Part of | Super Bowl XLVIII | |||
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Date | February 2, 2014 | |||
Location | East Rutherford, New Jersey | |||
Venue | MetLife Stadium | |||
Headliner | Bruno Mars | |||
Special guests | Red Hot Chili Peppers | |||
Sponsor | Pepsi | |||
Director | Hamish Hamilton | |||
Producer | Ricky Kirshner | |||
Super Bowl halftime show chronology | ||||
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The Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show occurred on February 2, 2014, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey as part of Super Bowl XLVIII and was headlined by Bruno Mars alongside his band The Hooligans, with special guests The Red Hot Chili Peppers. At the time of airing the halftime show attracted the largest audience in the history of the Super Bowl, attracting 115.3 million viewers, later surpassed by the Super Bowl XLIX, Super Bowl 50, and Super Bowl LI halftime shows. [1] [2] [3] [4]
The show was produced by Ricky Kirshner and directed by Hamish Hamilton, receiving two 2014 Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program and Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Special. [5] The performance generated 2.2 million tweets, due to interest for tickets to Mars' Moonshine Jungle Tour. [6]
Bruno Mars was confirmed as the lead half time performer for Super Bowl XLVIII in September 2013 during a Fox NFL Sunday broadcast held live in Times Square in New York City. [7] [8] The NFL's entertainment team started working with Mars and his management on the halftime set list around Thanksgiving week and spent the remainder of 2013 mapping out the production and staging, along with the guest list. [9] In January 2014 it was announced that Mars had personally invited Red Hot Chili Peppers to perform as special guests during his performance. On January 24, 2014, during the game's fourth quarter, Hyundai debuted the spot entitled "Dad's Sixth Sense", that featured the 2016 Hyundai Genesis and Mars' single "Count on Me". The song was chosen "for reasons separate and coincidental from Mars' previously announced Half Time gig". [10]
During rehearsals there were some disagreements between Mars and the NFL, regarding the singer's performance. The latter wanted to show the audience wearing light-up bracelets to which Mars concurred "If you take that camera off me, you're doing yourself a disservice. And what happened? They spent all this money on these things, and it didn't work." [11] Fortunately, Mars and his band rehearsed a lot and it didn't matter if they had "cafeteria lighting" or a budget of $5 million (U.S.), the performance would always be the best they could do. According to the singer, "Every smoke machine and laser light is just a bonus." [11]
The halftime show was produced by Ricky Kirshner and directed by Hamish Hamilton. Mars and his eight-piece band, The Hooligans, were dressed in clothes custom created by Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane. [12] Prince, Michael Jackson and James Brown used the same style in clothes; Mars worked a retro gold lame jacket paired with a white shirt, black trousers and a matching skinny tie. [13] Mars made history at the Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime Show as the youngest artist ever to serve as the sole NFL Super Bowl Halftime headliner. He opened the show with a drum solo on a kit designed to honor his late mother, Bernadette Hernandez. The artwork was modeled after Mars' arm tattoo dedicated to his mother. During his performance of "Just the Way You Are" he was standing midfield, backed by the biggest firework display in NFL Super Bowl history. [12]
Montreal-based firm PixMob provided audience lighting effects during the show: "video ski hats" with LEDs and an infrared receiver were distributed to attendees of the game. Lighting cues were sent to the hats using infrared signals from around the stadium, transforming the audience into "pixels" of a giant "screen". [14] [15] Starting with this halftime show, the halftime show logo does not appear in the introduction. As well, the opening was changed to "The National Football League welcomes you to the (sponsor) Super Bowl (Numeral) Halftime Show".
