MUS musician Usher performed several of his biggest hits during the Super Bowl halftime with roller skates and famous surprise guests. Singer Taylor Swift celebrated her friend Travis Kelce and his Kansas City Chiefs' victory after the game. Musicians Alicia Keys and HER and rappers Ludacris and Lil Jon appeared with Usher in a roughly quarter-hour show during halftime of the NFL Finals between the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. Dozens of dancers and a brass band also took part in the spectacle.
Usher himself changed clothes several times, then took off his top completely, danced on a stage that sometimes resembled a bell and sometimes a fire – and sometimes even appeared on roller skates. The approximately 60,000 spectators in the stadium erupted in cheers and applause. The Super Bowl audience included stars such as Queen Latifah, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Lizzo, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeff Goldblum, Justin and Hailey Bieber, Martha Stewart, Travis Scott, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga and Fat Joe, as well as tech billionaire Elon Musk .
All eyes are on Taylor Swift
The 45-year-old Usher had already performed with the Black Eyed Peas in 2011 at the halftime show, which is considered one of the biggest stages in the music world. The R&B musician became world famous with hits like “Nice & Slow,” “You Make Me Wanna…”, “U Got It Bad” and “Yeah!” The scale of the Super Bowl is huge, and its impact was made even stronger this year by Swift's presence. Last year, 115.1 million TV viewers watched the match. According to the US Bookmakers Association, this time 67.8 million people bet a total of 23.1 billion US dollars (equivalent to approximately 21.42 billion euros).
Before the game started, country singer Reba McEntire had already performed the US national anthem “Star-Spangled Banner” and musician Post Malone had sung “America The Beautiful”. Fresh from a concert series in Tokyo, Swift, who has been dating football star Kelce for several months, also rocked the box. Swift – wearing dark trousers, a dark top and a red jacket – arrived at the stadium with musician Ice Spice and actress Blake Lively. There had previously been much speculation as to whether Swift would make it in time for the spectacle and be there.
From the box, he and his teammates cheered on the Kansas City Chiefs. It was occasionally shown on a screen in the stadium. This led to cheers, as well as cheers, in the stadium, where the 49ers' supporters had the upper hand acoustically. At one point, Swift emptied the drinking cup she was holding in one go and then slammed it onto the table in front of her. After the game, Swift appeared on the court, hugged and kissed Kelce.
Swift and Kelce have been dating since last year. The 34-year-old attended many Chiefs games at the stadium. The romance between the pop star and the soccer star is watched by millions of fans around the world. There had been heated debate for weeks over whether the pop star could commentate on the US presidential campaign at the Super Bowl and endorse Democrat Joe Biden again – as in 2020 – and if so, with what effect. However, this did not happen.