Super Bowl LVII halftime show

The Super Bowl LVII halftime show, officially known as the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show, took place on February 12, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, as part of Super Bowl LVII. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by Fox, Fox Deportes, and the Fox Sports and NFL apps, and was the first Super Bowl halftime show to be sponsored by Apple Music. Barbadian singer Rihanna headlined the show.[1][2]

Super Bowl LVII halftime show
Part ofSuper Bowl LVII
DateFebruary 12, 2023
LocationGlendale, Arizona, U.S.
VenueState Farm Stadium
HeadlinerRihanna
SponsorApple Music
Super Bowl halftime show chronology
LVI
(2022)		 LVII
(2023)		 LVIII
(2024)

Background and overview

In October 2019, Rihanna revealed to Vogue that she had turned down an offer from the National Football League (NFL) to perform at the Super Bowl LIII halftime show in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. In 2016, Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem at the start of NFL games in protest of police brutality and racial inequality in the United States. He later filed a grievance against the NFL and its owners in November 2017, accusing them of colluding to keep him out of the league. Kaepernick withdrew the grievance in February 2019, ahead of Super Bowl LIII, after reaching a confidential settlement with the NFL.[3]

On September 22, 2022, the NFL announced that the new naming rights sponsor for the Super Bowl halftime show would be Apple Music starting with Super Bowl LVII, replacing sponsor Pepsi.[4] On September 25, 2022, the NFL announced that Rihanna would headline the halftime show.[5] The performance would be Rihanna's first live performance in five years since appearing at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in 2018.[6] In an interview with Apple Music's Nadeska Alexis, several days before the halftime show, Rihanna said she was on the 39th version of the show's set list.[7]

In the days leading up to the halftime show, Rihanna teased in an interview with Nate Burleson that she might bring out a "surprise" guest.[8] It was confirmed following the show that she was pregnant with her second child.[9] Rihanna's performance at the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show have gained a total of 118.7 million viewers across TV and digital platforms, making it the second most-watched halftime show in history behind Katy Perry's performance at the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show.[10]

Reception

Chris Richards of The Washington Post believed Rihanna "made the biggest show of her life look easy.[11] Rating it 5 stars out of five, Mark Beaumont of The Independent called the gig "a roaring success".[12] Jason Lamphier of Entertainment Weekly called it a "low-stakes return" for Rihanna, offering a "slick, chic, serviceable survey of some of pop's best offerings of the past two decades."[13] The Daily Beast's Coleman Spilde argued "Rihanna's performance may not have had the same level of spectacle as her peers, but it was distinctly Rihanna. She let the world move around her, showing off decades of power and influence like she was simply clocking into work."[14] Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield highlighted Rihanna's charisma as the reason why the show worked well without any guests or surprises. He however noted that "two consecutive Kanye songs", "All of the Lights" and "Run This Town" seemed "mighty strange".[15] The San Diego Union-Tribune's George Varga opined that the show was "more a triumph of choreography" than music, adding that "Rihanna crammed so many songs — make that, parts of songs — into her set that few of them had a chance to breathe, let alone gain traction and take flight."[16] At NJ.com, Bobby Olivier criticized the setlist choices and felt Rihanna lacked showmanship, opining that "this halftime show will go down as one of the lamest offerings in recent memory."[17]

The Athletic ranked it as the third best halftime show ever,[18] while Rolling Stone ranked it the eighth.[19]

Set list
  1. "Bitch Better Have My Money" (with elements of "Phresh Out the Runway")
  2. "Where Have You Been" / "Only Girl (In the World)" (with elements of "Cockiness (Love It)")
  3. "We Found Love" (with elements of "S&M")
  4. "Rude Boy" (DJ Klean remix; with elements of "Kiss It Better")
  5. "Work"
  6. "Wild Thoughts"
  7. "Pour It Up" (with elements of "Birthday Cake", "Numb", and "Pose")
  8. "All of the Lights"
  9. "Run This Town"
  10. "Umbrella"
  11. "Diamonds"

Set list adapted from Today.[20]

References
  1. "Ready for Rihanna? Here's what to know about her 2023 Super Bowl halftime show". Los Angeles Times. February 10, 2023. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  2. Masley, Ed. "Rihanna dishes on Super Bowl halftime show: 'If it flops or flies, my name has to stand by that'". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  3. "Rihanna Talks Fenty, That Long-Awaited Album, and President Trump". Vogue. October 9, 2019. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  4. Tinoco, Armando (September 23, 2022). "NFL Announces Apple Music As New Super Bowl Halftime Show Sponsor Replacing Pepsi". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  5. Hipes, Patrick (September 25, 2022). "Rihanna Set To Headline Super Bowl Halftime Show". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  6. Legaspi, Jon Blistein,Althea; Blistein, Jon; Legaspi, Althea (February 13, 2023). "Rihanna Delivers Glitzy Super Bowl Halftime Show". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  7. Mamo, Heran (February 9, 2023). "Rihanna Says She Had '39 Versions' of Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Setlist: 'It's Gonna Be a Celebration of My Catalog'". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  8. "Rihanna, 'surprise guest' deliver perfect Super Bowl halftime show". FOX Sports. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  9. "Rihanna Is Pregnant, Rep Confirms Following Super Bowl Halftime Show". The Hollywood Reporter. February 13, 2023. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  10. Reedy, Joe (February 13, 2023). "This year's Super Bowl was the third-most watched in history—and Rihanna's stunning half-time show did even better". Fortune. Archived from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  11. Richards, Chris (February 12, 2023). "Rihanna won big at the Super Bowl — and without losing her mystique". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  12. Beaumont, Mark (February 13, 2023). "Super Bowl halftime show review: Rihanna delivered a mash-up of her greatest hits – and a surprise guest". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  13. Lamphier, Jason (February 13, 2023). "Super Bowl 2023 halftime show review: Rihanna makes a slick, elevated, low-stakes return". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  14. Spilde, Coleman (February 13, 2023). "Pregnant Rihanna's Halftime Show Reminded Us Why We Need Her So Badly". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  15. Sheffield, Rob (February 13, 2023). "Rihanna's DGAF Energy Was Off the Charts at Her Super Bowl Halftime Show". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  16. Varga, George (February 13, 2023). "Review: Rihanna fumbled her Super Bowl halftime show, rushing through snippets of 13 songs in 13 minutes". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  17. Olivier, Bobby (February 13, 2023). "Super Bowl 2023 halftime show review: Rihanna, please stop the music". NJ.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  18. Walker, Rhiannon. "Super Bowl halftime shows ranked: How Rihanna's performance compares to Beyoncé and Prince". The Athletic. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  19. Sheffield, Rob (February 13, 2023). "Every Super Bowl Halftime Show, Ranked From Worst to Best". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  20. Nicolaou, Elena (February 12, 2023). "Every song in Rihanna's Super Bowl Halftime show setlist". TODAY. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
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