Super Bowl LIV halftime show


The Super Bowl LIV halftime show, which is officially known as the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show, took place on February 2, 2020, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, as part of Super Bowl LIV. It was televised in the U.S. by Fox. It was co-headlined by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, and included guest appearances by Bad Bunny, J Balvin, and Lopez's daughter Emme Muñiz.

Background

In August 2019, it was announced Jay-Z's company Roc Nation had entered a deal with the NFL for Jay-Z and his company to produce the halftime show.
On September 26, 2019, the selection of Shakira and Jennifer Lopez to headline the show was announced; according to reports, their selection was intended to reflect the Latin culture of the host city Miami. This was the third time Latin music artists headlined the Super Bowl halftime show; Gloria Estefan headlined both the Super Bowl XXVI halftime show in 1992 and the Super Bowl XXXIII halftime show in 1999. For months, rumors Lopez might be chosen as a halftime show act had circulated; she had expressed her interest in doing so in July 2019.

Development

served as the show's executive producer. Roc Nation served as producers and creative directors of the show. Roc Nation's producers included Dan Parise, and Hamish Hamilton served as director.
Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo served as the creative directors and choreographers for Lopez's section of the show, which included approximately 130 dancers. which was choreographed by Tabitha D'umo and Parris Goebel. Jaquel Knight, Nadine Eliya, and Maite Marcos were the creative directors and choreographers of Shakira's section of the show. In mid-January, the producers announced they would recruit approximately 600 field team members to assist with the performance. Ultimately, 670 team field members were enlisted.
Among the equipment used for the show were 565 ROE CB5 tiles, 8 Brompton SX40 4K LED processors, 22 Brompton Tessera XD data distro boxes using 8x optical fiber runs, 4 4K video feeds—two main and two for backup—and 8 LED techs. The pyrotechnics for the show used 5,350 pieces of product, which were launched from 32 roof locations and 16 special locations, using 80 firing modules. A FireOne control system was used. Twenty-four 30W Arctos Systems lasers were used in the show.

Fashion

Shakira's set had three costume changes; each piece was custom-made by Norwegian designer Peter Dundas. Her first costume was a red, cropped bustier with a cross-straps top that was paired with a removable corset and fringed skirt, each of which were covered with 123,000 Swarovski crystals in three shades of red. This was paired with crystal-accented leather cuffs and knee-high boots that were made by the designer Daniel Jacob. The boots were covered with 30,000 Swarovski crystals and took ten days to create. Shakira then made a mid-performance costume change to reveal a fringed, feathered skirt that was previously hidden under a sarong. Her final costume was an entirely new ensemble consisting of a bomber jacket covered in gold sequin embroidery and gold-and-white Swarovski crystals on a matching gold sequin crop top, which she wore with matching high-waisted hot pants and Dundas-customized Adidas Superstar sneakers.
Lopez's stylists were Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn, her makeup artist was Scott Barnes, and her hairstylist was Chris Appleton. Her set involved five costume changes; all of her costumes and those of her dancers were custom-designed by Versace and approved by Donatella Versace. Lopez was the face of Versace's Spring 2020 campaign. Haenn noted; "Every look has to be layered one on top of the other because she never really leaves the stage". Lopez's first outfit was a Swarovski crystal-and-gold-studded, biker-inspired black leather Medusa bodysuit paired with a pink satin ballgown skirt. Her backup dancers also wore black leather biker jackets paired with pleated miniskirts that were trimmed with black lace. Lopez's skirt was torn off to reveal black leather chaps. Lopez later took off this outfit to reveal a custom-made body-hugging silver catsuit that was coated in crystals and tiny mirrored panels. She next changed into a metal-mesh-and-crystal-fringed bustier with bondage-harness details, which was topped by a feather cape around her shoulders that depicted the U.S. flag on the outside and the Puerto Rican flag on the inside.

