Super Bowl LIV halftime show

Super Bowl LIV halftime show

Part of	Super Bowl LIV
Date	February 2, 2020 (2020-02-02)
Location	Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S.
Venue	Hard Rock Stadium
Headliner	Jennifer Lopez Shakira
Special guests	J Balvin Bad Bunny Emme Muñiz
Producers	NFL Network Jay-Z Roc Nation
Super Bowl halftime show chronology
LIII (2019) LIV (2020) LV (2021)

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 Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, and included guest appearances by J Balvin, Bad Bunny, 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 Jennifer Lopez and Shakira 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

Hard Rock Stadium

Ricky Kirshner 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

Shakira opened the show atop at a platform on the stage, clothed in a "tiny red sequin dress". She started her set with a performance of "She Wolf", surrounded by a group of dancers, before transitioning into a performance of "Empire", during which she played the electric guitar. The song featured elements of “Inevitable” & Led Zeppelin's “Kashmir”. She then performed a routine in which she wrapped a rope around her wrists while belly dancing to an instrumental of "Ojos Así". This was followed by a performance of "Whenever, Wherever", after which she was joined on stage by guest Bad Bunny. Shakira performed a cover of Bad Bunny's song "I Like It" with the rapper, before they also sang Shakira's "Chantaje" together. The final section of Shakira's set saw her perform "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, clothed in a black leather bodysuit. After rising from "skyscraper-turned-stripper pole", she performed "Jenny from the Block", followed by "Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)", while backed by dancers. Following a performance of "Get Right", Lopez underwent a costume change into a "sparkling" catsuit and sang "Waiting for Tonight (Hex's Momentous Radio Mix)" 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".

Before her daughter, Emme Muñiz, appeared on stage to sing "Let's Get Loud" (with a snippet of Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A.") as Lopez was in front of an all-girl choir; Shakira also returned to play the drums. During this section of Lopez's set, she was wrapped in a feather cape that featured both the Puerto Rican and American flags, while children on the field appeared in "cage like structures". The latter was viewed as a statement on the U.S.-Mexico border crisis.

Shakira, now clothed in a "short golden outfit", subsequently performed "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" during a dance routine of champeta. Lopez then returned to the stage for "Aguanile" by Héctor Lavoe as a "Vegas-style salsa number", where she was joined by Colombian salsa dance group Swing Latino, before both of the headlining acts ended the performance with "synchronized shimmies".

Critical response

Jon Pareles of the The New York Times gave the performance a positive review, declaring that it was an improvement over the previous year's halftime. He called the performance "a no-nonsense affirmation of Latin pride and cultural diversity in a political climate where immigrants and American Latinos have been widely demonized." He declared that, "Shakira and Lopez were Latina superwomen, smiling pop conquistadoras backed by phalanxes of dancers", calling the show "euphoria with a purpose." David Bauder of the Associated Press wrote that Lopez and Shakira "infused the Super Bowl halftime show with an exuberance and joy that celebrated their Latina heritage." Bauder also felt that "Their breathless athleticism matched that of the football players waiting in the locker room", but called J Balvin 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 that 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 that, "In a high-energy mix of music, dance and sequins, Lopez and Shakira (and several teams worth of back-up dancers) 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 conceded that 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". Meanwhile, Fry wrote that "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 fast-pace of her performance "furious".

In some reviews, particularly among conservative and Christian audiences, reaction was more negative. Andrea Widburg of American Thinker wrote that the show was "polished, highly produced – and vulgar," also commenting that in light of the sexualized gestures far beyond typical Latin dance moves, "it was bizarre to have the show end with a chorus of sweet-faced girls (including J-Lo's own daughter) 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." Author Megan Fox, writing for PJ Media, called for the Federal Communications Commission to levy massive fines on Fox for the performance (specifically citing Lopez's outfit as constituting nudity) and compared it unfavorably to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy. Evangelist Franklin Graham decried that 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 "[e]mbarrassing for everyone [she was] with — looking away, etc." In a USA Today op-ed, Gil Smart stated that the show, "should have come with a parental warning," noting 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." However, some prominent Republicans from Florida praised the show, including political strategist and commentator Ana Navarro, Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott and former governor Jeb Bush. An investigation by Dallas-Fort Worth television station WFAA later found that viewers filed more than 1,300 complaints to the FCC over the content of the halftime show.

Commercial reception

In the United States, the Super Bowl LIV halftime show attracted 103 million viewers, an increase of 4% compared to 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 saw a significant spike, with over 1 million tweets mentioning Lopez and Shakira, a 431% increase from the previous year's 127,576 mentions about Maroon 5. According to statistics, out of the 1,114,545 tweets mentioning the halftime show, 69% of them expressed a positive sentiment, with 38% of tweets expressing joy and 8% expressing love.

Both Lopez and Shakira's music experienced increased sales. According to an initial sales report by Nielsen Music, the songs performed in the show experienced a collective 1,013% sales increase in the United States on February 2, increasing to 16,000 digital downloads, up from just over 1,000 the day prior. The numbers given by Alpha Data, the spike in songs sales was 1,000%, with the songs performed in the show alone increasing 1,374% in sales over the previous day, selling more than 17,000 copies. Per Nielsen Music biggest-selling of the songs performed on the day of the Super Bowl was "Whenever, Wherever", which garnered 4,000 downloads (a 1,194% increase over the prior day), followed by "Hips Don't Lie", which garnered 2,000 downloads (an increase 1,126% over the prior day). Alpha Data also found "Whenever, Wherever" to have been the biggest-selling of the songs performed in sales on the day of the performance, with 4,000 downloads (which it found to be a 1,349% increase over the prior day). It was also found by Alpha Data that, 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 (This Time for Africa)" was the tenth best-selling song. Alpha Data reported that "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. Alpha Data also reported that Lopez alone saw 6,000 in sales of her songs included in the show on the day of the performance. Alpha Data reported that "On the Floor" sold 1,600 copies on the day of the performance.

Their music also experienced a spike on streaming platforms. Amazon reported that Amazon Alexa requests for Lopez's music on Amazon Music rose 426%, and that requests for Shakira rose 303%. In total, compared with the previous Sunday, streams for Lopez on Amazon Music rose 432%, while streams for Shakira 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 that Shakira's catalogue benefited the most across music charts after the broadcast. The official upload of the show to YouTube gathered 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 4 days, it had gathered over 100 million views and became the 7th 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 with 82 million views for the top spot. As of February 2020, the performance has accumulated more than 140 million views.

Set list

Shakira

1. "She Wolf" (contains elements of "Dare (La La La)")
2. "Empire" (contains elements of "Inevitable" and "Kashmir")
3. "Ojos Así"
4. "Whenever, Wherever"
5. "I Like It" (with Bad Bunny; contains elements of “En Barranquilla Me Quedo”)
6. "Chantaje" (with Bad Bunny; contains elements of "Callaíta")
7. "Hips Don't Lie"

Jennifer Lopez

7. "Jenny from the Block"
8. "Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)"
9. "Get Right"
10. "Waiting for Tonight"
11. "Que Calor" / "Mi Gente" (with J Balvin; contains elements of "Booty", "El Anillo", "Love Don't Cost a Thing" and "Lento")
12. "On the Floor"

Shakira and Jennifer Lopez

13. "Let's Get Loud" (with Emme Muñiz; contains elements of "Born in the U.S.A.")
14. "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" (contains elements of "Icha")

Set list adapted from Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports.

See also

• 2020 in American television