Super Bowl LIV halftime show
Latin pride and diversity headlined the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show.
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The Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show was held on February 2, 2020, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, airing on Fox. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira served as co-headliners, joined by guest performers Bad Bunny, J Balvin, and Lopez’s daughter, Emme Muñiz. The show earned critical praise, including four Primetime Emmy nominations and one win, plus a “Best Live Performance” award at the 2021 Premios Nuestra Tierra for Shakira.
In August 2019, Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation struck a deal with the NFL to produce the halftime show, following backlash over the previous year’s acts—Maroon 5 and Travis Scott—seen as strikebreakers amid the Colin Kaepernick controversy. On September 26, 2019, Shakira and Lopez were announced as headliners, a choice reportedly meant to highlight the Latin culture of host city Miami. This marked the third time Latin music artists led the Super Bowl halftime show; Gloria Estefan had done so in 1992 and 1999. Rumors of Lopez’s involvement had circulated for months, and she had expressed interest in July 2019. In a review, Jon Pareles of the *New York Times* noted that booking the two “steered the halftime show away from black-and-white racial tensions and toward the joys of motion and seduction.” Past pairings of major acts include Aerosmith with NSYNC in 2001 and Coldplay with Beyoncé and Bruno Mars in 2016.
Roc Nation handled production and creative direction, with Dan Parise among the producers. Ricky Kirshner served as executive producer, Hamish Hamilton as director. Musical director Adam Blackstone said the show aimed to cement what both women represent: Shakira as a “global phenomenon” and Lopez as an icon in acting, music, and dance. His goal was to make the two acts feel cohesive. Tabitha and Napoleon D’umo were creative directors and choreographers for Lopez’s half, which involved about 130 dancers, with choreography by Tabitha D’umo and Parris Goebel. Jaquel Knight, Nadine Eliya, and Maite Marcos handled creative direction and choreography for Shakira’s half. In mid-January, producers announced plans to recruit roughly 600 field team members; ultimately, 670 were enlisted.
Equipment included 565 ROE CB5 tiles, 8 Brompton SX40 4K LED processors, 22 Brompton Tessera XD data distribution boxes using 8x optical fiber runs, 4 4K video feeds (two main, two backup), and 8 LED techs.
Quick Facts
- Sbnumeral
- LIV
- Date
- 2020-02-02
- Location
- Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S.
- Venue
- Hard Rock Stadium
- Sponsor
- Pepsi
- Headliners
- Jennifer Lopez / Shakira
- Guests
- Bad Bunny / J Balvin / Emme Muñiz
- Producers
- Ricky Kirshner / NFL Network / Jay-Z / Roc Nation
- Director
- Hamish Hamilton
- Last
- LIII / (2019)
- This
- LIV / (2020)
- Next
- LV / (2021)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The show opened with Shakira performing 'Dare (La La La)', 'She Wolf', 'Empire' (including elements of 'Inevitable' and Led Zeppelin's 'Kashmir'), 'Ojos Así', and 'Whenever, Wherever'. Guest artist Bad Bunny joined her for 'I Like It' and a mashup of 'Chantaje' and 'Callaíta'. Shakira closed her set with 'Hips Don't Lie', during which she crowd surfed and danced mapalé. Jennifer Lopez then rose from a skyscraper-turned-stripper pole, performing 'Jenny from the Block', 'Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)', 'Get Right', and 'Waiting for Tonight' while pole dancing. J Balvin joined for 'Que Calor' and 'Mi Gente', mashed with Lopez's songs. Lopez's daughter Emme Muñiz sang 'Let's Get Loud' with an excerpt from 'Born in the U.S.A.' as Lopez wore a feather cape depicting both the Puerto Rican and American flags. Shakira returned to perform 'Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)', and Lopez ended with 'Aguanile' joined by Swing Latino.
Reader's Guide
The Super Bowl LIV halftime show was critically acclaimed, with Jon Pareles of The New York Times calling it an improvement over the previous year's halftime and 'a no-nonsense affirmation of Latin pride and cultural diversity in a political climate where immigrants and American Latinos have been widely demonized'. The show received four Primetime Emmy nominations, winning one, and Shakira won 'Best Live Performance' at the 2021 Premios Nuestra Tierra. The performance featured elaborate costumes: Shakira's three custom-made outfits by Peter Dundas included 123,000 Swarovski crystals on her first ensemble, and Lopez's five costume changes were designed by Versace, including a catsuit coated in crystals and a feather cape with the U.S. flag on the outside and Puerto Rican flag on the inside—a secret Lopez kept until the last minute. The show used 565 LED tiles, 5,350 pyrotechnic pieces, and 24 lasers, with 670 field team members assisting. This was the third time Latin music artists headlined the Super Bowl halftime show, following Gloria Estefan in 1992 and 1999.
Did You Know?
- The show was produced by Roc Nation after Jay-Z entered a deal with the NFL in August 2019.
- Shakira's first costume was covered with 123,000 Swarovski crystals in three shades of red.
- Jennifer Lopez's feather cape depicted the U.S. flag on the outside and the Puerto Rican flag on the inside, a detail she kept secret until the last minute.
- The show used 5,350 pieces of pyrotechnic product launched from 32 roof locations and 16 special locations.
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