LOS ANGELES – The Super Bowl is just four days away. It’s one of the greatest spectacles in all of sports, but it annually proves to be about much more than just the game.
This year, plenty of fans await the star-studded Super Bowl Halftime Show.
A collaboration between Pepsi, hip hop mogul Jay-Z and Roc Nation, the show features performances by Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Mary J. Blige. The lineup, which was announced last fall, accounts for 43 Grammys and 22 No. 1 Billboard albums in what’s been billed as “an unforgettable cultural moment,” according to the NFL.
It also marks a SoCal homecoming for three of the performers with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar all from the Los Angeles area.
Fans Wednesday said they’re very much looking forward to this year’s hip hop showcase at halftime and reflected on some of their favorite shows in Super Bowl history.
“Favorite halftime performance definitely was The Weeknd (in 2021),” one woman said.
“It comes from Pasadena and it was Michael Jackson — I think it was 1993 — so right in my backyard and one of my favorite artists of all time,” one man said. “Hands down the best.”
“That would definitely have to be Prince (in 2007),” another woman said. “It was raining and it was just amazing. He still gave an awesome show and it was just my favorite by far.”
Including this year, Los Angeles County has played host to eight total Super Bowls and is no stranger to welcoming music’s finest for a halftime showcase, even as it has evolved from early iterations.
These were the performers in the previous seven games held in the L.A. area:
- Super Bowl I (Jan. 15, 1967): University of Arizona Symphonic Marching Band, Grambling State University Marching Band, Al Hirt and Anaheim High School Ana-Hi-Steppers Drill Team and Flag Girls;
- Super Bowl VII (Jan. 14, 1973): University of Michigan Marching Band, Woody Herman and Andy Williams;
- Super Bowl XI (Jan. 9, 1977): Los Angeles Unified All-City Band with the New Mouseketeers;
- Super Bowl XIV (Jan. 20, 1980): Up with People and the Grambling State University Marching Bands;
- Super Bowl XVII (Jan. 30, 1983): Los Angeles Super Drill Team;
- Super Bowl XXI (Jan. 25, 1987): George Burns, Mickey Rooney, marching bands from Grambling State University and the University of Southern California, Southern California high school drill teams and dancers, and various Disney characters; and
- Super Bowl XXVII (Jan. 31, 1993): Michael Jackson.
Sunday’s game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT and will be aired live on NBC.