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The Super Bowl XLIX halftime show took place on February 1, 2015, at the
University of Phoenix Stadium A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
in Glendale, Arizona, as part of
Super Bowl XLIX Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champions of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conf ...
. 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 The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
attracted 118.5 million viewers according to Nielsen. It was the most-viewed halftime show in Super Bowl history. The show won two
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime E ...
for Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special and Outstanding Costumes for a Variety Program or Special. The halftime show was also nominated for Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program.


Background

In August 2014, it was reported that the NFL had a
shortlist A short list or shortlist is a list of candidates for a job, prize, award, political position, etc., that has been reduced from a longer list of candidates (sometimes via intermediate lists known as "long lists"). The length of short lists varie ...
of three potential acts for the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show, which were
Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...
, Katy Perry, and Rihanna. However, ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' also reported that league representatives asked representatives of potential acts if they would be willing to provide financial compensation to the NFL in exchange for their appearance, in the form of either an up-front fee, or a cut of revenue from concert performances made following the Super Bowl. While these reports were denied by an NFL spokeswoman, the request had, according to the ''Journal'', received a "chilly" response from those involved. Fans of "Weird Al" Yankovic launched an unsuccessful campaign to have Yankovic perform the halftime show to promote his album ''
Mandatory Fun ''Mandatory Fun'' is the fourteenth studio album by American musician "Weird Al" Yankovic. The self-produced album was released by RCA Records in the United States on July 15, 2014, and was the final album on Yankovic's recording contract. Yankovi ...
''. On October 9, 2014, '' Billboard'' announced that Katy Perry would perform at halftime, and the NFL confirmed the announcement on November 23, 2014.


Development

On January 10, 2015, Perry announced that Lenny Kravitz would also appear at the halftime show. On January 30, 2015, it was revealed that Missy Elliott, who previously worked with Perry on a remix of " Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)", would be an additional performer. Previously, when teasing her female guest performer, Perry revealed: "I wanted to bring someone back, a throwback of sorts", which would create a "female fun night, a bit of old-school". In preparation for her performance, she watched videos of previous halftime show performances by Diana Ross, Beyoncé, Madonna, and
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
. Having spent months working on the show, Perry wanted it to be "a whole different show" from her
Prismatic World Tour The Prismatic World Tour was the third concert tour by American singer Katy Perry, in support of her fourth studio album, '' Prism'' (2013). The tour began on May 7, 2014, in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the Odyssey Arena, concluding on October ...
, which she was still embarking on. She also met with previous halftime performer
Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical ...
to seek advice on how to prepare for the performance. The halftime show utilized high quality video projection and lighting design. GlowMotion Technologies created 616 light globes, which appeared at the beginning of the performance, that were controlled by wireless means. Images were projected over 18,000 square feet on the field. Working with designer Jeremy Scott, Perry created four separate costumes for her performance. The first was The Flame Dress, which was "inspired by a pair of Adidas shoes with leather flames coming out of them" according to Scott, who said that "We had to think about these looks like Russian Nesting Dolls. Four looks on one performer is really pushing it." The next costume was a California Girls Bikini look. The third look was a sweatshirt dress, which Scott described as being "cute" and "like pajamas". Her final costume was a Moschino Star Gown which he stated was a "full-on red carpet
Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched on March 9, 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration. ...
extravaganza". Perry partook in fashion rehearsals aside from choreography and music rehearsals, as she had to manage wardrobe changes in ten seconds. In October 2014, filming began for a documentary titled ''Katy Perry: Making of the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show'' following Perry's preparation for her performance. It was directed by John Hirsch and released on September 12, 2015.


Synopsis

At the start of the halftime show, on-field participants held up light globes which created a bird's-eye view of
Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi wa ...
's logo. Perry entered the stadium riding atop a large, golden mechanical lion, opening her set with a performance of " Roar". She then proceeded to sing " Dark Horse", with
3D rendering 3D rendering is the 3D computer graphics process of converting 3D models into 2D images on a computer. 3D renders may include photorealistic effects or non-photorealistic styles. Rendering methods Rendering is the final process of creati ...
on the field creating a chessboard visual where the turf constantly turned into "different shapes and sizes", as acrobats surrounded the singer. Following this, Perry joined Lenny Kravitz for a duet version of "
I Kissed a Girl "I Kissed a Girl" is the debut single of American singer Katy Perry from her second studio album, '' One of the Boys'' (2008). It was released on April 28, 2008, by Capitol Records as the lead single from the record. Perry co-wrote the song wit ...
", which included her "rubbing up against" Kravitz and flames exploding behind them. During these three songs, Perry was clothed in a "flame-adorned" dress, with her black hair in a ponytail. The costume has been described as the "clothing equivalent of a flame", and "dress of fire". The stage and field rendering transitioned into a "breezy" beach setting, with dancers dressed as sharks, palm trees and smiling beach balls dancing around Perry. She underwent a wardrobe change, and progressed into a "campy" medley of " Teenage Dream" and "
California Gurls "California Gurls" is a song recorded by American singer Katy Perry. It served as the lead single for her third studio album, '' Teenage Dream'' (2010). The song features verses from rapper Snoop Dogg. The artists co-wrote the song with Bonni ...
". Rapper Missy Elliott subsequently appeared, performing her songs " Get Ur Freak On" and " Work It", while Perry played "hype-woman" beside her, having now changed once again into a custom Super Bowl 49 jersey. After Perry briefly disappeared, Elliott performed " Lose Control". Perry returned, now sporting a "star-encrusted gown" for her closing song, "
Firework Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in ...
". She rose out of midfield on a narrow platform that was attached to a shooting star prop, and flew above the crowds. During this performance, fireworks exploded around Perry and the stadium. The star that Perry was attached to as she flew around the stadium was said to resemble ''
The More You Know ''The More You Know'' is a series of public service announcements (PSAs) broadcast on the NBC family of channels in the United States and other locations, featuring educational messages. These PSAs are broadcast occasionally during NBC's networ ...
''s
public service announcement A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...
s logo.


