So THAT’S How Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl Performance Started

The Super Bowl is first and foremost designed as a TV experience. All the NFL and Fox care about is how the game looks at home. And you have to admit that they did a pretty good job with Lady Gaga’s halftime performance. I, for example, had no idea that the opening sequence of the performance–the bit featuring Gaga on the roof the stadium with the drones in the background–was pre-recorded. The segue between that and the start of the live performance was a perfect illusion.

Here’s what it looked like to people at NRG Stadium.