A Super Bowl weekend recap that has almost nothing to do with the actual game.
The Super Bowl is always one of the most-watched television events of the year. 98.2 million people watched Super Bowl LIII last year, and even that was an 11-year low.
Needless to say, this weekend in Miami was very eventful and there are a lot of things you should know.
Demi Lovato Performed the National Anthem
Demi Lovato took the stage to perform the National Anthem at Super Bowl LIV, fresh off of her emotional performance of her song, Anyone, at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards just a week before.
Many people had nothing but good things to say about Lovato’s performance, some even called it the “best since Whitney.”
Prior to her performance, Lovato shared a tweet of hers from February 7, 2010, which read, “One day, I’m gonna sing the national anthem at a super bowl. Onnnee dayyy….” She posted the tweet alongside a promotion photo for her performance on Instagram with the caption, “Stealing this from @scooterbraun. Dreams really do come true y’all.”
Did JLo and Shakira’s Halftime Performance Get Political?
Everyone has been looking forward to JLo and Shakira sharing the stage at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show and they did not disappoint.
Towards the end of the Super Bowl halftime show, many young children took the stage as Lopez’s 11-year-old daughter, Emme Maribel Muñiz sang Let’s Get Loud. Lopez then joined in, wearing a custom Versace coat which featured the United States flag on the outside and the Puerto Rican flag on the inside. She displayed the Puerto Rican flag with pride as her then daughter sang Born in the USA.
Many people believe that this year’s halftime show contained a lot of political symbolism. Some of the children on stage were seen sitting in what appeared to be metal cages, many took this to be a reference to the children in US detention centers along the southern border. However, neither Jennifer Lopez or Shakira have commented on whether or not there was any intentional political message behind their performance.
Harry Styles Forced to Cancel Pre-Super Bowl Performance
DJ Mark Ronson, Lizzo and Harry Styles were all scheduled to perform on Friday night at the Pepsi Planet Zero Sugar Party.
Both Lizzo and Ronson were able to take the stage but attendees were informed of the show’s cancellation as they were inside of the venue waiting for the headliner, Harry Styles to come on stage. A message came over the screen reading “Attention. Extreme weather is approaching. Please calmly make your way to the exits now and evacuate.” Pepsi also tweeted about the cancellation, stating that all attendees would be refunded for both their tickets and their rides to the show.
However, Styles did join Lizzo on stage the night before to perform “Juice” during her SiriusXM and Pandora concert at The Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theater.
Star-Studded Sabra Hummus Commercial
We all know that Super Bowl commercials are a really big deal. This year the commercials cost as much as $5.6 million per 30 seconds.
One of the most talked-about commercials this year was the Sabra Hummus #HowImmus commercial which featured many different celebrities. The commercial featured Ric Flair, Mel B, Tik Tok stars Charli D’Amelio and Brittany Tomlinson, T-Pain, Jaleel White, Megan Thee Stallion and the reunion of two Real Housewives of New Jersey stars: Teresa Giudice and Caroline Manzo. Giudice and Manzo, who did not leave off on good terms when Manzo left the show after the fifth season, ended the commercial by flipping a table together. This was a reference to Giudice’s famous table flip during the first season of RHONJ.
Same time next year? Maybe even the same state? Next year’s Super Bowl is set to take place on February 7, 2021, in Tampa, Florida at the Raymond James Stadium. This will be the fifth Super Bowl to be hosted in the Tampa area and I have no doubt that it will be just as, if not more, eventful than it was this year.