Super Bowl LIII halftime show facts for kids
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| Date | February 3, 2019 | |||
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| Location | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | |||
| Venue | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | |||
| Headliner | Maroon 5 | |||
| Special guests | ||||
| Sponsor | Pepsi | |||
| Director | Hamish Hamiliton | |||
| Producer | Ricky Kirshner | |||
| Super Bowl halftime show chronology | ||||
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The Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show, also known as the Pepsi Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show, was a big music performance. It happened on February 3, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. This show was part of Super Bowl LIII, which is the 53rd Super Bowl game.
The main band performing was the American pop group Maroon 5. They were joined by two guest rappers, Big Boi and Travis Scott.
Before the show, some musicians reportedly turned down offers to perform. They did this to support Colin Kaepernick, a football player. He had protested against police brutality and felt treated unfairly by the NFL. Because of this, Maroon 5, Big Boi, and Travis Scott faced some criticism for agreeing to perform.
To address the concerns, Travis Scott agreed to perform only if the NFL gave money to a charity. This charity supported social justice, which means fairness for everyone. Maroon 5 later announced they would also donate money to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
A special moment in the show was a tribute to Stephen Hillenburg. He was the creator of the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants. Fans started an online petition asking for a SpongeBob tribute. This was inspired by a SpongeBob episode called "Band Geeks" about a halftime show. A short cartoon clip was shown during the performance.
Many people, including critics and viewers, felt the show was "boring" or "underwhelming." Some thought Maroon 5 was chosen to avoid controversy. The SpongeBob clip was a highlight for some, but others had mixed feelings. Also, a part of the show where Adam Levine took off his shirt caused some discussion. People compared it to Janet Jackson's 2004 performance, which also caused a lot of talk.
About the Show
Reports in September 2018 suggested that Maroon 5 would headline the show. However, the NFL did not officially announce it right away. In October 2018, it was reported that singers Pink and Rihanna had turned down offers. Rihanna did so because she supported Colin Kaepernick.
On January 13, 2019, the NFL officially announced Maroon 5 as the headliner. Travis Scott and Big Boi were confirmed as guests. Big Boi is from Atlanta and is part of the hip-hop group Outkast.
Adam Levine, Maroon 5's lead singer, said the band wanted to make the show simpler. He said they wanted to focus on connecting with the songs.
The SpongeBob Tribute
After Stephen Hillenburg passed away in November 2018, fans started an online petition. They asked for the song "Sweet Victory" from SpongeBob SquarePants to be played. This song was in the "Band Geeks" episode. In that episode, Squidward Tentacles organizes a band for a halftime show.
By December 2018, the petition had over one million signatures. The Twitter account for Mercedes-Benz Stadium even mentioned the fan campaign.
During the halftime show, a short cartoon was shown. It featured characters like Squidward, Mr. Krabs, Mrs. Puff, SpongeBob, and Patrick. It also included parts of the Bikini Bottom band from the episode. This clip introduced Travis Scott's performance of his song "Sicko Mode". An animator named Nico Colaleo said the animation was made very quickly.
Songs Performed
Here is a list of the songs played during the show:
- "Harder to Breathe"
- "This Love"
- Trumpet fanfare (a short musical break, with the SpongeBob cartoon)
- "Sicko Mode" (Travis Scott solo)
- "Girls Like You"
- "She Will Be Loved"
- "Kryptonite (I'm on It)" (Big Boi solo)
- "The Way You Move" (Big Boi solo)
- "Sugar"
- "Moves like Jagger"
This list of songs comes from Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports, and Yahoo! News.
See also
In Spanish: Espectáculo de medio tiempo del Super Bowl LIII para niños
