Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
December 5, 2017
COPA 250
Paul Reynolds
Abstract
Throughout the years, there have been many iconic Super Bowl performances. From
Michael Jackson and the Rolling Stones to Beyoncé and Madonna, we have seen many stars of
each generation take the stage to entertain. For many, the only reason they watch the Super Bowl
each year is for the commercials and the halftime show. Speaking from experience, if you are at
a Super Bowl party with mostly arts majors, the majority do not take interest until their favorite
pop artist takes the stage. Most recently, in Super Bowl 50, we saw the performances of
Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Beyoncé. Their performances left the world talking, especially after
Beyoncé and her back up dancers performed her new song “Formation”.
The reason so many people were left talking after Beyoncé’s performance was because of
the political statement she made. Beyoncé and her backup dancers dressed all in black with
black berets, similar to the way the Black Panther Party dressed during the 1960s. In addition,
Beyoncé herself wore a bandolier of bullets. Her bandolier was almost identical to the one
Michael Jackson wore during his 1993 world tour, “Dangerous”. Beyoncé and her dancers
performed “Formation”. Just one day before, she released the video for this song which featured
references to Hurricane Katrina as well as images from the rallies of the “Black Lives Matter”
movement. Many people did not take too easily to this performance, including the Mayor of New
York, Rudy Giuliani who said in a Fox News interview “I think it was outrageous”. However,
Black Lives Matter activist Erika Totten said, “Beyoncé’s message accomplished exactly what
Regardless of the performance, the nearly $10 million halftime show, greatly impacted
the ticket sales for all of the performers that year including Bruno Mars and Coldplay. According
to the Huffington Post, the halftime show attracted nearly 111.9 million viewers. Immediately
after her halftime performance, Beyoncé announced a World Tour and Coldplay promoted their
A Head Full of Dreams world tour. Beyoncé grossed $256 million in ticket sales. Single tickets
for Bruno Mar’s show at Club Nomadic averaged $443 in the secondary market and the cheapest
ticket was priced at $262 according to TicketIQ. No matter what statement a halftime show
makes, it is clear that it impacts both the viewers and the artist who is performing that year.