Lady Gaga performs onstage during the Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl 51 Halftime Show at NRG Stadium on Feb 5, 2017 in Houston, US. [Photo/VCG]

She was patriotic from the start, opening with snippets of "God Bless America" and "This Land is Your Land" with red and blue lights twinkling above her, before guide wires delivered her to the stage below.

Her hit "Born This Way" became a gay rights anthem but in the context of Sunday's show fit into the idea of accepting differences, a thread through much of the game's commercial messaging.