Synopsis

, standing on a platform on the stage and wearing a "tiny red sequin dress", opened the show dancing "Dare ". She started her set with a performance of "She Wolf", surrounded by a group of dancers, the segued into a performance of "Empire", during which she played an electric guitar and included elements of "Inevitable" and Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir". She then wrapped a rope around her wrists, sang part of the first verse of "Ojos Así", and then did a belly dancing using part of "Move" by Said Mrad with added strings. This was followed by a performance of "Whenever, Wherever", after which guest artist Bad Bunny joined her on stage. Shakira and Bad Bunny performed a cover of his song "I Like It" then they sang a mash up of Shakira's "Chantaje" and Bunny's "Callaíta" together. In the final section of Shakira's set, she performed "Hips Don't Lie", during which she crowd surfed, danced mapalé, and wagged her tongue in an Arabic tradition known as zaghrouta.
Jennifer Lopez then appeared for the beginning of her set wearing a black leather bodysuit. After rising from a "skyscraper-turned-stripper pole", she performed "Jenny from the Block" then "Ain't It Funny ", while backed by dancers. Following a performance of "Get Right", Lopez changed her costume for a "sparkling" catsuit and sang "Waiting for Tonight" while pole dancing; her pole-dance routine included a "tabletop move with the dancers writhing underneath". She was then joined on stage by J Balvin, who performed "Que Calor" and "Mi Gente", which were mashed up with Lopez's songs "Booty", "El Anillo" and "Love Don't Cost a Thing" as she danced above. Lopez then performed "On the Floor".
Shakira returned to play drums before Lopez' daughter Emme Muñiz appeared on stage to sing "Let's Get Loud" with an excerpt from Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." as Lopez was in front of an all-female choir. During this section of Lopez's set, she wore a feather cape depicting both the Puerto Rican and American flags while children on the field appeared in "cage like structures", which was interpreted as a statement on the U.S.-Mexico border crisis.
Shakira, who was now clothed in a "short golden outfit", subsequently performed "Waka Waka " during a dance routine of champeta. Lopez then returned to the stage to perform "Aguanile" by Héctor Lavoe as a "Vegas-style salsa number" and was joined by Colombian salsa dance group Swing Latino. Both of the headlining acts ended their performance with "synchronized shimmies".

Critical response

The halftime show was critically acclaimed. Jon Pareles of The New York Times gave the performance a positive review, calling it an improvement over the previous years halftime. He called the show "a no-nonsense affirmation of Latin pride and cultural diversity in a political climate where immigrants and American Latinos have been widely demonized", called Shakira and Lopez "Latina superwomen, smiling pop conquistadoras backed by phalanxes of dancers", and calling the show "euphoria with a purpose". David Bauder of the Associated Press wrote Lopez and Shakira "infused the Super Bowl halftime show with an exuberance and joy that celebrated their Latina heritage". Bauder also said, "Their breathless athleticism matched that of the football players waiting in the locker room" but called J Balvin's and Bad Bunny's guest appearances "superfluous". Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune wrote, "Prince's 2007 Super Bowl performance is still king of halftime, but Shakira and J Lo were certainly the most undeniable performance since then". Bobby Olivier of NJ.com described the halftime show as "high-octane, relentless Latin pop fun", adding it was "a blazing performance that should challenge Lady Gaga and Beyoncé as some of the best halftime sets of the past decade or so".
Chuck Arnold of the New York Post described the performance as "electric". Greg Evans of Deadline Hollywood wrote, "In a high-energy mix of music, dance and sequins, Lopez and Shakira delivered a spectacle-style show not without its statements". Alex Suskind of Entertainment Weekly said the performance was "a punchy, political, and flat-out electric 14-minute performance that doubled as a salute to Latin culture and celebration of both stars’ careers". Patrick Ryan of USA Today hailed the performance as "one of the best Super Bowl halftime shows in memory".
John J. Moser of The Morning Call called it the "sexiest halftime show in memory", but also said it was not the "edgiest or most contemporary" halftime show in recent years. Jeff Miers of The Buffalo News wrote, "the Super Bowl halftime show has not really been about music, per se, in a long while. The J-Lo/Shakira throwdown carried that tradition forward, emphasizing spectacle, bombast and flash over music—in this case, an only mildly Latin-flavored pop-dance hybrid". On Shakira's role in the show, Naomi Fry of The New Yorker wrote, "she looked and sounded great, moving fleetly between monster bangers". Fry also wrote, "Lopez's voice isn't her strongest asset, and she spent minutes at a time dancing rather than singing, but her showmanship was unparalleled", calling the pace of her performance "furious". In Vibe, Desire Thompson praised Shakira's "cultural homages" which were "the most prominent" during the show, referring to her inclusion of mapalé, champeta and zaghrouta.
In some reviews, particularly among conservative and Christian audiences, reaction was more negative. Andrea Widburg of American Thinker called the show "polished, highly produced – and vulgar", and said in light of the sexualized gestures that went far beyond typical Latin dance moves, "it was bizarre to have the show end with a chorus of sweet-faced girls doing the usual women’s empowerment shtick". Leah Barkoukis of Townhall.com commented; "If it was a mix of hypersexual entertainment with a bonus political statement you were looking for in Super Bowl LIV’s halftime show, then 2020’s big game didn't disappoint". Megan Fox, writing for PJ Media, called for the Federal Communications Commission to levy massive fines on Fox for the performance, compared it unfavorably to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy, and said Lopez's outfit constituted nudity. Evangelist Franklin Graham said the performance was "showing young girls that sexual exploitation of women is okay".
Jeanne F. Mancini, president of anti-abortion rally March for Life, said the show was "mbarrassing for everyone with—looking away, etc". In a USA Today op-ed, Gil Smart stated the show "should have come with a parental warning" and that "to some, the show was a joyful, Miami-infused explosion of dance and high-energy music that got you out of your seat ... To others, it looked a lot like softcore porn". Some prominent Republicans from Florida, including political strategist and commentator Ana Navarro, Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, and former governor Jeb Bush, praised the show. An investigation by Dallas-Fort Worth television station WFAA found viewers filed more than 1,300 complaints to the FCC over the content of the halftime show.
Dee Snider of Twisted Sister accused the National Football League of neglecting heavy metal and hard rock music. However, hard rock acts have made appearances in past Super Bowl halftime shows, such as The Who, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, and Bruce Springsteen.

