The Super Bowl attracts millions of viewers annually, partly because of its halftime show — who is performing at Super Bowl LVI? As one of the world’s most-watched sporting events, the Super Bowl racks up a united audience, regardless of their inclination towards football itself. This is because the championship game of the National Football League (NFL) is not only a celebration of football but also of entertainment. Aside from the much-anticipated commercials before and during the big game, especially movie and television shows’ trailers, the Super Bowl has become synonymous with its halftime performances, too. For Super Bowl LVI, scheduled on February 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, five artists are set to perform.
While halftime shows are part of American football tradition, the entertainment during the Super Bowl is an elevated spectacle, involving established names in music in order to spark nationwide interest. After decades of inviting college marching bands and drill teams, the Super Bowl has switched gears. Since 1991, the halftime show has featured headlining performances from popular acts like Michael Jackson, Gloria Estefan, U2, The Rolling Stones, Prince, Aerosmith, Madonna, Bruno Mars, and Beyoncé. In 2020, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez joined forces, while The Weeknd performed in the 2021 halftime show.
This year, the Super Bowl halftime show is a collaboration of several multi-awarded hitmakers: Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, 50Cent, and Snoop Dogg. These celebrated musicians are all considered legends in the industry, with an accumulated 44 Grammy Awards and 21 Billboard No. 1 albums under their belts. As Jay-Z stated in the NFL press release, the twelve-minute performance is history in the making, since it marks the first time these five artists will share a stage.
Dr Dre opened the performance, alongside Snoop Dogg, with 50Cent appearing next, hanging upside down to sing “In Da Club” mimicking the original video. In addition, Academy Award-nominee Kendrick Lamar joined the group with a horde of bleached blonde dancers, between 50Cent and Eminem’s performances. Lamar has also received multiple accolades, including a Pulitzer Prize for Music and Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2016. Mary J. Blige’s 1992 debut album What’s the 411? has been instrumental in introducing R&B and hip-hop into pop culture, but recently, she has transitioned into movie and television roles, such as Cha-Cha in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy.
The Super Bowl LVI kicked off at 6:30 pm EST, and the halftime show landed just before 8:15 pm EST. Both the game and the halftime performance will be aired on national cable television through NBC. However, viewers can also tune into the Super Bowl for free through the NBC Sports App and website, and the streaming platform Peacock.
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