How the Super Bowl Halftime Show Became Music's Biggest Stage
It started with college marching bands. A TV rival and Michael Jackson turned it into the most-watched concert of the year.
For many viewers, the Super Bowl halftime show is as big an event as the game itself. Performers get about 13 minutes and an audience of well over 100 million. It wasn't always this way.
Marching bands and jazz
At the first Super Bowl, in January 1967, the halftime entertainment featured the marching bands of the University of Arizona and Grambling State University, along with jazz trumpeter Al Hirt. For years afterwards, halftime meant college bands, drill teams and themed pageants. The wholesome group Up with People performed several times in the 1970s and 1980s.
The show that changed everything
In 1992, the Fox network aired a live special episode of its comedy show In Living Color during the Super Bowl halftime, and millions of viewers switched channels. The NFL realized it needed a bigger draw.
A year later, in January 1993, Michael Jackson headlined the halftime show at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. He famously stood perfectly still for well over a minute before singing a note, and his performance turned halftime into a must-see event. Since then, the biggest names in music have taken the stage.
Surprising facts
- Performers aren't paid a big fee. Headliners are reportedly paid around union scale; the exposure to a giant audience is the real reward, and the NFL covers production costs.
- The stage is built in minutes. Crews assemble and remove the stage on the field in only a few minutes before and after the show.
- Streams spike afterwards. Performers' songs usually jump in streaming and sales in the days after the game.
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