Besides the memorable touchdowns, spirals, and new movie trailers, Super Bowl LVIII turned out to be a music hub extravaganza. Though each year celebrities make their way to the big game, this year was stacked with known names, and of course, Taylor Swift cheering from the stands.
One might thank the pop icon for opening up a new demographic for such an old sport, but this phenomenon should best be attributed to a longtime all-star. USHER and his halftime performance had many remembering the star power this R&B supernova has always had.
Past multiple eras of genre-changing and radio-topping hits, USHER brought the house down with iconic songs that turned on everyone’s muscle memory. Guest appearances on the stage from Alica Keys, H.E.R., Lil Jon’ and Ludacris, displayed an impeccable ode to the past and present of USHER’s music career. Songs like “Caught Up” and “My Boo” keep up with USHER’s Romeo love-bug persona, but “OMG” and “Yeah!” pull full stops to his bad boy party atmosphere.
Previous to 1980, the Super Bowl was pretty much a set cut, a televised game with a small intermission but no actual entertainment to add depth to the three-hour game. Its first performers consisted of marching bands starting in 1960 until 1980 when Michael Jackson was crowned as the first Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner. Memorable performers like Janet Jackson, Madonna, and The Weekend have all embodied the halftime show-crafted experience, and many hope Taylor Swift will be next.
Swift has been a notable addition to each Kansas City Chiefs game due to her relationship with tight-end Travis Kelce. For Super Bowl LVIII, she was accompanied by Ice Spice and longtime friend Blake Lively, as well as Lana Del Rey. Also in attendance were Wicked cast members Ariana Grande and Cynthia Ervio who got a jumbotron shoutout. Other stars like Lady Gaga and Justin Beiber were in attendance for the game but the real show-stopper was Beyonce.
After the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show, in collaboration with Verizon, Beyonce released a commercial that highlighted the announcement of Act Two of her three-act album run “Renaissance”. Alongside the announcement she released two singles that opened up her country roots on this project, “Texas Hold’ Em” and “16 Carriages”.
Superbowl LVIII also featured a range of singers and genres. Reba McEntire opened up the game with a rustic cover of the national anthem. Post Malone continued the cowboy triumph with an acoustic rendition of “America the Beautiful”. Fitting in with Black History Month, Andra Day’s spectacular gospel vibrato was displayed on “Lift Every Voice and Sing”.
It will be a few more months until football season ramps up again, but without a doubt, it won’t be the last of Swift and Kelce.
