Everything You Need to Know about the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show

This morning, millions of people will be settling around their TVs to watch the annual Super Bowl – the NFL game to end all NFL games. If you’re not too familiar with American football, you might be familiar with the Super Bowl halftime show, which always features a prominent artist putting on the performance of their life. And this year, it’s Usher.

Here’s what you need to know about the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime show and its history.

When did the Super Bowl Halftime show start?

The first Super Bowl was held in 1967, and even back then, the Halftime show was a thing. In the early days, it was traditional for a local university marching band to perform during the halftime break. In the 1990s, this started to change with major artists taking the spotlight, starting with New Kids on the Block.

Since then, the Super Bowl Halftime show has become a massive event, sometimes overshadowing the game itself.

Who has performed at the Super Bowl Halftime show?

Dozens of the music industry’s top artists have taken on the mammoth task of the Halftime show. There are many unconventional pairings of artists and bands you won’t see anywhere apart from the Super Bowl.

Here’s a list of artists starting with what we consider to be the first “major” performance in 1990.

• 1991 – New Kids on the Block
• 1992 – Gloria Estefan
• 1993 – Michael Jackson
• 1994 – Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, The Judds
• 1995 – Pattia LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass, Tony Bennett
• 1996 – Diana Ross
• 1997 – The Blues Brothers, ZZ Top, James Brown
• 1998 – Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves, Queen Latifah, The Temptations
• 1999 – Gloria Estefan, Stevie Wonder
• 2000 – Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton
• 2001 – Aerosmith, NSYNC
• 2002 – U2
• 2003 – Shania Twain, No Doubt
• 2004 – Janet Jackson, P. Diddy, Nelly, Kid Rock, Justin Timberlake, Jessica Simpson
• 2005 – Paul McCartney
• 2006 – The Rolling Stones
• 2007 – Prince
• 2008 – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
• 2009 – Bruce Springsteen
• 2010 – The Who
• 2011 – The Black Eyed Peas
• 2012 – Madonna
• 2013 – Beyonce
• 2014 – Bruno Mars
• 2015 – Katy Perry
• 2016 – Coldplay
• 2017 – Lady Gaga
• 2018 – Justin Timberlake
• 2019 – Maroon 5
• 2020 – Shakira, Jennifer Lopez
• 2021 – The Weeknd
• 2022 – Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar
• 2023 – Rihanna

Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show and setlist

Headlining 2023’s Super Bowl Halftime show was the unstoppable Rihanna, who performed an incredible 12-song medley that included singing, dancing and platform work, all whilst pregnant. Queen!

This performance actually broke records as the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show on television ever, with over 121 million viewers.

Rihanna’s setlist for the 2023 Halftime show included a mash-up of the following:

• ‘B**** Better Have My Money’
• ‘Where Have You Been?’
• ‘Only Girl in the World’
• ‘We Found Love’
• ‘Rude Boy’
• ‘Work’
• ‘Wild Thoughts’
• ‘Pour It Up’
• ‘All of the Lights’
• ‘Run This Town’
• ‘Umbrella’
• ‘Diamonds’

You can experience the full performance for yourself on YouTube.

Who performs the Super Bowl National Anthem?

Another important musical performance at the Super Bowl is the U.S. National Anthem, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’, which is performed before the start of the game.

Notable performers of the national anthem at the Super Bowl include Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Cher, Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Idina Menzel, Lady Gaga and Demi Lovato.

In 2024, the Super Bowl national anthem will be performed by the “Queen of Country”, Reba McEntire.

How much do artists get paid for the Super Bowl?

Considering it’s one of the biggest sports events of the year, you’d think that artists would be earning a pretty penny for performing at the Super Bowl. But, one of the most surprising facts about the Halftime show is that artists perform for free.

It’s a tradition that was established at the first Super Bowl in the 1960s. The NFL does not pay an artist fee, but will instead cover all production costs of the performance, which can sometimes cost many millions of dollars.

What’s the trade-off then? Well, statistics have shown that after a Super Bowl Halftime performance, record sales often skyrocket for the headlining artist, plus there’s the exposure of performing on one of the most-watched television events of the year.

So, while there is no initial financial incentive, there are revenue returns in other ways.

Who is performing at the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime show?

Super Bowl LVIII is taking place on February 12 in Australia, and, as always, there will be a Halftime Show to talk about.

Usher is set to headline the halftime show this year and gave Good Morning America a tease of his performance, saying, “It’s a major thing for me. I think about what our country has kind of represented for Black artists, you know, having to at some point go through kitchens to even be able to perform for an audience, but they had to leave back through that same door, fear for their lives as they went to the next state to do the same thing. So I’m coming through the front door with this one… I didn’t start where I am now, and I didn’t get there by myself. So, everybody that has been a part of it, I’m carrying them with me.”

The setlist for Usher’s Super Bowl Halftime show is under wraps, but with hits like ‘Confessions Part II’, ‘There Goes My Baby’, ‘U Got It Bad’ and ‘Yeah!’ there’s no shortage of options.

The performance will take place between the first and second halves of the game (duh). With NFL games lasting around 60 minutes (made up of four 15-minute quarters), you can expect the Halftime show at around 30 minutes in, although there are plenty of Super Bowl ads that will extend that time.

If you can’t catch the performance live, you’ll be able to find it later on YouTube or Apple Music.

Additionally, while speaking at the official Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show Press Conference in Las Vegas, Usher revealed that

he has been working on a short film with Apple Music titled Where’s USHER? He explained to Apple Music Radio host Nadeska Alexis:

“There’s also, too, a documentary crew that’s been collecting all of the moments that have happened. There’s cameras around us at all times, looking at the process that we went through. You get a chance to see from the first moment that I got the call all the way up to the moment that I walk off the stage. At least that’s the idea. But I am definitely, you know, went through a lot of ideas of who I would have share this moment with me. And I do feel like the people who are gonna share it deserve just as much recognition for what they do in their careers, whether we have collaborated together or whether they’ve had moments of their own.”

You can find all the details you need to watch the 2024 Super Bowl here.

Lead Image Credit: Photo by David Becker/Getty Images Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

This article has been updated since its original publish date.