Besides the actual Super Bowl itself, one of the most annually anticipated events in mainstream American media is the Super Bowl halftime show. Super Bowl LVI’s halftime show consisted of performances from Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent.
The show took place in a replica of a strip mall with different artists in different rooms. Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre opened the show with their iconic singles “Next Episode” and “California Love.” Then, 50 Cent sang his 2003 hit single “In Da Club.” Mary J. Blige followed with “Family Affair” and “No More Drama.” Next, Kendrick Lamar performed “Alright.” Enimen entered with an explosion and started singing “Lose Yourself.” Dr. Dre finished the show with “Still DRE” as all the artists walked out onto the stage one last time.
The past few Super Bowl halftime shows have included performances from currently popular artists such as The Weekend, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Katy Perry and many others. The biggest difference between past years and this year were the performed songs: many of this year’s artists and their songs were popular in the 2000s but are no longer listened to by mainstream culture.
This selection of music was met with mixed reactions. Most members of Gen Z were not excited about the change. Junior Kenzie Ruge said the show was not created specifically for current teenagers. “My mom loved the halftime show, but for me, I couldn’t really get into it because I didn’t know all the music.” Ruge voiced the opinion of most adolescents.
It is much easier to enjoy the halftime show if one grows up with the music. Ruge’s favorite halftime show included an artist that she is very familiar with. “Katy Perry was my favorite halftime show,” she said. “I loved the music, the fast costume changes, and the amazing special effects.” Ruge brings up a great point about the importance of visual performances at Super Bowl halftime shows.
They can really make or break the show. Many believe that this year’s visual performance was underwhelming. Physics teacher Ian Spangenberg agreed that the visuals were quite simple. “It wasn’t super exciting compared to previous ones.” Most Super Bowls are known for their extravagant visuals.
However, the lack of visuals did not stop older generations from enjoying the throwback halftime show. Spangenberg heard this music for the first time when he was in junior high, but he still enjoys listening to it today. Spangenberg’s perspective mirrors the overwhelming opinion of people who grew up listening to early 2000s music.
Social media was also filled with comments about the excitement from the halftime show. NBA player Lebron James tweeted his love for the performance. “THE GREATEST HALFTIME SHOW IVE EVER SEEN!!!” This enthusiasm was seen all throughout social media where fans even started calling the hip hop stars, “The Music Avengers.”
By using older artists, the NFL averaged 103.4 million people who watched this year’s halftime show. This was a 7% increase from last year’s performance by The Weekend. Spangenberg agreed, “The only reason I watched the game at all was to just watch the halftime show.”
This year’s Super Bowl performance was very special in that it was a tribute to artists of the past. Even though Super Bowl LVI’s throwback halftime performances were met with mixed opinions, it will go down as one of the most iconic superbowl halftime shows in history.
