History of the Super Bowl Halftime Show and Who’s Performing This Year

By Kevin Perez  

For decades, the Super Bowl halftime show has drawn millions of viewers with their fundamental link to pop culture. Even with major American Football leagues fighting for championship in the biggest game of the year, some even watch the SuperBowl just for the halftime performance. 

Starting in 1960 during each Super Bowl the NFL has performers on stage during halftime. This 15-minute time slot connects the world with football and pop culture which in all appeals to a level of national interest. Throughout the years, we have seen many legendary performances — including Prince, Jennifer Lopez, and Shakira. 

So many sensational stars have traveled across the country to perform on that very stage. This begs the question:

How exactly did the first super bowl performance come to be? 

The first ever Super Bowl show was performed by “The Liberty Bell,” by The University of Arizona Symphonic Marching Band in 1967. In fact, throughout the first couple of years, the Super Bowl halftime show was performed by marching bands. A year later, in 1968, the Grambling State University marching band performed and, in the following year, Florida A&M University and Miami high school marching bands also took the stage as well.

Pop icons began to follow soon after, with Carol Channing being the first celebrity to take part in the halftime show in 1970. Channing performed alongside Marguerite Piazza, Doc Severinsen, Al Hirt, Lionel Hampton and the Southern University Marching Band. 

Since the Super Bowl halftime performances, there have been some really memorable ones — such as Prince’s Purple Rain performance amidst a literal downpour, Michael Jackson and, most recently, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, which perfectly captured the essence of Miami. The level of production and props continue to improve over time, ultimately, allowing for more vast and greater performances. 

Who is performing at this year’s Super Bowl? 

In early November, the NFL revealed that pop artist Abel Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd, will be headlining this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. The Weeknd is known for various hit songs, including Heartless and Blinded By The Lights. He has also won nine grammys from his thirty seven grammy nominations. Though, at the moment, it’s unknown what other celebrities will make an appearance and also what songs The Weeknd will perform. 

Super Bowl 55 takes place on February 7th in Tampa, Florida. Don’t miss The Weeknd’s performance alongside what will most likely be a great showdown between the two best teams in the National Football League.