Set list adapted from Billboard. [16]
Mars' performance received highly positive reviews from critics, while the Red Hot Chili Peppers' appearance received mixed to negative reviews. Mike Bruno of Entertainment Weekly gave a positive review of the halftime performance, complimenting Mars' "impressive" vocal performance and stating that "there's no question the kid is talented". Entertainment Weekly also criticized the Red Hot Chili Peppers' involvement in the performance, stating that there was "nothing wrong" with their performance however that their presence was "random and unnecessary". [17] Matthew Perpetua of BuzzFeed called Mars a "world class entertainer" and stated that Mars' performance was "dazzling" and "pretty awesome". However, Perpetua also stated that the Chili Peppers' presence was "unnecessary" and also noted that the halftime show was not as memorable as the previous year's show, which was performed by Beyoncé. [18] Lindsey Weber of Vulture stated it was unfair to compare Mars' performance to Beyoncé's and that the performance was "perfectly Bruno"; however, Weber also said that it was unlikely that people would "still be talking about" the performance the day after. [19] Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times stated that Mars "delivered" during the performance and showed viewers that he is a "real musician" however felt that the performance did not begin to feel "hopelessly retro" compared to Beyoncé's performance until the Chili Peppers joined Mars. Wood felt that the Chili Peppers' performance was "stale" and unwanted and stated that Mars did not need any guests to make the performance special. [20] [21] [22]
Chris Chase and Chris Strauss of USA Today gave a mixed review of the show, saying it was "unspectacular" and "instantly forgettable" and felt that Mars' youth and unlengthy repertoire failed to give him the legacy of previous halftime performers. Chase and Strauss stated the performance was "acceptable" however that it would not be remembered. [23]
Some complaints, including some from fellow musicians, were directed towards Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer who appeared to not have wires connected to their instruments and were accused of faking their performance. [24] [25] A few days following the Super Bowl, Flea responded through the band's website by saying:
"When we were asked by the NFL and Bruno to play our song "Give It Away" at the Super Bowl, it was made clear to us that the vocals would be live, but the bass, drums, and guitar would be pre-recorded. I understand the NFL's stance on this, given they only have a few minutes to set up the stage, there a zillion things that could go wrong and ruin the sound for the folks watching in the stadium and the TV viewers. There was not any room for argument on this, the NFL does not want to risk their show being botched by bad sound, period. For the actual performance, Josh, Chad, and I were playing along with the pre recorded track (which was recorded earlier that week) so there was no need to plug in our guitars, so we did not. Could we have plugged them in and avoided bumming people out who have expressed disappointment that the instrument track was pre recorded? Of course easily we could have and this would be a non-issue. We thought it better to not pretend. It seemed like the realest thing to do in the circumstance. We decided that, with Anthony singing live, that we could still bring the spirit and freedom of what we do into the performance, and of course we played every note in the recording specially for the gig." [26] [27]
Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith also responded to the controversy through his Twitter page saying: "FYI.... Every band in the last 10 years at the Super Bowl has performed to a previously recorded track. It's the NFL's policy. Period." [28]
Some fans even complained to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about the band's shirtless appearance saying that they were offended and both men and women should wear clothing because children were watching. One person even contacted the FCC complaining sexism and how it was unfair for the Chili Peppers to go topless but Janet Jackson's exposed nipple caused so much backlash. [29]
The Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show was once the most watched in the history of the Super Bowl drawing record ratings of 115.3 million viewers, passing the record 114 million who watched Madonna perform two years earlier. This was surpassed by Katy Perry in 2015, Coldplay in 2016, and Lady Gaga in 2017. [2] [30] [31] However, that number was significantly higher than the 98.88 million viewers reported in the overnight ratings from Nielsen that measure the top 56 markets. [32]
On February 3, 2014 Billboard predicted that retailers had sold Unorthodox Jukebox 40,000 copies in the week ending February 2, representing a 164% gain compared to the previous week, when it sold 15,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Despite this effect, the album was already aiming for around 19,000 copies sold in the week ending February 2, thanks in part to Mars' exposure at the 2014 Grammy Awards. Mars was presented the award for Best Pop Vocal Album on the Grammys and got additional screen time from his nominations in other categories as Record of the Year and Song of the Year. The author of the article added that "the impact of the Super Bowl on Mars' music sales, and on the Billboard charts, will be unique compared to all other halftime headliners in the modern era of Super Bowl halftime entertainment". [33] On the following week it was expect that Unorthodox Jukebox would sell 70,000 to 80,000 copies by the end of the tracking week, coming for the top three on next week's Billboard 200 chart, while his debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, was expected sell around 25,000 copies. [34]
