Super Bowl 50 half-time show: what to watch out for
With Coldplay and Beyonce doing the honours this time around, what can we expect?
The greatest spectacle on earth – as the Americans like to call it – is nearly upon us: the Super Bowl. And while the Panthers and the Broncos will be battling it out on the field in the annual National Football League (NFL) championship game, harmony will break out at Levi's Stadium in California with the dazzling half-time show.
Star attraction this year is Britain's Coldplay, with 2013 headliner Beyonce giving them a helping hand.
So what can we expect from the half-time hullabaloo?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What is the half-time show?
It is a 12-minute performance from some of the world's biggest music superstars. Often "gargantuanly cheesy", says the BBC, the half-time show pulls in up to 115 million viewers – more, with the YouTube views.
It hasn't always been the slick extravaganza we will see on Sunday. In the early years, the music was provided by university marching bands while a Walt Disney parade was about as glitzy as it got. "It was decades before the NFL realised that the half-time show plays not to the stadium but to the camera," says the New York Times.
When is it?
The American football will start on Sunday at 11.30pm GMT and is being shown live on the BBC, if you can stay awake. The half-time show will therefore be on at about 1am, depending on stoppages (and the lights staying on – which did not happen in the 2012 season).
What can we expect from Chris Martin and co?
Coldplay's taciturn singer has been relatively vocal about the upcoming performance, saying how much the band was looking forward to playing live with Beyonce, who has collaborated on two songs for their upcoming album.
Bruno Mars is also rumoured to be making an appearance, with the Uptown Funk singer mentioned in a recent interview by Martin about the event.
What are some of the most memorable performances?
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"90465","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
In 2004, Janet Jackson performed alongside a rather hot and heavy Justin Timberlake, which resulted in the term "wardrobe malfunction" entering cultural consciousness. As the performers reached their denouement, the Senorita singer ripped his co-performer's top, baring Jackson's nipple to the world. A pity, says Billboard, as "bedazzled breast or not, you have to admit that J&J put on a pretty kick-ass show. It's a shame all anyone remembers is the last two seconds".
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"90466","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
Janet's brother Michael's 1993 show is remembered as the pre-cursor to the over-the-top performances we see today. A smash hit-filled medley concluded with the crowd unveiling drawings created by children in Los Angeles as Michael bellowed out Heal the World.
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"90467","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
Coldplay could do well to follow the example of fellow rockers U2 – whose performance just months after September 11 was credited as revitalising their career. Coming to the end of a raucous performance of Where The Streets Have No Name against a backdrop of the names of all those who had died in the attacks, lead singer Bono unveiled the stars-and-stripes lining of his jacket, to a rapturous ovation.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What message is Trump sending with his Cabinet picks?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION By nominating high-profile loyalists like Matt Gaetz and RFK Jr., is Trump serious about creating a functioning Cabinet, or does he have a different plan in mind?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Wyoming judge strikes down abortion, pill bans
Speed Read The judge said the laws — one of which was a first-in-the-nation prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy — violated the state's constitution
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US sanctions Israeli West Bank settler group
Speed Read The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Amana, Israel's largest settlement development organization
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published