Can you feel it? Football’s biggest Sunday of the year is fast approaching. Super Bowl LVI, taking place on Feb. 13, 2022, promises to be one for the history books. Taking place at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the Super Bowl will see two teams will vie for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy. But, this is much more than a football game. It’s an entertainment spectacle on par with a Hollywood production, and considering that the game is near Tinsel Town, Super Bowl LVI’s Halftime Show is going to be a star-studded affair.
Yet, fans won’t have to wait until Halftime to see the stars come out. The 2022 Super Bowl is packed with talent, from the opening ceremonies to the commercials to the very end. It seems that L.A. is looking to top last year’s performance. Super Bowl LV had The Weeknd close out his After Hours era with a spectacular Halftime show that featured hundreds of doppelgangers, a mosh pit in a mirrored hallway, and lots and lots of fireworks. So, what’s on tap for 2022? Here’s what you need to know.
Who will be performing at the Super Bowl 2022 halftime show?
Because Super Bowl LVI is taking place in L.A., it’s fitting that Southern Cali hip hop would have a presence for that year’s Super Bowl. The NFL seemingly took notes following the backlash of booking Maroon 5 to play Super Bowl LIII when the game took place in Atlanta. Yes, the group ultimately brought out Travis Scott and Big Boi as guests, but having a non-hip-hop headliner in Atlanta, one of the homes of hip-hop, rubbed people the wrong way.
This time around, the NFL isn’t making that mistake twice. In September 2021, the league, along with Pepsi and Roc Nation, announced that Dr. Dre would lead an all-star cast of performers, including Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar. Snoop, Kendrick, and Dre famously came up in Compton, Mary J. Blige hails from Brooklyn, and Eminem reps Detroit, making this show a blend of styles and locales. That was represented in the commercial the league released ahead of the show. Eminem battled himself in Detroit, Snoop Dogg rode his Caddy in L.A., while Mary got glam in the heart of Manhattan. The teaser also showed Kendrick working on his bars, hopefully for his long-awaited new album.
“This year, we are blowing the roof off the concept of collaboration,” Adam Harter, Pepsi’s senior vice president of media, sports, and entertainment, said in a statement. “Along with the NFL and Roc Nation, we continue to try and push the limits on what fans can expect during the most exciting 12 minutes in music; this year’s superstar line-up is sure to deliver a mind-blowing performance.”
Where will the Super Bowl 2022 halftime show be?
Like the game itself, the halftime show will occur at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, a city in Los Angeles. Not only will the upcoming game mark the first time the city will host a Super Bowl in nearly 30 years, but it’ll also mark a homecoming for L.A. artists Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Kendrick. “The opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, and to do it in my own backyard, will be one of the biggest thrills of my career,” Dr. Dre said in a statement, while Todd Kaplan, Pepsi’s marketing V.P., added, “Artists like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg were at the forefront of the West Coast hip hop revolution, so to be able to bring them back to L.A., where it all began alongside Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar will prove to be an epic, unforgettable celebration of the impact hip hop has today.”
Who will be playing the 2022 Super Bowl?
Oh, yeah. There’s an actual FOOTBALL game at the Super Bowl. This year will be memorable for Angelenos. The LA Rams will essentially host the Cincinnati Bengals after the Rams eliminated the defending champions – Tom Brady and the Tampa Back Buccaneers – before going on to knock out the San Francisco 49ers to clinch the NFC Championship. The Bengals defeated the Kansas City Chiefs to earn their spot in the Big Game.
The Rams haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1999 (Super Bowl XXXIV). The Bengals have never won an NFL Championship, and the fans are ready for the title.
How do viewers tune into the Super Bowl 2022 halftime show?
The 2022 Super Bowl, as well as its halftime show, will be broadcast on NBC and available to livestream on the NBC website or with the NBC Sports App. For those without NBC, the game (and show) will also be on Peacock and Telemundo.
Who will be singing the National Anthem at Super Bowl 2022?
Mickey Guyton will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” ahead of the 2022 football clash. The country music star is best known for her Grammy-nominated song, “Black Like Me.” She said that the national anthem “is my song” in a press release, per the Los Angeles Times. “The first time I sung it was at a basketball game when I was 13, and I kept my eyes closed the whole time. But then they asked me to sing at every game after that.”
Will there be any more performers?
Jhené Aiko has been tapped to sing “America The Beautiful” before the Super Bowl gets underway. Jhené’s 2020 album Chilombo earned a Grammy nomination Album Of The Year, which could be a precursor to her having the best year of her life. American urban contemporary gospel duo Mary Mary will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” commonly referred to as “the Black national anthem.” Joining them in this performance will be the LA Phil’s Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.
In addition to Dre/Em/Snoop/Kendric/Mary, the Super Bowl Halftime Show will feature Sean Forbes and Warren “WaWa” Snipe. The two deaf rappers will perform American Sign language renditions of the songs sung during the Halftime show, marking the first time the NFL has incorporated ASL into their extravaganza.