-heel boots and one black glove.
Fans loved the ‘magical’ performance, sharing crying memes on social media to show how emotional it made them
Her raven tresses were styled straight and she completed the look with a pair of sunglasses.
‘Goin into the SUPERBOWL like ABRA-OO-NA-NA. The category is: SPORTS or SPELLS!!’ she wrote in the caption.
Super Bowl organizers and law enforcement have bolstered security arrangements for the biggest night in the sporting calendar in New Orleans after the New Year’s Day terror attack.
‘We’ve increased our security posture significantly so that people can come here, they can see a strong law enforcement presence,’ Eric DeLaune, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, told ESPN last month.
‘My goal was that you couldn’t walk a city block in downtown New Orleans without at least encountering one law enforcement official. I’m not trying to make people afraid. I want people to see that we’re prepared.’
The report adds that SWAT team members, armored vehicles and special agents on rooftops will all be part of the security effort in NOLA.
The New Year’s attack occurred when a man who had been radicalized by ISIS drove a truck down the popular French quarter of New Orleans.
It led to the postponement of the Sugar Bowl between Notre Dame and Georgia by almost 24 hours at the Superdome in the city, which will also stage the Super Bowl.