Lady Gaga, dressed in a silver spacesuit and boots, began her halftime performance at the Super Bowl with a cover of “This Land Is Our Land” by Woody Guthrie, a track written in response to the ultra-nationalist, non-inclusive “God Bless America”. The opening number could be a subtle message of solidarity with those affected by recent political moves, such as the travel ban and the struggle waging over the Dakota Access Pipeline, but the rest of the halftime show was less political and more centred on Gaga hits. The response to this has been varied: some critique the radical song’s usage by a white woman, while others praise her gesture of inclusivity and unity.

The singer, who sang the national anthem at last year’s Super Bowl, dropped into the Houston stadium on a wire to wild reactions. She performed a 13-minute set with no special guests, as she had confirmed in an earlier Instagram post, which eschews the usual Super Bowl tradition of inviting other musical acts on stage. There was some early expectation that Beyonce, who performed at last year's halftime event, would join the Joanne singer for “Telephone”.

Gaga got through some of her big classics: “Just Dance”, “Poker Face”, “Born This Way”, “Telephone” and “Bad Romance”, as well as her more recent “Million Reasons”. The singer ended the show by dropping her mic, catching a football and making a huge jump onto the field.

The show was watched by more than 100 million viewers in the United States.

Lady Gaga has also just announced her world tour, kicking off in August 2017.