Super Bowl 50 halftime show

Date	February 7, 2016 (2016-02-07)
Location	Santa Clara, California
Venue	Levi's Stadium
Headliner	Coldplay
Special guests	Beyoncé Gustavo Dudamel Bruno Mars Mark Ronson University of California Marching Band Youth Orchestra Los Angeles
Sponsor	Pepsi
Director	Hamish Hamilton
Producer	Ricky Kirshner
Super Bowl halftime show chronology
XLIX (2015) 50 (2016) LI (2017)

TheSuper Bowl 50 halftime show took place on February 7, 2016 atLevi's Stadium inSanta Clara, as part ofSuper Bowl 50. It was headlined by the British rock bandColdplay,^[1] who calledBeyoncé,Gustavo Dudamel,Bruno Mars,Mark Ronson, theUniversity of California Marching Band and theYouth Orchestra Los Angeles as guests.^[2] With over 115.5 million viewers, it was the most watched halftime set by a group. The band also charted all of their albums on theBillboard 200 afterwards.

Beyoncé's appearance was controversial for performing "Formation", a song regarded by some as an alignment with theBlack Lives Matter movement, while others claim it hasanti-police andanti-American messages that should be boycotted.Conservatives accused Coldplay of promoting a "gay agenda" as well. Despite its mixed reception from music critics on contemporary reviews, the show has been since ranked as one of the best in Super Bowl history byThe Athletic,Parade,Rolling Stone andThe Telegraph.

Coldplay,Rihanna, andKaty Perry were considered as potential acts for theSuper Bowl XLIX halftime show in 2015.^[3] Perry was soon confirmed as the headliner of the halftime show in November 2014. In summer 2015, many acts were being rumored as potential headliners for the 2016 halftime show includingTaylor Swift,Britney Spears andOne Direction. In September 2015, it was reported thatBruno Mars was set to curate the Super Bowl 50 halftime show, but the next month in October, It was reported thatMaroon 5 was in talks to headline, but the band said they haven't had any conversations with the NFL about headlining, but were open to it. Maroon 5 would eventually headlineSuper Bowl LIII's halftime show. In late November 2015, reports surfaced stating that multiple acts would perform during the halftime show. Coldplay was confirmed as the lead halftime performer for Super Bowl 50 on December 3, 2015, one day before the release of their seventh studio albumA Head Full of Dreams.^[1] It was later confirmed thatBeyoncé and Bruno Mars would join Coldplay as special guests.^[4] WhenChris Martin originally called Mars to ask him to perform with Coldplay, Mars was wary of a multi-artist performance.^[5] The singer of Coldplay then invited Mars to his studio in Malibu where he was working.^[5] There, Martin revealed to Mars that he wanted for him to perform "Uptown Funk" with Beyoncé. Despite this, Mars remained skeptical and asked Martin to talk to Beyoncé to determine how she felt about the idea. Martin immediately texted a video of himself with Mars to Beyoncé, in which he asked her in the form of a song if she would come do the Super Bowl with both of them, to which she happily agreed.^[5][6]

One day before the performance, Mars and Beyoncé were "watching playback backstage" while Beyoncé ate a bag of Cheetos.^[5] Mars asked her, "That's what you're doing?" to which she replied, "There's nothing more we can do these last two days. It's gonna be what it's gonna be. So I'm gonna enjoy this bag ofCheetos".^[5] Mars admitted to learning a lot watching Beyoncé's preparation for the Super Bowl performance, saying that she is "coming for you every single time, so you better bring your A-game every time".^[7]

External videos
Full Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show – via theNFL's official channel onYouTube.

The show opened with a vibrant audiencecard stunt on the other side ofLevi's Stadium, where spectators held orange, yellow, and blue cards to form a sunburst pattern. On the field, participants held red, white, and blue cards to form the logo ofPepsi – the Super Bowl halftime show sponsor at the time. After that, a separate group of fans ran on the field in excitement. While that happens,Chris Martin sings the opening chorus from "Yellow". He was then joined by the remaining band members of Coldplay to perform "Viva la Vida", "Paradise", and "Adventure of a Lifetime" with theYouth Orchestra Los Angeles conducted byGustavo Dudamel and theUniversity of California Marching Band. Bruno Mars,Mark Ronson, and a troupe of backing dancers (dressed in the styles ofMichael Jackson, who performed in theSuper Bowl XXVII halftime show)^[8] then performed "Uptown Funk". Beyoncé, also in a Michael Jackson-like bodysuit and appearing with a set of backing dancers dressed asBlack Panthers, then performed her new single "Formation" in a mass choreographed dance and forming the letter X (to representMalcolm X) before joining Mars onstage for a verse of "Uptown Funk".

Coldplay played a snippet of "Clocks" transitioning into "Fix You," and Martin sang along to some of the songs included in a video montage of past Super Bowl halftime and national anthem performances, containing show numbers byBruce Springsteen,Missy Elliott,Katy Perry,The Rolling Stones,Paul McCartney,Stevie Wonder,Diana Ross,James Brown,Whitney Houston,Michael Jackson,The Black Eyed Peas,U2,Prince, Beyoncé in 2013, and Mars in 2014. The show concluded with the band performing "Up&Up" with Beyoncé, Mars, and everyone taking part in the show. At the end of the performance, spectators on the other side of the stadium participated in another card stunt, this time forming arainbow pattern with the phrase "Believe in Love".

