At any normal football game, halftime is a chance to grab a snack at the concession stand, visit the restroom, or tailgate in the parking lot with friends. But at The Super Bowl, professional football’s championship game, halftime is in many ways its own attraction. Over the years, The Super Bowl Halftime Show has developed from a straightforward intermission show to a global entertainment performance that wows audiences of all kinds. The performance connects pop culture musical icons with one of the most significant sporting events in the United States to shape The Super Bowl into an annual spectacle for all.
Held in 1967, the first Super Bowl was not the must watch event that it is today. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 35-10 in an ordinary mid-day game that featured the University of Arizona Symphonic Marching Band as halftime entertainment. Marching bands from local schools and universities commonly appeared throughout the first decade of Super Bowls. As the game grew in importance and the number of television viewers multiplied, the halftime show also had to up its game. Beginning with Super Bowl X in 1976 which introduced concert quality sound to the halftime show, small acts like marching bands were replaced with bigger and bigger pop stars. At his performance in 1993, Michael Jackson is credited with the first halftime show where viewer ratings were higher than the game itself. In the following years, famous performers like New Kids on the Block, Stevie Wonder, Aerosmith, and Britney Spears would set the Super Bowl Halftime show as must-see television.
As big as The Super Bowl is for the actual players in the game, performing at the halftime show is equally important for the musical artists. On average, about 100 million people will tune in to watch a Super Bowl so even though the artists are not paid to perform, the fame and publicity associated with being a halftime performer can be huge in terms of streaming royalties, concert ticket sales, brand partnerships, and cultural relevance.
In the end, The Super Bowl is no longer just a football game. It is an annual celebration that brings people together and the halftime show is a very important part.
