In the case of some sporting events, the halftime break from the action can be a lacklustre affair, with fans eagerly counting down the seconds until the drama on the pitch can continue.
But when it comes to the NFL Championship, the Halftime Show has become a spectacle in its own right, with each year bringing a much anticipated performance from the biggest stars on the music scene.
The Halftime Show takes place, as its name suggests, at halftime of the NFL’s grand finale.
This year that will be on Sunday, 12th February, and with the big game kicking off at 23:30 GMT, we can expect to be treated to the Halftime Show at around 01:00 GMT, in the early hours of Monday morning.
State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, will this year have the honour of hosting the NFL Championship and the Halftime Show.
The show typically lasts between 12 and 14 minutes, and over the decades we have seen music royalty like Stevie Wonder, Madonna, and Beyonce all take centre stage at halftime.
For the 2023 NFL Championship, it is the turn of pop icon Rihanna to headline the halftime display.
Since Rihanna’s last album was released back in 2016, there is much debate about the songs she will be performing in February.
The singer is also yet to confirm whether she will be joined by any of her peers on stage, leaving much speculation ahead of her big game debut.
Halftime Shows for the history books
Regarded by many as the most iconic NFL Championship Halftime Show of all time, Prince wowed the Dolphin Stadium in Miami when he headlined the event in 2007.
Taking his audience by surprise, he performed a medley of covers including Bob Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower and Queen’s We Will Rock You, before closing the show by singing Purple Rain to the backdrop of a Miami thunderstorm.
According to the NFL, more than 120 million viewers watched last year’s halftime performance, when hip-hop legends Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar took to the stage to wow the crowd with a medley of their biggest hits including Still D.R.E., Lose Yourself, and Family Affair.
The standout performance was the first of its kind to feature an all hip-hop cast and was awarded three Creative Emmy awards.
And there can be no discussion of iconic NFL Championship halftime performances without a mention of Beyonce.
The 28-time GRAMMY award-winner has graced the fabled halftime stage twice in her illustrious career, with a jaw-dropping spectacle in 2013 in which her former bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams appeared for a surprise Destiny’s Child reunion, and again in 2016 when she joined Coldplay and Bruno Mars to perform her hit Formation.
We can be sure that 2023 will deliver another Halftime Show to remember when Rihanna takes a bow in Arizona.
