There's no doubt that Lady Gaga blew the roof off with her spectacular Super Bowl halftime show.
But while TV viewers watched in amazement as the singer seemingly plummeted 260ft into the NRG Stadium from the rim, all was not as it seemed.
Footage of the 'jump' was pre-recorded, with Gaga actually starting her performance suspended on a safety wire about halfway up.
Revealed: Lady Gaga didn't jump from the roof for Super Bowl show... but instead pre-recorded the leap; The show started, at least for TV viewers, with her perched on the rim
While this does nothing to detract from the majesty of her 13-minute performance, it does explain how she managed to pull off the seemingly impossible.
On Sunday night Gaga's show beganat least for TV viewers with the pre-recorded footage of the 30-year-old standing on the roof, the bright lights of Houston spread out behind her.
How it unfolded: In the stadium itself, viewers watched the pre-recorded segment of Gaga on the roof via large screens
In the dark: During the segment, Gaga hung motionless in the dark
She's on! After the cameras cut to Gaga, a spotlight highlighted her as she made her descent
The wind ruffling her hair, she sang snippets of God Bless America and This Land is Your Land with red and blue lights twinkling above her from drones in the shape of the U.S. flag.
Then, in a piece of carefully choreographed TV theatre, she took a daring leap over the edge, into the stadium.
While Gaga did indeed do the leap without a stunt double's help, this part of the show was performed in advance.
After it aired, the cameras cut to Gaga somersaulting as she soared swiftly through the air to a podium to continue the show.
Soaring down: Gaga kicked off her Super Bowl halftime by appearing to jump off the roof of the NRG stadium in a pre-recorded segment and was then lowered down onto the stage
Upside down: She proved herself to be something of a trapeze artist as she pulled off her heart-stopping descent
Top of the world! While Gaga did indeed do the leap, this part was performed in advance
For those inside the arena the show began with Gaga hanging from her guide wires, in the dark.
Footage shot from fans shows a motionless Gaga suspended from the wires. Suddenly a spotlight shines on her, and she starts her descent.
Once onstage, she commanded a large troupe of dancers and musicians, props that breathed fire and audience members swinging lights in synchronization — the usual excess that has become a Super Bowl cliche.
in a piece of carefully choreographed TV theatre, she was seen gliding down to a podium
Shining star: The 30-year-old then launched into Poker Face on top of the tower
Yet Gaga commanded the show herself, unlike many predecessors who brought in guest stars to bolster their act. An expected appearance by Tony Bennett, a frequent duet partner, didn't take place. He was relegated to a brief role in a commercial.
The finale Bad Romance was a crowd pleaser. Gaga, who had spent much of the evening in a metallic space suit, emerged in her third outfit of the performance, a midriff baring costume topped off by football-like shoulder pads.
She threw down the microphone and jumped off a platform to disappear at the end.
Dressed in a silver, sequined bodysuit and matching heeled boots, Gaga sang her dance hits Poker Face and Born This Way
Here us now: Once onstage, she commanded a large troupe of dancers and musicians, props that breathed fire and audience members swinging lights in synchronization
On the field, the New England Patriots made the greatest ever comeback in Super Bowl history to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime.
The impressive fightback was engineered by New England's quarter back, Tom Brady, who won his fifth championship at the age of 39.
Since 2002 that Patriots have five Super Bowl wins in seven trips to the championship game.
Their victory on Sunday added another chapter to the Patriots legacy as Brady engineered a jaw-dropping comeback from a 28-3 third quarter deficit to steal the title and deny Atlanta a maiden Super Bowl.
A million reasons: Gaga shouted out to her parents as she sang her recent ballad Million Reasons and played the piano
All as one: The 72,000 crowd at the NRG Stadium in Houston all sway together as Lady Gaga sings her ballad a Million Reasons
Daily Mail