Critical reception

Perry's performance was critically acclaimed. James Montgomery of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' called the show "bright ndbooming". He also stated that Perry showcased "triumphant" vocals and stated that Perry "left it all on the field" after taking a "well deserved victory lap" during the performance of "Firework". He also complimented Missy Elliott's appearance, calling it "thrill ng. Jason Lipshutz of ''Billboard'' stated that the "fiery" performance "did not disappoint" and was a "career highlight" for Perry. Chris Chase of ''USA Today'' stated that the performance "felt more like an Olympic Opening Ceremony", which he called a "major achievement". Chase stated that Perry's performance "is what a Super Bowl halftime show should be", while noting that Perry appeared to be singing live and stating that most
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
users were impressed with the performance. However, Chase felt that Elliott's appearance was "deflated" and "instantly forgettable," while Kravitz's appearance was unnecessary, stating that similar to
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
, Bruce Springsteen, and
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
, Perry was a "real star" who did not need a special guest. Alex Needham of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' gave the "high-octane" performance 4 out of 5 stars, complimenting Elliott's appearance, which he stated almost "
tole Tole may refer to: People * Afrim Tole (born 1970), Albanian football player * Joseph Tole (1846–1920), New Zealand politician * Shubha Tole (born 1967), Indian neuroscientist * Tolé Madna (1898–1992), Indonesian soldier * Tole Karadzic (b ...
the slot" from Perry until she topped Elliott's appearance with her performance of "Firework." Needham stated that although the performance "didn't know the meaning of 'too much'" at times, Perry never appeared to be overwhelmed. Josh Duboff of '' Vanity Fair'' stated that Perry "killed it" and "more than made up for" what she lacked in "dance moves or vocal precision" in "enthusiasm and ingenuity". Daniel D'Addario of ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' stated that Perry had "justified the NFL's trust in her with a dynamic, wild show" and stated that she did not "miss a step or a note". D'Addario stated that the only part of the performance that "fell flat" was the inclusion of "I Kissed a Girl" on the setlist, saying that Perry "shouldn't be relying on the cheap titillation of her first single" to get people's attention "this deep into her career". He reacted positively to Elliott's appearance, stating that both Perry and Elliott "deserved 110 million pairs of eyes on them". Amanda Michelle Steiner of ''
People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...
'' wrote: "Katy Perry fan or not, even the most cynical hater would have to admit that her Super Bowl performance on Sunday was a pop culture masterpiece." Jon Caramanica of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' felt that Perry "benefited far more" from Elliott's appearance than Kravitz, adding that Elliott's songs "easily doubled the energy onstage". At the
67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards The 67th Annual Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony was held on September 12, 2015, at the Microsoft Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. The event was broadcast in the U.S. by FXX on September 19, 2015. The ceremony was in conjunction wi ...
on September 12, 2015, the halftime show won the awards for Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special and Outstanding Costumes for a Variety Program or Special. The halftime show was also nominated for Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program.


Commercial impact

According to Nielsen, the halftime show was seen by 118.5 million viewers, an increase of three million over Bruno Mars' Super Bowl XLVIII performance. In comparison, the Super Bowl telecast as a whole had an average viewership of 114.4 million (credited as the most watched program in American television history), and peaked at 120.8 million during the fourth quarter. Although credited by some outlets as the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show of all time, the ''Los Angeles Times'' reported a figure of 133.4 million for Michael Jackson's Super Bowl XXVII performance. Following the halftime show, all three of the songs performed by Missy Elliott entered the top twenty singles list on iTunes, and later reached the top ten. '' Billboard'' reported that industry sources expected Perry's songs to collectively sell around 100,000 downloads as a result of the performance, while Elliott's songs were predicted to sell up to 70,000 downloads, which would be an increase of more than 1,000% from the previous week (where Elliott sold 6,000 song downloads). For the week ending February 1, 2015, Perry's discography registered a 92% sales gain in the United States, selling 121,000 albums and song downloads in total. Meanwhile, Elliot's albums and song downloads sold 73,000, up 996% from the previous week.


Left Shark

During Perry's performance of " Teenage Dream" and "
California Gurls "California Gurls" is a song recorded by American singer Katy Perry. It served as the lead single for her third studio album, '' Teenage Dream'' (2010). The song features verses from rapper Snoop Dogg. The artists co-wrote the song with Bonni ...
", she was accompanied by several dancers in various beach-themed costumes, including two dressed as sharks. Left Shark, on house left, Perry's right, received significant fan and media attention during and after the halftime performance because of its distinct dance moves, which were both offbeat and out of sync to the "Right Shark". Left Shark quickly became an Internet sensation, appearing on social media sites such as
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
and
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
and also became an internet meme. The identities of both sharks were later revealed to be Perry's longtime background dancers Scott Myrick (Right Shark) and Bryan Gaw (Left Shark). Various other elements of Perry's performance, such as her entrance on a mechanical lion, her costumes, and her exit on a flying star (which itself was compared to the former logo of NBC's PSA segments ''
The More You Know ''The More You Know'' is a series of public service announcements (PSAs) broadcast on the NBC family of channels in the United States and other locations, featuring educational messages. These PSAs are broadcast occasionally during NBC's networ ...
''), were all incorporated into humorous images on
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. Organizing choreographer RJ Durell stated that the dancers, both long-time stage performers from Perry's past concerts, were not given rigorous choreography but instead told to mimic Perry's moves. In an interview with ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'', Durell said that the Left Shark's performance was intentional, stating their objectives were to "perform Katy's trademark moves to the 'Teenage Dream' chorus, which they both did perfectly" and "have loads of fun, and bring to life these characters in a cartoon manner, giving them a Tweedledee/Tweedledum-type persona". Super Bowl halftime show director Hamish Hamilton later said that the Left Shark performance was inspired by a
Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters were an American pop rock band formed in 2001. Its members include Jake Shears and Ana Matronic as vocalists, Babydaddy as multi-instrumentalist, Del Marquis as lead guitar/bassist, and Randy Real (who replaced Paddy Boom) ...
performance in the 2005 Brit Awards, where the group played "
Take Your Mama "Take Your Mama" is a song by American band Scissor Sisters, included as the second track on their self-titled debut album (2004). The song, written by Babydaddy and Jake Shears at Shears' parents' horse farm in West Virginia, was inspired by S ...
" in front of a surreal farmyard with massive bird-like puppets. Hamilton stated that, "We were trying to work out how we could bring a beach scene to life and so one of the references that we looked at was that Scissor Sisters performance. The genesis of the Left Shark was actually a singing melon." After the Super Bowl, lawyers for Perry began trying to obtain a copyright for Left Shark and also sought trademark protection. Specifically, they tried to register Left Shark as a trademark with the
USPTO The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexa ...
. Perry's team also sought to register "Right Shark", "Drunk Shark", and "Basking Shark". The U.S. Trademark Office rejected her initial attempt to register "Left Shark". Her team initiated litigation against an Orlando, Florida, artist named Fernando Sosa, who had been making 3-D figurines of Left Shark.Gil Kaufman
"Sorry, Katy Perry, You Can't Own Left Shark"
''
TV.com TV.com was a website owned by Red Ventures that covered television series and episodes with a focus on English-language shows made or broadcast in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Origin ...
', April 2015.


Set list

Set list adapted from '' Billboard''. #" Roar" #" Dark Horse" #"
I Kissed a Girl "I Kissed a Girl" is the debut single of American singer Katy Perry from her second studio album, '' One of the Boys'' (2008). It was released on April 28, 2008, by Capitol Records as the lead single from the record. Perry co-wrote the song wit ...
" (with Lenny Kravitz) #" Teenage Dream" #"
California Gurls "California Gurls" is a song recorded by American singer Katy Perry. It served as the lead single for her third studio album, '' Teenage Dream'' (2010). The song features verses from rapper Snoop Dogg. The artists co-wrote the song with Bonni ...
" #" Get Ur Freak On" / " Work It" (with Missy Elliott) #" Lose Control" (Missy Elliott solo) #"
Firework Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in ...
"


See also

*
2015 in American music The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in 2015 in music in the United States. Notable events January *12 – Lady Antebellum performed the National Anthem at the first ever College Football Playoff National C ...
* 2015 in American television


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Super Bowl 049 halftime show February 2015 events in the United States 2015 in American music 2015 in American television 2015 in Arizona Film and television memes Internet memes Katy Perry Lenny Kravitz Missy Elliott 049 Television shows directed by Hamish Hamilton (director) PepsiCo