Home Top Posts Details Of The Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show That Fans Missed

Details Of The Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show That Fans Missed

Monica February 14, 2023

Similar to last year’s Super Bowl and its halftime show, this year’s show was arguably even more bombastic. Rhianna announced her pregnancy and proved that she doesn’t need the Super Bowl, the Super Bowl needs her. Rhianna’s performance transcended the sports world and took its viewers to a place far beyond sports. In her shining red getup, you never would have thought she hadn’t performed in nearly five years.

Rhianna’s performance was no-nonsense. She didn’t waste one second getting right to business with her hip-industrial dance moves on levitating platforms that flew high into the stadium sky. We’ve seen it before, but Rhianna took it to another level with her puffy red jumpsuit and background dancers dressed the same but in white contrast. Rhianna nearly blew us away with her performance, but it’s easy to miss some of the details when you’re enthralled by the performance. So we’ve got your back. Check out all the Super Bowl LVI details you missed right here.

The First Pregnant Woman To Perform At The Super Bowl

You’d never think Rhianna had a bud in the oven with the way she danced on stage at the Super Bowl. It turns out she’s pregnant with her second child from A$AP Rocky, making her the first pregnant woman to ever perform at the Super Bowl. During the Super Bowl, at the end of her halftime performance, she revealed this news to the crowd. It was a big surprise for mostly everyone, even her staff. She managed to keep it a secret the entire time. We’re not sure how she managed to hide her bump during rehearsal, but the star was sneaky. Talk about a mic drop (via Global News)!

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Rhianna’s Stage Outfit

Rhianna’s carefully chosen outfit for her halftime performance strategically hid her baby bump. The overalls were slung at just the right angle to hide her belly and not reveal the secret too early on. Viewers of the halftime show speculated when they saw a bump, wondering if she was pregnant or simply normalizing a postpartum body as she recently had her first child. Some people solely focused on that minute detail during the entire halftime show. Many watchers asked why it mattered what her body looks like and just wanted to enjoy the show (via News Yahoo).

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Rhianna’s Pregnancy Was ‘Patriotic’

If we look at it from a certain point of view, Rhianna’s pregnancy was symbolic and patriotic. This Tweet nailed it. Expecting a woman to work during her pregnancy is pretty American, even if she did choose to do the halftime show. Even though the show was only 13 minutes, she had to prep for weeks beforehand. Based on her performance, you’d never know the star was pregnant. She took pregnancy to an entirely new level. So now there are no excuses for American women who want pregnancy leave, are there (via News Yahoo)? That’s not really how it works, but Rhianna’s dedication to her craft was admirable nonetheless.

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One Of Rhianna’s Goals

Rhianna wanted to show her son a performance of representation. After agreeing to perform, she teetered with regret. But that regret turned into motivation as she realized she could use this performance to represent black women, immigrants, and her country. In that sense, her performance was one of the most meaningful to date. Rhianna said, “That’s a big part of why I want to do this show, representing for my country, representing for immigrants, representing for black people. That’s a big part of why I wanted to do it.” There was way more to Rhianna’s performance than meets the eye, and arguably a lot more depth to her performance than any of the previous year’s shows (via Mirror).

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Rhianna’s Motivation

A celebrity, nervous? It almost sounds impossible, but it’s more possible than we think. Rhianna admitted she was nervous to perform at the Super Bowl considering it had been so many years since she performed. The star already has one child and has another on the way. She said, “when you become a mom, there’s something that just happens where you feel like you can take on the world, you can do anything. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world… and I need to do it this year. It’s important for representation. My son needs to see that.” Her son, plus millions around the world, did (via Telegraph).

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Seven Platforms Ranging from 15 to 60 Feet

Rhianna strategically performed across seven platforms, all ranging from 15 to 60 feet tall. Even though it was part of the theatrics, there was actually another reason she did this. It kept her off the grass, which is a bonus for not only the viewers but for the players in the game too. The glowing LED platforms made her look pretty cool, with an unmatchable, industrial, futuristic look. That’s one way to make sure you’re the star of the show (via Wired).

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It Was Rhianna’s First Performance Since 2018

If Rhianna is basically out of commission, why was she chosen to perform at the Super Bowl? For a multitude of reasons, but according to Jay-Z, founder of Roc Nation, “Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn. A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment.” She was asked to perform at the Super Bowl in 2019 but declined the offer, which is why this one is so special (via Sporting News).

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Rhianna’s Performance Gained Fantastic Reviews

Twitter blew up with praise for Rhianna’s performance, Some of the biggest names in the sports and music industry were quick to Tweet about her performance. This love spread like rapid fire across the internet, who gave the star her much-deserved compliment. Fans like LeBron James, JJ Watt, Tyler Boyd, and Halle Berry were just a few of several celebrities to Tweet about the star’s Super Bowl halftime performance (via Bleacher Report).

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The NFL Especially Loved Her

Just as celebrities across the globe praised Rhianna, so did the NFL. It sounds like they were star-struck during her performance, and even Tweeted a small clip of her dancing on one of seven platforms hovering above the center of the stadium. Even they were blown away by her performance. It’s starting to look like she was nearly more of a star than the football players (via Twitter).

