MIAMI GARDENS, FL — Football fans were treated to a thrilling matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 2, 2020, complemented by a Latin-accented halftime show featuring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira along with cameo performances by J. Balvin and Bad Bunny.
Severe weather on Jan. 31 forced the cancellation of Harry Styles’ performance at the Planet Pepsi Zero Sugar at the Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami, but those weather challenges earlier in the weekend did not seem to affect the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV halftime show staged in 65,000-capacity Hard Rock Stadium.
The show was the first to be produced since the partnership between Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and the NFL was announced last August, and along with the headliners, close to 130 other performers and 600 field technicians took to the field to support the 14-minute spectacle, with creative direction from Tabitha and Napoleon D’umo (NappyTabs) and lighting and video from PRG (which also supported J Lo’s 2019 “It’s My Party” tour.)
Shakira kicked the show off with a seven-song medley, rocking out with guitar and drums during some moments, and culminating in “Hips Don’t Lie.” She was joined by Bad Bunny for “I Like It.” J Lo followed with six hits of her own, with Bad Bunny joining in for the “Booty”/”Mi Gente” mashup, then Shakira and J-Lo joined together to perform a medley of “Let’s Get Loud,” “Born in the USA” and “Waka Waka” along with J-Lo’s daughter Emme and a double-sided flag uniting American and Puerto Rico.
Along with the remarkable energy and athleticism of the headliners (aged 44 and 50), the complex production, broadcast live on Fox, made effective use of synchronized lighting, video, pyro, atmospheric and PixMob effects, filling the stadium with beams and gasps during some of the more dramatic video moments, ranging from the complexity of a stage-shattering waterfall effect to the simplicity of a moment when the stage was outlined with the symbol of womanhood.
Production designer Bruce Rodgers of Tribe, Inc. worked with Bob Barnhart of 22 Degrees, a team of lighting directors including Jason Rudolph, Pete Radice, David Grill and Patrick Brazil and PRG techs including Chris Conti, Jeff Anderson and Matt Geneczko along with PRG project manager Robb Minnotte. Eric Marchwinski of Earlybird Design served as PixMob LD, Tony Ward was the lead gaffer, and IATSE Local 500 supported the production with its crew members.
Along with Vari-Lite VL2600 Profiles and VL400 BeamWash fixtures, the lighting setup included PRG Icon Edges, Ayrton Perseos, Claypaky Xtylos and Sharpys and GLP, Martin and TMB Solaris Flare fixtures, with three PRG V676 consoles and a grandMA2 console for control.
For a video of the show, go to www.plsn.me/Halftime2020
