The upcoming Super Bowl halftime show will feature Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, but fifty five years ago when the Super Bowl first started, the halftime show was a very different type of performance.

The halftime performance during the first Super Bowl, held in 1967, consisted of a marching band from the University of Alabama. In fact, the first nine Super Bowl halftime shows featured marching bands. Although current performances are moving away from having marching bands, some artists have included marching bands in their performances, such as the 2018 show with Justin Timberlake and the University of Minnesota marching band. Now, the halftime shows tend to feature popular artists, including Beyonce, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Shakira.

Even though artists who perform at the Super Bowl halftime show are extremely well known, they do not get paid. This is because the Super Bowl has so many viewers that the performers make an immense amount of money just from being in it. The Super Bowl is the most-watched sporting event in America, with an average of 106 million viewers each year over the past ten years. When Lady Gaga performed in 2017, her sales in music streams went up 1000% just one day after the show. Also, the NFL pays for all costs to run the show, and with extravagant features, such as flying into the stadium, this can get very expensive. Although the NFL has spent over $10 million in recent years on performances, the Weeknd, who performed in 2021, wanted additions to his show and spent $7 million of his own money.

On September 30th, 2021, it was announced that Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar will be performing the halftime show at the Super Bowl in 2022. This year, the Super Bowl is being held at SoFi Stadium where both the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams play, and tickets are currently priced at a minimum of $5,950 and go higher than $13, 600. 

With multiple famous performers, in contrast to the typical one or two, the halftime show is already highly anticipated. As one excited fan Tweeted, “This is hands down the greatest Super Bowl halftime show of all time.” Timberlane students are also looking forward to the event, saying “That’s crazy I’m so hype” and describing it as “wild”.

This year will be the first time five individual artists have performed together at the show, and these artists have a combined 43 Grammy Awards. As Dr. Dre said, “The opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime show, and to do it in my own backyard, will be one of the biggest thrills of my career. I’m grateful to JAY-Z, Roc Nation, the NFL, and Pepsi as well as Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar for joining me in what will be an unforgettable cultural moment.”