List of Super Bowl halftime shows
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Halftime shows are a staple of American football games, but none quite compare to the spectacle of the Super Bowl. It's an entertainment event that captivates millions, a true television phenomenon in the United States.
For the Super Bowl's initial decade, starting in 1967, halftime was all about the powerful sound of college marching bands. The second decade saw a shift, with a more diverse lineup featuring drill teams and performance ensembles. The group "Up with People" even produced and starred in four of these shows. But the 1990s brought a major change. To compete with other networks' counterprogramming efforts, the halftime show began featuring A-list music acts, with names like New Kids on the Block, Michael Jackson, Gloria Estefan, Clint Black, Patti LaBelle, and Tony Bennett gracing the stage.
By Super Bowl XXXII, commercial sponsors were presenting the halftime show. Within five years, the tradition of themed shows, which began with Super Bowl III, faded, replaced by elaborate music productions from arena rock bands and other high-profile artists. Following a notable incident at Super Bowl XXXVIII, where Justin Timberlake's performance led to a wardrobe malfunction involving Janet Jackson, the halftime shows for the next six years focused on a single artist or group, primarily rock musicians from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. These were dubbed "family-friendly" and "the age of reactionary halftime shows." However, after the 1992 Super Bowl halftime broadcast was outshined by a popular TV show, the NFL committed to annually featuring major pop culture spectacles.
Since Super Bowl XLV, the halftime show has re-embraced contemporary popular musicians, typically featuring a single headliner joined by a few guest performers.
Interestingly, the NFL doesn't pay these performers an appearance fee. Instead, they cover all the expenses for the artists and their extensive entourages. An exception was the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show with Michael Jackson, where the NFL and Frito-Lay made a donation and provided commercial time for Jackson's Heal the World Foundation. The exposure is immense, consistently leading to significant spikes in album sales and digital downloads for halftime performers. There have been reports, however, of league officials inquiring about potential acts providing financial compensation to the NFL in exchange for their appearance. While these reports have been denied, they hint at the significant value placed on this coveted performance slot.
The selection process for a headlining performer remains a point of discussion. While some reports suggest a panel involving NFL entertainment directors and production company members, along with the host city, makes the final call, others indicate the league solely picks the performer and notifies others afterward.
A significant development occurred in 2019 when the NFL partnered with Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and his company, Roc Nation, to become the league's live music entertainment strategist. This partnership positions Jay-Z and Roc Nation as co-producers and consultants, influencing music selection for NFL usage and choosing entertainers for promotional spots. As Seth Dudowsky, the league's head of music, explained, the goal is to "focus on leading to culture," making sure the halftime show feels culturally relevant, a platform for artists to express themselves and empower their art.
The history of Super Bowl halftime shows is a fascinating journey, evolving from college bands to global music icons. The achievements are remarkable, with specific shows setting records for viewership, online engagement, and critical acclaim.
The Super Bowl LIX halftime show starring Kendrick Lamar holds the record for the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show, drawing over 133.5 million viewers. On YouTube, the Super Bowl LVI halftime show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar has amassed over 322 million views on the official NFL channel alone, making it the most viewed. Online metrics have even crowned the Super Bowl LIV halftime show with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez as the "world's most popular." The Super Bowl LVI halftime show also made history by winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live). And for the Super Bowl LI halftime show, Lady Gaga earned the distinction of being the most nominated Super Bowl halftime show in Emmy Awards history, securing one win out of a record six nominations.
Halftime shows are common during many American football games. Entertainment during the Super Bowl, the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), is one of the more lavish of these performances and is usually very widely watched on television in the United States.
== Background ==
During most of the Super Bowl's first decade (starting on January 15, 1967), the halftime show featured a college marching band. The show's second decade featured a more varied show, often featuring drill teams and other performance ensembles; the group Up with People produced and starred in four of the performances. Starting in the 1990s, to counter other networks' efforts to counterprogram the game, the show was headlined by popular music acts each year,
including New Kids on the Block, Michael Jackson, Gloria Estefan, Clint Black, Patti LaBelle, and Tony Bennett.