Regarding the tickets sales of his worldwide tour, The Moonshine Jungle Tour, Mars became the fastest entertainer to sell out three concerts at the Blaisdell Arena, in Hawaii. [35] Since the morning of February 3, 2014, the average price for The Moonshine Jungle Tour went up $150 to an average price of $500. Despite existence of some tickets left on the primary market for select shows, many were sold out. Ticketmaster also struggled to keep with demand, having to switch from their interactive seating maps for most events. The price for tickets on the primary market ranges from $49–$100 for most shows. Bigger city shows prices range from $70 to $181. For shows at big venues, the average prices on the secondary market is north of $600 with the cheapest tickets going for $150. At these prices, Mars upcoming tour ranks amongst the most expensive in the country this summer, ahead of One Direction tickets and Jason Aldean tickets, which were two of the highest prices for an American tour during the spring and summer of 2014. [6]
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, comprising Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar) and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk, punk rock, hard rock, hip hop, and psychedelic rock, and have influenced genres such as funk metal, rap metal, rap rock, and nu metal. With over 120 million records sold worldwide, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the top-selling bands of all time. They hold the records for most number-one singles (15), most cumulative weeks at number one (91) and most top-ten songs (28) on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. They have won three Grammy Awards, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, and in 2022 received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"Give It Away" is a song by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers from the group's fifth studio album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991). It was released as the lead single from their album in September 1991 by Warner Bros. Records. The music was written by guitarist John Frusciante and bassist Flea during a jam session months prior to the album recording sessions. Vocalist Anthony Kiedis wrote the song's most prevalent lyrical refrain in response to an experience he shared with former girlfriend Nina Hagen regarding altruistic behavior and the value of selflessness.
Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2013 season. The Seahawks defeated the Broncos 43–8, the largest margin of victory for an underdog and tied with Super Bowl XXVII (1993) for the third largest point differential overall (35) in Super Bowl history. It was the first time the winning team scored over 40 points while holding their opponent to under 10. This became the first Super Bowl victory for the Seahawks and the fifth Super Bowl loss for the Broncos, at the time a league record for the most of any team. The game was played on February 2, 2014, at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the first Super Bowl played outdoors in a cold-weather city and the first Super Bowl to be played on February 2.
Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the defending National Football Conference (NFC) and Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, 28–24. The game was played on February 1, 2015, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the second Super Bowl held at the stadium and the third in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Michael Peter Balzary, known professionally as Flea, is an Australian and American musician. He is a founding member and bassist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and, along with the vocalist Anthony Kiedis, appears on every one of their albums. Flea is also a member of the supergroups Atoms for Peace, Antemasque, Pigface, and Rocket Juice & the Moon, and has played with acts including the Mars Volta, Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, Alanis Morissette, Young MC, Nirvana, What Is This?, Fear, and Jane's Addiction.
Peter Gene Hernandez, known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for singing in a wide range of musical styles, including pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, and rock. Mars is accompanied by his band, the Hooligans, whose members are also backup singers and dancers. In 2021, Mars and fellow singer Anderson .Paak formed the musical superduo Silk Sonic.
"Runaway Baby" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars from his debut studio album Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010). It was written by Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine and Brody Brown. The former three produced the track under their alias, the Smeezingtons. "Runaway Baby" is a funk, pop rock, doo-wop and soul record. Its lyrics detail a playboy who is willing to break a woman's heart regardless of their feelings. Instrumentally, the track relies on finger snaps, police sirens, hand claps and guitar. It received mixed reviews from music critics, who considered it one of the standouts in the album, but criticized its lyrical content.
Appetite for Democracy was a series of concerts by hard rock band Guns N' Roses celebrating 25 years of Appetite for Destruction, and four years for their studio album Chinese Democracy. It started with a 12-night residency in Las Vegas. Their previous tour, Up Close and Personal, had ended in Spain on July 22, 2012. Former bassist Duff McKagan filled in for Tommy Stinson for several shows, Stinson had previous commitments to The Replacements. The tour ended with another residency in Vegas, titled "No Trickery! An Evening of Destruction!". The title of the show "No Trickery" was a play on jokes Axl Rose had made about Red Hot Chili Peppers being forced to pantomime their performance at the Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show.
Jamareo "Jam" Artis is an American bass guitarist. He is known for his work as bass guitarist for pop star Bruno Mars and for winning P. Diddy's MTV Making His Band in 2009.
