The Super Bowl, one of the biggest if not the biggest sports entertainment spectacle every year always manages to bring in fans from all scopes of life. Football fans flee to it to see who will end up with the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the day. Even the commercials that companies use to reach as many potential or already customers have a loyal fan following. And then, there is the halftime show. The Super Bowl halftime show brings everyone together for a 12-minute slate where singers, bands and performers try to put on a performance of a lifetime. Who performs in the halftime show has become almost as important for Super Bowl odds makers as to who is playing the actual game. One thing is definitely for sure, its on the artists back to make or break the halftime experience.
Lets Talk Groundwork first
Playing in the Super Bowl halftime show is more of an honour and exposure gig for artists rather than an actual paying gig. Yes, as CNBC backs up, there is no payment for artists that perform in the Super Bowl. Now, dont start feeling bad for the artists, while they might not get paid for their performance, their album sales and music streams tend to rocket up charts. Justin Timberlake for example, after his 2018 performance saw his last album at the moment Man of the Woods land at No. 1 position in the Billboard 200 album charts. Marron 5 after their 2019 performance saw their record sales spike almost 500%. Lastly Lady Gaga saw her digital catalog sky rocket by more than 1000% after her roof jumping performance in 2017.
While performers dont get paid for their gig that doesnt necessarily mean that the NFL is only spending pennies and nickels to put the show together. Overall costs to put on the always over the top expected half time show runs the NFL at least a cool $10 million dollars on a good day. If you take into account that the show lasts anywhere from 12 to 15 minutes, thats a lot of money spent per each minute.
A Big Bill Doesnt Necessarily Mean a Great Show
Year after year, even before the teams are announced, the first big announcement, and one that moves sportsbook fans just as much as who will play the game is who will perform. A literal whos who of music and entertainment are always in the mix of the rumour game to see who will end up playing the show. While there are times where the choices end up being solid hits, other times, well, not that much.
One show that is still fresh in the memory of football fans, not necessarily for bringing the house down, was Maroon 5s performance alongside rap artist Travis Scott and southern music legend Big Bio from Outcast. A few lame fireworks and some girls looking like they were paid to look like they were going crazy for Maroon 5s Adam Levine do not a great show make even though as previously mentioned they ended benefitting immensely from their 12-minute gig.
When Everything Works Out Big Things Happen
If you remember Princes 2007 performance at Super Bowl XLI, then you probably witnessed the best halftime show in Super Bowl history. It wasnt as flashy as others but it was so on point that it was perfect. Yeah there have been some pretty bad halftime shows but there have also been some pretty good ones too. For example, having artists like Beyonc, Madonna or Lady Gaga on the list of performers will usually bring you a great show. Yeah the Super Bowl organization committee has committed a few slip ups when booking the show but when theyve hit the mark, they nail it like no others. Just think back on Diana Ross leaving in a helicopter after finishing in 96 and Michael Jackson standing quiet for a whole 90 seconds while people went insane in 93.