Starting with Super Bowl XXXII, commercial sponsors presented the halftime show; within five years, the tradition of having a theme—begun with Super Bowl III—ended, replaced by major music productions by arena rock bands and other high-profile acts. In the six years immediately following an incident at Super Bowl XXXVIII where Justin Timberlake exposed one of Janet Jackson's breasts in an alleged "wardrobe malfunction", all of the halftime shows consisted of a performance by one artist or group, with the musicians in that era primarily being rock artists from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. These shows were considered "family friendly" and the time in which they took place has been described as "the age of reactionary halftime shows". However, following the 1992 Super Bowl halftime broadcast, which was successfully challenged in viewership by a Fox broadcast of an episode of In Living Color, the NFL opted to include the use of popular culture spectacles annually.
Since Super Bowl XLV, the halftime show has returned to featuring popular contemporary musicians, with the typical format featuring a single headline artist collaborating with a small number of guest acts.
The NFL does not pay the halftime show performers an appearance fee, though it covers all expenses for the performers and their entourage of band members, management, technical crew, security personnel, family, and friends. The Super Bowl XXVII halftime show with Michael Jackson provided an exception, as the NFL and Frito-Lay agreed to make a donation and provide commercial time for Jackson's Heal the World Foundation. According to Nielsen SoundScan data, the halftime performers regularly experience significant spikes in weekly album sales and paid digital downloads due to the exposure. For Super Bowl XLIX, it was reported by the Wall Street Journal that league officials asked representatives of potential acts if they would be willing to provide financial compensation to the NFL in exchange for their appearance, in the form of either an up-front fee, or a cut of revenue from concert performances made after the Super Bowl. While these reports were denied by an NFL spokeswoman, the request had, according to the Journal, received a "chilly" response from those involved.
The process of deciding a headline performer for the Super Bowl halftime show is disputed. According to The Charlotte Observer, it begins with a panel that includes the National Football League's (NFL) director of entertainment, members of its production company, and the halftime show's director and producer. A short list of potential performers is created and given to the Super Bowl's host city, who makes the final decision. However, members of its host committee claimed that a headline performer is solely picked by the league, and they are notified on who was chosen in the same manner as the general public.
On August 13, 2019, the NFL announced a partnership with Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and his entertainment company Roc Nation to be named the league's live music entertainment strategist. In that role, Jay-Z and his firm became co-producers and consultants of the Super Bowl halftime show, allowing them to be involved in selecting music for NFL usage and choosing entertainers to perform in televised promotional spots throughout the season. "We really wanted to start to focus on leading to culture," Seth Dudowsky, the league's head of music, explained. "Whether that's the culture of the city, what's happening in culture at large and then focusing on it so that what we're doing feels culturally relevant and using that platform for artists to be able to be themselves and show their art on stage. We want them to feel empowered."
== History ==
The following is a list of the performers, producers, themes, and sponsors for each Super Bowl game's show. This list does not include national anthem performers, which are listed in the article List of national anthem performers at the Super Bowl. Names in bold are headline performers.
=== 1960s ===
=== 1970s ===
=== 1980s ===
=== 1990s ===
=== 2000s ===
=== 2010s ===
=== 2020s ===
== Achievements ==
The Super Bowl LIX halftime show starring Kendrick Lamar is the most watched Super Bowl halftime show, with a TV audience of more than 133.5 million viewers.
The Super Bowl LVI halftime show starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar is the most viewed Super Bowl halftime show on YouTube with more than 322 million views on the official NFL YouTube channel alone.
Based on online metrics, TicketSource revealed that the Super Bowl LIV halftime show starring Shakira and Jennifer Lopez is the "world's most popular" halftime show.
The Super Bowl LVI halftime show starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar is the first Super Bowl halftime show to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live).
The Super Bowl LI halftime show starring Lady Gaga is the most nominated Super Bowl halftime show in Emmy Awards history, winning one (Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Special) out of its record six nominations.
== See also ==
List of AFL Grand Final pre-match performances
List of Grey Cup halftime shows
List of national anthem performers at the Super Bowl
== References ==
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