Tags: Super bowl, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Eminem, Music, American Football, Usher
The Super Bowl in the NFL is the biggest sporting event in the US with an average viewership of 113 million in 2023. As well as this, the average advert during the event goes for around 7 million US dollars. However, one part that a lot of people only tune in for is the iconic half time show where mainstream artists perform during halftime of the game, but how did this come about and why has this become such a big deal?
The first official super bowl event was in 1967 when the AFC and NFC agreed to merge to create the NFL. This was also when the halftime show was born but it looked very different to how it looks today.
While today’s concerts have staged fancy choreography and surprise artists, the 1967 half time show featured The University of Arizona’s marching band which featured what seemed like an army of a brass band but also featured pigeons, jet packs and homages to the merger of the NFl and the United States.
This theme of university marching bands is a big culture in American football even to this day as college football still has these traditions at games. This is because brass bands are seen as a sense of community pride as most play songs that are associated with the area.
Marching bands were played for the rest of the 60s, all of the 70s and the majority of the 80s until 1989 where the Elvis Presto South Florida area dancers and performers. This was the first time a mainstream artist (even though it wasn’t the real one) performed during the Super Bowl and was a massive hit for the NFL.
The 1991 halftime show was the first of the Super Bowls that we see today with the band New Kids on the Block, which featured a Disney theme because Walt Disney sponsored the halftime show with Coca Cola. The performance featured big inflatables of iconic Disney characters and 2000 children as an audience.
However, the first half time show that blew in viewership numbers was the 1993 Super Bowl which was Michael Jackson’s appearance. The king of pop performed iconic songs such as Billie Jean and Black or White on a stage with dancers to back up the iconic performer. The Halftime show recorded 133.4 million people watching it in the US and 1.3 billion from around the world. Which is one of the highest broadcasts in history.
Since then the NFL hasn’t looked back and has kept the idea of having a musician as the main focal point for the halftime show. Which has since brought some iconic moments from recent years.
These Include: Diana Ross in 1996, U2 in 2002, Destiny’s Child’s reunion in 2013 and Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Bliege, Kendrick Lemar and 50 Cent’s performance in 2022.
This year’s performance was by Usher back in February which also featured Alicia Keys, H.E.R, Will.i.am and Lil Jon and was a big success.
The Super Bowl halftime show has changed significantly since its inception in 1967 and has shifted from traditional music and a celebration of American history to a concert for one of the biggest artists on the planet.
Whatever you prefer or opinions of it as a whole, the event attracts millions of people to the Super Bowl which not only helps the sport but also helps the performers gain more eyes on their music. Win Win for all involved.