The performance received generally mixed reviews from critics, who complimented Beyoncé and Mars' part of the performance but were critical of Coldplay.Jon Caramanica ofThe New York Times stated that Coldplay "acted more as a stagehand than an actual performer" while Beyoncé's section of the performance was "the night's true event". Caramanica also noted that Beyoncé and Mars "outsang" Martin during the closing part of the performance.^[9] Andrew Barker ofVariety similarly noted that "Coldplay seemed resigned to politely allowing themselves to be played right off their own stage" by the "far flashier" Mars and Beyoncé.^[10]

In a review forFox Sports, Chris Chase panned Coldplay's performance, calling it "inexplicable, indecipherable, and unnecessary" and a "musical snooze". Chase complimented Beyoncé's and Mars' appearances but described the performance as "boring".^[11] Alex Needham ofThe Guardian gave the performance four stars, saying that "Queen Bey at the height of her powers effortlessly overwhelmed Coldplay's widescreen anthems in a show that seemed lightweight until she showed up".^[12]

Robert Bianco ofUSA Today stated that Martin "seemed overwhelmed" by the size of the event, and that despite being a "personable and energetic performer", an "awful lot" of Martin's energy "went into jumping". Bianco praised Beyoncé's appearance and stated that she "stole the show".^[13] Wendy Geller ofYahoo! also complimented Beyoncé's and Mars' appearances, but criticized the montage of previous halftime performances, describing it as "confusing rather than touching" and stating that the performance was "definitely a cold play".^[14]

The show received two nominations at thePrimetime Emmy Awards:Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Special andOutstanding Variety Special (Live).^[15]

Several public figures in the entertainment industry commented positively on the show throughsocial media, includingAndy Cohen,Maksim Chmerkovskiy,Ellen DeGeneres,Victoria Justice,Hoda Kotb,Sarah Michelle Gellar,Donnie Wahlberg andReese Witherspoon.^[16]Elizabeth Banks,Khloe Kardashian andDemi Lovato particularly praised Beyoncé and Mars,^[16] whileFuture published "#Coldplay legendary forever" on hisTwitter account.^[17]Taylor Swift praised the "Fix You" montage with the previous halftime performances and mentioned feeling like she had dreamed the performance.^[18] Conversely,Piers Morgan panned both the show and its subsequent game.^[16]

Beyoncé received criticism for the performance of "Formation", a song that right-wing politicians and activists considered to be "anti-police", and for appearing to align herself with theBlack Lives Matter movement. FormerNew York City mayorRudy Giuliani accused the show of being anti-police and also criticised Beyoncé's use ofBlack Power andBlack Panther Party symbolism in her dance routine. "This isfootball, notHollywood, and I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us, and keep us alive," he said.^[19] The controversy caused a "#BoycottBeyonce" hashtag on Twitter and protesters announced plans for an "anti-Beyoncé" rally on the morning of February 16 outside of the NFL's headquarters in New York City, but no one showed up for such a rally.^[20]

CNN political commentator Sally Kohn stated that "too many police continue to show themselves to be far more interested in reactionary defensiveness and preserving the abusive status quo."^[21] Black Lives Matter activist and professorMelina Abdullah praised Beyoncé and other artists who "are willing to raise social consciousness and use their artistry to advance social justice."^[22][23] In addressing her own controversy, Beyoncé explained, "I have so much admiration and respect for officers and the families of officers who sacrifice themselves to keep us safe. But let's be clear: I am againstpolice brutality andinjustice".^[24]

Furthermore, Coldplay were accused byconservatives of promoting a "gay agenda" at the end of the show,^[25] when rainbow-coloured placards were flipped to form the phrase "Believe in Love".^[26]

According toBillboard, the halftime show got 115.5 million total viewers, becoming the most watched performance by a group.^[47] Moreover, all seven albums Coldplay had released at the time entered theUnited States albums chart;A Head Full of Dreams (2015) ranked the highest, at number four.^[48] The band also experienced a 174% surge indigital song sales, with the strongest seller being "Adventure of a Lifetime".^[48]Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010) andUnorthodox Jukebox (2012), both fromBruno Mars, saw increases in sales as well.^[48] Despite not charting any albums,Beyoncé entered theHot R&B Songs ranking with "Formation" at number 18.^[48]

Credits adapted fromBillboard.^[49]

1. "Yellow"
2. "Viva la Vida"
3. "Paradise"
4. "Adventure of a Lifetime"
5. "Uptown Funk" / "Formation"(Mark Ronson,Bruno Mars andBeyoncé)
6. "Fix You" / "Up&Up"(with Mars and Beyoncé)

Notes

• "Uptown Funk" / "Formation" included elements of "U Can't Touch This" and "Crazy in Love".
• "Fix You" / "Up&Up" included elements of "Clocks", "Midnight", "Independent Women Part I", "Just the Way You Are", "Purple Rain" and "Beautiful Day".

• 2016 in American music
• 2016 in American television

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• 2016 in American music
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• LGBTQ-related controversies in music
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• Santa Clara, California
• Super Bowl halftime shows
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