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Rhianna Also Gained Nasty Reviews

If you missed it, we’ll let you in on a secret. Rhianna had a quick crotch grab during her performance that sparked a lot of nasty feedback from fans around the world. Some even say she smelled her fingers afterward. While half of Twitter blew up with praise for the singer, the other half blew up with negative comments, reminding Rhianna that kids watch the halftime show, too. It sparked the Super Bowl 2023 controversy. According to MSN, “some of the reactions were reminiscent of the backlash Jennifer Lopez received after she performed a similar gesture during her Super Bowl halftime show in 2020.” The reviews got even worse, with some people even saying, “Apparently I’m the only person on Twitter who thinks Rihanna’s halftime show was terrible. Why is she touching her crotch in a show kids are watching? And why are her backup dancers dressed like hazmat COVID freaks that do those gross brain swab tests?” If they were so angry about the show, why did they continue watching (via NY Post)?

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The Crotch Grab Got More Calls Than The Football Game

The crotch grab rustled so many feathers over at Twitter, that people phoned in about it more than the actual game. The executive producer of “Boomer & Carton” on Audacy, Al Dukes, tweeted, “Sports Talk Radio: We are getting more calls on Rihanna’s crotch grab than the actual game.” Considering it’s 2023, it’s surprising that this quick action caused so much controversy (via NY Post).

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Cara Delevinge Showed Her Rhianna Love

Model Cara Delevigne showed support for Rhianna by sporting a t-shirt that said, “Rhianna Concert Interrupted by A Football Game. Weird But Whatever.” As we mentioned, it seems like Rhianna was a bigger draw to the Super Bowl than the actual football players. Because her performance was symbolic and more of a representation than a show, it makes sense as to why so many people reacted to her performance (via Telegraph).

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She Ironically Started The Show With B*tch Better Have My Money

Did you notice this small detail? This is ironic because… the Super Bowl didn’t pay her money. You’d think a pop artist like Rhianna would get paid to perform at the Super Bowl. Think again. Her dazzling performance was not monetized and she didn’t take home a paycheck for her stellar act on stage. But did Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Bruno Mars, from previous years, get paid, too? Nope. No one gets paid at the Super Bowl. There’s a reason behind this, though, and it’s because the NFL isn’t a music concert, it’s focused on sports. That, and it’s expected that the performers will get a huge spike in listeners following the Super Bowl, which seems like a fair enough trade (via Glamour Magazine).

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Rhianna’s Backup Dancers Wore Puffy Hazmat Suits

No one’s sure why Rhianna’s dancers wore puffy suits, but if you missed the performance, these suits are eerily reminiscent of Hazmat suits. It was a futuristic look that hits a little bit too close to home in regards to the COVID era, but we’ll give it to Rhianna. She’s an icon of the music industry and her Super Bowl halftime show earned rave reviews overall, so she did it anyway (via Time).

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Rhianna Broke A Halftime Tradition

One of the Super Bowl Halftime Show’s traditions is to bring out a special guest or guests during the performance. Rhianna broke that tradition. She was the sole performer during the entire show. She was “relying instead on the impeccable talents of her dozens of backup dancers, who wined, body-rolled, and dropped it low.” That sounds like enough of a special guest performance for us. While some people may not have appreciated the breach in tradition, millions of others didn’t seem to care. Or notice (via Time).

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Ben Affleck Directed The Dunkin’ Donuts Ad

Dunkin’ Donuts enlisted Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck to star in their super bowl ad. Because Affleck has a long association with the brand and is often seen drinking Dunkin’ Donuts drinks, they wanted him to star in the ad. Surprisingly, he also helped direct the ad. “Affleck mans the drive-through booth at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Medford, Massachusetts with a Boston accent and shocks customers. Lopez comes through the drive-through and asks him what he’s doing. You’re embarrassing me in front of my friends,” he says. “Grab me a glazed,” she demands.” They added a touch of humor for their viewers (via Telegraph).

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Rhianna’s Performance Was Somewhat Of A Miracle

That’s to say, everyone’s performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show is somewhat of a miracle. The show involves hundreds of people putting up the stage, performing, and breaking down the stage. Rhianna gave us the inside scoop as to exactly how much is involved. She said, “I mean, it’s literally like, 300 to 400 people breaking the stage down and building it back up and getting it out in eight minutes. It’s incredible. It’s almost impossible.” Eight minutes is not a lot of time. And Rhianna’s performance was only a whopping 13 minutes (via Mirror).

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We Might Not See Another Album For A While

After Rhianna revealed her pregnancy, people were so distraught at the fact that we might not see her release a new album again for a quite while. She’ll bring another human onto this planet, and yet people are only thinking about the new music she’s not going to make. We have her old songs to hold us over for a while, that should be enough. We have Don’t Stop the Music, Disturbia, and Umbrella which were classic hits and still are. Let’s forget about her new music for a while she’s pregnant and just be happy for her while we look back on her Super Bowl Halftime Show performance fondly (via Harpers Bazaar).

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