The Super Bowl XLVII halftime show occurred on February 3, 2013, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans as part of Super Bowl XLVII. Beyoncé headlined with special guests Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams from Destiny's Child. It was critically acclaimed, becoming the then second most watched show in Super Bowl history with 110.8 million viewers, behind the previous year's Super Bowl XLVI halftime show record.
The Super Bowl XLVI halftime show took place on February 5, 2012, at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana as part of Super Bowl XLVI. It was headlined by Madonna, who became the first sole female headliner since Diana Ross in 1996. It featured guest appearances by LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A. and CeeLo Green. Including collaborations with Cirque du Soleil, choreographer Jamie King as music director, and multimedia show producer Moment Factory, the show was critically acclaimed, setting a Super Bowl halftime show record at the time of 114 million viewers, higher than the viewership of the game itself.
The Moonshine Jungle Tour was the third concert tour by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. The tour supported his second studio album, Unorthodox Jukebox (2012), from June 2013 to October 2014. After an official announcement on February 10, 2013, which coincided with Mars's performance at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, a promotional trailer and behind-the-scenes footage of the tour were released through Mars's official YouTube channel and website. Mars and his team selected Ellie Goulding and Fitz and the Tantrums as the opening acts for the first North American leg, while music video director Cameron Duddy was signed as creative director for the tour in North America. In Europe and Oceania, Mayer Hawthorne and Miguel, respectively, were selected to open the shows.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers 2013/2014 Tour was a concert tour by Red Hot Chili Peppers. The tour followed the band's almost two-year-long I'm with You World Tour which ended in April 2013. The tour featured many festival performances and included the band's first ever shows in Alaska, Paraguay, the Philippines and Puerto Rico. The band also performed in New York City for the first time since 2003 and gave a controversial performance during the halftime show of Super Bowl XLVIII, which was seen by a record-breaking 115.3 million viewers worldwide. During the tour, the band started work on their eleventh studio album in February 2014.
The Super Bowl XLIX halftime show took place on February 1, 2015, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, as part of Super Bowl XLIX. It featured American singer Katy Perry, with singer Lenny Kravitz and rapper Missy Elliott as special guests. The halftime show was critically acclaimed, and its broadcast on NBC attracted over 118 million viewers according to Nielsen.
The Super Bowl 50 halftime show took place on February 7, 2016, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara as part of Super Bowl 50. It was headlined by the British rock band Coldplay, who called Beyoncé, Gustavo Dudamel, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, the University of California Marching Band and the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles as guests. With over 115.5 million viewers, it was the most watched halftime set by a group. The band also charted all of their albums on the Billboard 200 afterwards.
The Super Bowl LI Halftime show took place on February 5, 2017, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, as part of Super Bowl LI. Lady Gaga headlined the show, with no special guests, performing a medley of her songs, including material from her then-most recent studio album, Joanne (2016). It is currently the most nominated Super Bowl halftime show in Emmy Awards history, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Special.
The Super Bowl XXVII halftime show took place on January 31, 1993, at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California, as part of Super Bowl XXVII.
Philip Martin Lawrence II is an American songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and voice actor, best known for his work with the songwriting and production team The Smeezingtons, alongside Bruno Mars and Ari Levine. He has won eight Grammy Awards for his work. Lawrence's latest recording project, 24K Magic, won at the Grammys in the categories Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Song, Best R&B Album, and Best R&B Performance. Lawrence is co-writer and co-producer on the majority of the songs released under these ventures. He also sings vocal with The Hooligans band who tours with Mars. He is also a voice actor, as he is the current voice of Sebastian since 2007, replacing Samuel E. Wright.
Bruno Mars at the Chelsea, Las Vegas was the debut concert residency at the new concert showroom in the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, United States, by American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars, from December 2013 to December 2015. DJ Supra, Havana Brown and DJ Crykit opened some shows of the residency, whilst the setlist, which featured songs from Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010), Unorthodox Jukebox (2012), and various covers, was performed by Mars, backed by his eight-piece band, The Hooligans. The show ended with Mars performing an encore of "Locked out of Heaven" (2012). It received a positive reception from music critics, who praised the energetic and intimate show. The eleven shows in the concert residency was promoted by C3 Presents and grossed $3 million.