The Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show will take place on Sunday, February 7, 2021 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Super Bowl LV features two of the brightest stars in the game with 25-year-old phenom Patrick Mahomes and, arguably, the greatest quarterback of all-time Tom Brady facing off in a record-breaking matchup that is sure to entertain. Speaking of entertainment, one of the best-selling and most influential singer-songwriters of recent years will be taking the stage at the 2021 halftime show with an innovative performance from an unusual location.
Halftime during typical NFL games lasts anywhere from 10-15 minutes, but Super Bowl halftimes can last twice as long. The musical performances alone typically last 13-15 minutes on top of in-depth game analysis and commercials. The Super Bowl halftime show has provided a stage for some of the biggest names in music, but it wasn’t always that way. For much of the Super Bowl’s 55-year history, university marching bands, drill teams, and other performance ensembles played during halftime, but in 1991, the halftime show began featuring pop music acts like New Kids on the Block, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Gloria Estefan, and U2. After the Justin Timberlake-Janet Jackson “clothing malfunction” in 2004, the NFL shifted gears to more traditional classic rock acts like Paul McCartney, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen, and The Who, with Prince being the one pop exception. However, since 2011, the halftime show has returned to pop music with performances from Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Coldplay, Lady Gaga, and even Justin Timberlake.
Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer The Weeknd, one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2020, will perform the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show on Sunday, February 7, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. Known for his genre-blending music that incorporates dark R&B tones with indie and electronic styles, The Weeknd, born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, has risen from YouTube anonymity to one of the best-selling artists in the world in just over a decade. His latest studio album, After Hours, was released in March 2020 and features two platinum, US Billboard Hot 100 singles—“Heartless” and “Blinding Lights.” Music journalists have described the album and its introduction of new wave and dream pop influences as an artistic reinvention for the Canadian singer-songwriter, complete with a psychedelic aesthetic reminiscent of films like Casino, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Joker, and Uncut Gems, the latter of which included a cameo by The Weeknd. The Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show will provide one of the first global stages for the artist to features his latest album as his After Hours World Tour has been delayed to 2022 due to the pandemic.
Pepsi, the NFL, and Roc Nation mark their second year of collaboration with the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show. DPS will produce the telecast with Jay-Z’s entertainment company, Roc Nation, which also serves as the strategic entertainment advisor of the live performance. Musicians typically perform on the field at the Super Bowl, and although they sometimes venture into the stands, sources have confirmed to Page Six that The Weeknd’s 2021 halftime performance will be “only in the stands and nothing in the field.” Another source revealed that, while the stage and sets will be in the stands, The Weeknd could step onto the field during the show.
Super Bowl LV kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), which means The Weeknd will likely take the stage, or stands, shortly after 8:00 p.m EST. Super Bowl LV and the Pepsi Halftime Show will be nationally televised on CBS, but in addition to tuning in through a cable television subscription or over-the-air antenna, fans can stream the game for free in the CBS Sports App, NFL App, or on web browsers through CBSSports.com.