Commercial reception

In the United States, the Super Bowl LIV halftime show attracted 103 million viewers, an increase of 4% on the previous year. The viewership for the halftime show was slightly higher than the game itself, which was viewed by an average of 99.9 million television viewers. Social media activity relating to the show showed a significant spike; over one million tweets mentioned Lopez and Shakira, a 431% increase from the previous year's 127,576 mentions of Maroon 5. Of the 1,114,545 tweets mentioning the halftime show, 69% of them expressed a positive sentiment; 38% of tweets expressed joy and 8% expressed love.
Both Lopez's and Shakira's music experienced increased sales. According to an initial sales report by Nielsen Music, the songs performed in the show experienced a 1,013% sales increase in the United States on February 2, increasing to 16,000 digital downloads—up from just over 1,000 the previous day. According to Alpha Data, the spike in songs sales was 1,000% and the songs performed in the show increased 1,374% in sales over the previous day, selling more than 17,000 copies. According to Nielsen Music, of the songs performed in the Super Bowl LIV halftime show, "Whenever, Wherever" was the best-selling, garnering 4,000 downloads, a 1,194% increase over the prior day. The next-best-selling song was "Hips Don't Lie", which garnered 2,000 downloads, an increase 1,126% over the previous day. Alpha Data also said "Whenever, Wherever" was the biggest-selling of the show's songs in sales on the day of the performance, with 4,000 downloads, a 1,349% increase over the previous day. Alpha Data also found in regards to all industry-wide song sales on the day of the performance, "Wherever, Whenever" was the third-best-selling song; "Hips Don't Lie" was the fourth-best selling song; and "Waka Waka " was the tenth-best-selling song. Alpha Data reported "She Wolf" had a 3,000% increase in sales on the day of the show, the greatest percentage increase of any of the songs performed. It also reported Lopez saw 6,000 in sales of her songs that were included in the show on the day of the performance. "On the Floor" sold 1,600 copies on the day of the performance.
The artists' music also experienced a spike on streaming platforms. Amazon reported Amazon Alexa requests for Lopez's music on Amazon Music rose 426% and that requests for Shakira rose 303%. Compared with the previous Sunday, streams of Lopez's tracks on Amazon Music rose 432% while streams of Shakira's tracks rose 150%. On Spotify, streams for Lopez’s music rose more than 335%, and Shakira’s music rose by approximately 230%. The song with the greatest increase in streams on Spotify was Shakira's "Empire", with an increase of 2,135%. Alpha Data found that "Hips Don't Lie was the most streamed of the songs included in the show, with 1.8 million on-demand audio streams on the day of and the day following the performance. "She Wolf" saw a 500% increase in sales in the 24 hours after the show. Alpha Data reported that Lopez's "On the Floor" was streamed 830,000 within 24 hours of the show.
Rolling Stone and Forbes reported after the broadcast, Shakira's catalogue benefited the most across music charts. The official video of the show on YouTube had 30 million views in its first 24 hours, entering the top 20 of most viewed videos and topping YouTube's "trending" charts in many countries. Within four days, it had over 100 million views and became the seventh-fastest-growing music-related video of all time, and also became the most-watched Super Bowl halftime performance of all time on Youtube, overtaking the Super Bowl 50 halftime show, which had 82 million views. As of June 2020, the performance has accumulated more than 170 million views.

Set list

;Shakira
  1. "She Wolf"
  2. "Empire"
  3. "Ojos Así"
  4. "Whenever, Wherever"
  5. "I Like It"
  6. "Chantaje"
  7. "Hips Don't Lie"
;Jennifer Lopez
  2. "Jenny from the Block"
  3. "Ain't It Funny "
  4. "Get Right"
  5. "Waiting for Tonight"
  6. "Que Calor" / "Mi Gente"
  7. "On the Floor"
;Shakira and Jennifer Lopez
  2. "Let's Get Loud"
  3. "Waka Waka "
Set list adapted from Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports.