American Football fans around the world are tingling with excitement as the 2022 NFL regular season rapidly approaches a scintillating conclusion. Once the next round of fixtures is done and dusted on January 8, there is little more than a month until “the Greatest Show on Earth,” the Super Bowl, kicks off in Arizona. While the football fraternity will be fixated on the action on the field, it is the halftime show that swathes of people have their eye on, not least because it is pop princess Rihanna who headlines the proceedings.
Headlining the Super Bowl halftime show is a major honor and one of the highlights of an artist’s career. The University of Arizona Symphonic Marching Band, alongside Grambling State University, Al Hirt, and Anaheim High School, performed at the inaugural Super Bowl halftime show in 1967. Since then, some of the biggest names in music have graced the turf during the Super Bowl’s halftime interval. These include Michael Jackson, Prince, Diana Ross, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and now Rihanna.
Which Songs Will Rihanna Sing at the Super Bowl?
Rihanna has yet to confirm her set list, but we can guess which songs she will sing during the spectacular show. It is a given that Rihanna will sing her classic hit “Umbrella,” “Rude Boy,” “Only Girl (In the World),” and “Work,” but the rest of the list is anyone’s guess, especially when she has 20-to-30 minutes to fill. Indeed, anyone looking to make a prop bet on the Super Bowl online can wager how long Rihanna’s halftime show will last. She may not make use of the entire allocated 30 minutes because some of the best halftime shows in history have lasted half of that time.
Securing the services of a superstar like Rihanna is a challenging task, but the process was made simpler by the fact Jay-Z’s Roc Nation is heavily involved in the production of the halftime show; Rihanna is signed to the Roc Nation label. Jay-Z sang the praises of Rihanna, real name Robyn Rihanna Fenty, in a statement released shortly after Rihanna was confirmed as the halftime performer.
“Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn. A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment.”
Rihanna has been relatively quiet over the past few years, although her latest studio album is due for release in 2023. In late October 2022, Rihanna released the lead single “Lift Me Up” from the Blank Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, which is her first solo musical release since Anti in 2016. Of course, Rihanna is a very busy woman thanks to her successful fashion brand, Fenty, which has helped her accumulate a net worth tipping the scales at a staggering $1.4 billion.
Where Will Rihanna‘s Halftime Show Rank Among Past Performances
There have been some incredible Super Bowl halftime shows and some dreadful ones; here’s looking at you, Maroon 5. Last year’s performance falls into the former camp. It saw Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lemar joined by guests Anderson .Paak and 50 Cent in an RNB spectacular. The legendary artists and producers treated viewers to renditions of “California Love,” “Family Affair,” “Forget About Dre,” and “Still D.R.E,” among other massive hits. Eminem defied NFL censors by taking a knee, showing solidarity with former quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Rihanna has plenty of work ahead of her if she is to match the epic 2007 show. The late Prince wowed the crowds in Miami despite being caught in the middle of a torrential thunderstorm. Prince was only on stage for approximately 12 minutes, but it was the unpredictable set he chose, along with his trademark passionate performance, that made his show arguably the best in Super Bowl history.
Prince’s Show Was the Best of the Best
Prince started with “We Will Rock You” and followed it up with his hit song “Let’s Go Crazy.” A melody of his songs “Baby I’m a Star,” “1999”, and “Proud Mary” by Creedence Clearwater Revival followed before covers of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” and the Foo Fighters’ “Best of You” had everyone on their feet. No Prince performance would have been complete without “Purple Rain,” and the late star did not disappoint. If you did not get to see Prince’s 2007 Super Bowl halftime show the first time around, we strongly suggest you find it online because it is incredible.
The 2002 halftime show is another that received critical acclaim. It was the first Super Bowl since the dreadful September 11 attacks, and the NFL executive chose Irish mega-band U2 to perform after initially booking Janet Jackson. The setlist only featured a trio of U2 hits: “Beautiful Day,” “MLK,” and “Where the Streets Have No Name” but they fit the mood perfectly. In addition, having the names of the September 11 victims displayed on a giant screen in the Louisiana Superdome was a poignant tribute and one that stirred the emotions of 83 million television viewers globally.
Beyonce headlined the 2013 Super Bowl halftime show, and it was nothing short of amazing. There were no costume changes, few special effects, just Beyonce doing her thing and wowing the crowds. Nielsen ratings confirmed 110.8 million people watched the show, making it the sixth most-watched show in Super Bowl history. It may be the sixth most watched, but Beyonce’s performance was the most-tweeted-about moment in Twitter history, with 268,000 tweets per minute!
Why were people so Twitter happy about the show? Because Beyonce was brilliant and was then joined by Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams in a Destiny’s Child reunion! The trio belted out “Bootylicious,” “Independent Woman Part 1,” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” before Beyonce gave an emotional rendition of her hit from her third studio album “Halo.” No show is perfect, but Beyonce’s 2013 show was almost that. An incredible performance from a world-renowned artist.