FANS were left in the dark at New Orleans’ Superdome when a power cut halted the Super Bowl clash for 35 minutes.

The blackout happened early in the third quarter, with the Baltimore Ravens leading the San Francisco 49ers 28-6. Play finally resumed with just over 13 minutes left in the third quarter. The game was won by the Ravens 34-31.

Earlier, the game had seen the longest touchdown in Super Bowl history, after Baltimore Ravens receiver Jacoby Jones took the opening kickoff from eight yards deep in the end zone.
Jones celebrated his 108-yard achievement by doing a ‘squirrel dance’.

The utility company supplying power to the Superdome said the power cut occurred when sensing equipment detected an “abnormality” in the system.

A statement from Entergy and the Superdome said a piece of equipment monitoring electrical load sensed the abnormality and opened a breaker, partially cutting power.

Back-up generators kicked in before full power could be restored, the statement added.

Some fans did a Mexican wave to pass the time. Players milled around on the sidelines, some taking a seat on the bench, other on the field. A few of the Ravens threw footballs around.

Officials gathered on the field and appeared to be talking to stadium staff. Finally, the lights came back on throughout the stadium, which appeared to have been operating on auxiliary power.

Before the game, Alicia Keys performed a piano-tinged version of the national anthem that her publicist assured was live. The Grammy-winning singer played the piano as she sang The Star Spangled Banner in a long red dress with her eyes shut.

She followed Jennifer Hudson, who performed America The Beautiful with the 26-member Sandy Hook Elementary School chorus, a performance that had some players on the sideline on the verge of tears.

The children wore green ribbons on their shirts in honour of the 20 pupils and six adults who were killed in the December 14 shooting rampage at their school in Newton, Connecticut.

Beyonce balanced out the testosterone levels on the football field with a dance-heavy half-time performance that featured her Destiny’s Child bandmates and an all-female band.

She emerged on stage singing some of Love On Top, transitioning to her hit Crazy In Love in an all-black ensemble which matched the dark stage. She ripped off part of her shirt and skirt as she danced hard with background dancers doing the same.

She sang live and sounded good, days after admitting miming to a pre-recorded track at President Barack Obama’s inauguration, adding a few off-script remarks as if to show her microphone was on.