We're Breaking Down the Halftime Show's Humble Beginnings

The star-studded modern Super Bowl Halftime Show turns 30 this year.

As Rihanna prepares to take to the stage for the 2023 Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show sponsored by Apple Music, she is following in the footsteps of many performers.

Because, if you haven't noticed yet, halftime shows aren’t just for a bathroom break or to refill your snacks. It’s the time to tune in and see what over-the-top performance will have folks talking until the next Super Bowl. Rihanna follows Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, who performed at last year's halftime show in Los Angeles. In 2020, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira took the stage during halftime in Miami where they put on an Emmy-nominated performance with appearances by J Balvin, Bad Bunny and even Lopez’s daughter Emme. Over the years, there have been some incredible performances by artists like Michael Jackson who reset the bar to astronomical heights by reinventing the art of halftime performances; Prince who continued his performance during a torrential downpour and a curl never fell out of place; and other acts like Diana Ross, Madonna, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson and many more putting on multi-million dollar productions. We haven't seen an estimate on the cost of the 2023 Halftime Show, but The Weeknd said he added $7 million of his own money on top of the $10 million the NFL spent.

But it wasn't always such a show. The first Super Bowl was held in January 1967, and big name acts weren't a part of the halftime performance.

Related: A Complete History of the First Super Bowl

How long is the Halftime Show?

The Super Bowl Halftime Show tends to run from 12-15 minutes. Days before the big game, Rihanna revealed that her Apple Music Halftime Show will be 13 minutes long.

The first Super Bowl was held January 15, 1967

The first Super Bowl held in Los Angeles featured the Green Bay Packers, who had beat the Dallas Cowboys to win the NFL title, against the Kansas City Chiefs, who had beaten the Buffalo Bills to take the AFL crown. The Green Bay Packers ended up defeating the Kansas City Chiefs, 35 to 10. The first-ever Super Bowl game was the only Super Bowl to be simulcast in the U.S. by two separate networks: NBC, which reserved the rights to nationally televise AFL games and CBS, which reserved the rights to televise NFL games. That meant that both CBS and NBC were allowed to air Super Bowl I nationally.

Super Bowl halftime performances started out as small productions 

It wasn't until Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, changed the game, literally, with his show-stopping 1993 performance that big productions became the norm mid-game.

The NFL started making more of an effort to secure big name artists for the halftime break. Performances were crafted around a theme until 2002 after U2’s tribute to those killed on September 11, 2001.

College marching bands were the headliners for the first 15-minute-long halftime show

The University of Arizona Symphonic Marching Band was the headliner in 1967 with appearances from Grambling State University’s Marching Band and a celebrity guest: trumpeter Al Hirt. The Anaheim High School drill team also joined them on the field.

Related: Super Bowl Trivia

Grambling State is a historically Black College (HBCU). This was significant for 1967 when racial tensions were high, especially in Los Angeles; this was months after the Watts Riots took place. It was one of the largest protests of the Civil Rights era that cost more than $40 million worth of property damage.

The first halftime show was a tribute to the U.S. and introduced newly formed NFL teams

The marching band performed a “musical visit to the four corners of the United States,” according to History.com. It started off with The Sound of Music, as they got into formation.  They symbolized the western part of the country by recreating Arizona’s O.K. corral complete with the infamous shootout between Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and the McLaury brothers. For the northern tribute, the band acted out the industry by using a makeshift machine. They moved to the Mid-Atlantic region to form a giant Liberty Bell. The Arizona band was joined by Grambling’s band to create a giant map of the United States to introduce the cities of where NFL teams were introduced. Members of the Anaheim High School Drill Team, dressed in colonial wigs, tricorn hats, frock coats and white boots, held banners with team names and logos.

The show also involved jetpacks and pigeons

The Arizona band formed into two stick figure football players about to kick two footballs, symbolizing the union of two leagues, which was the AFL (American Football League) and the NFL. Just before the stick figures “kicked” the balls, two men from Bell Aerosystems with jet packs launched 100 feet into the air before landing on the 50-yard line. Hundreds of pigeons were released along with thousands of balloons.

Related: A Look at The Weeknd’s Dating History

Al Hirt also performed at the first Super Bowl halftime show

Al Hirt, who is best known for the theme music to the television show, Green Hornet, performed at the first Super Bowl for free. He agreed to do it on the condition that his portion of the show was a tribute to New Orleans. While Hirt performed his solos including Way Down Yonder in New Orleans, the Arizona band formed into a southern riverboat, then into a trumpet and musical notes. Hirt was a popular act; he performed again at Super Bowl IV and Super Bowl XII.

The first celebrity Super Bowl halftime performer took the stage in 1970

Carol Channing is known as the first celebrity performer at a Super Bowl Halftime Show. Channing, a Broadway star known for her role in Hello, Dolly!, performed in 1970 at Super Bowl IV. While Channing performed, she was actually not considered the headliner. The Mardi Gras-themed halftime show also featured the Southern University Marching Band, Al Hirt and opera singer Marguerite Piazza. Then, Channing sang a rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In."

“It was like an opening night on Broadway, except we didn’t have much time to prepare for that first appearance,” Channing recalled in an interview with the Guardian in 2016. “It felt a little like an after-thought…I recall we went over the song a few times and they threw me to the crowd.” She must have made an impression because she performed again at Super Bowl VI.

Next, Relive the 2022 Halftime Show Filled With Rap and Hip-Hop Icons