Super Bowl XLVII is just about ready to go and the party for the big game is looking more blockbuster every minute, with the addition of superstar singer Alicia Keys to join in the pre-game festivities.
With Beyonce and Destiny’s Child already set to do the Halftime Show for the Super Bowl in New Orleans on Sunday, Feb. 3, Keys will be opening the game for millions of people by singing the national anthem.
And it looks like the multi-time Grammy winning star and “This Girl is on Fire” singer will be adding her own soulful style to the centuries-old song.
"Oh my goodness, I'm crazy excited about it. Being able to do the national anthem and actually set the whole game off is a dream come true. It's really exciting," she told MTV this week. "It's a historical moment, that day, so I'm looking forward to really doing it my style and my way, and I'm looking forward to really making it great."
Game Time and Schedule
Super Bowl XLVII kicks off at 6:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. PST, on Sunday, Feb. 3 on CBS.
CBS to get big bucks for the Big Game from advertisers
But Super Bowl Weekend isn’t only a big day for entertainers chosen for the Big Game--it’s also a big day for advertisers.
It’s no secret that the Super Bowl brings out some of the most memorable commercials of the year, from the Budweiser frogs in 1995 to the racy Go Daddy.com commercials of the last decade and Jay Leno flying off in a jet pack to get the 2012 Acura .
According to Forbes, CBS is making a huge payday with commercials this year, having sold out all their inventory for this year’s Super Bowl; advertisers paid a steep $3.75 million price tag for a 30-second commercial spot for the NFL’s championship game.
But it’s not as if the payoff will be for nothing. Last year’s Super Bowl between New England and the New York Giants raked in a 47.0 Nielsen rating, meaning that 47 percent of televisions around the U.S. were tuned into the big game.
Top Five Super Bowl Halftime Shows
Beyonce is drawing a lot of buzz with her Pepsi-sponsored Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 3. So far, the show is rumored to be capped with an onstage reunion between Beyonce, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, the best-selling women’s singing trio known as “Destiny’s Child.”
But she’ll have a tough act to follow with some of the legendary performances of the past. Here’s a look at some of the best Super Bowl Halftime Shows of all time:
5. Madonna owns Super Bowl XLVI show
Even nearly 30 years since she debuted her first hit single “Like A Virgin” in 1984, superstar singer Madonna showed that she’s still got it. Performing her classic hit “Vogue,” Madonna rocked Super Bowl XLVI at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. alongside new superstars LMFAO, British rapper Nicki Minaj, electric R&B singer Cee Lo Green and M.I.A with a medley of her hits “Party Rock Anthem” “Express Yourself,” Like A Prayer” and even jamming to LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It.”
In full show-stopping mode, Madonna rocked the house, entertaining a raucous Indianapolis crowd that saw their beloved hometown hero Peyton Manning’s little brother, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, put on a game MVP-winning performance as the Giants beat the New England Patriots in a down-to-the-wire finish, 21-17, for the Giants’ second Super Bowl title in four years--both against the Patriots.
4. Bono and U2 remember the victims of September 11
Only four months before, the nation was left stunned and in mourning after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington D.C., which left thousands dead.
In an emotionally charged performance, superstar rock group U2 and Bono paid tribute to the victims as a sea of red, white and blue glow sticks waved from the thousands who were in attendance at the Louisiana Superdome for Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002--a thriller won by a sudden-death overtime field goal from New England kicker Adam Vinitieri to give the New England Patriots a 20-17 over the St. Louis Rams for Tom Brady’s and the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl trophy.
The names of the victims scrolled for all to see in the background to honor the memory of the victims in a game watched by millions around the nation, while Bono and U2 played the song “The Streets Have No Name,” in a performance that left an impression for everyone.
3. The Stars Come Out During Super Bowl XXXV
With MTV producing the half time show for the 2001 Super Bowl between the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens—which Ray Lewis won the MVP for as the Ravens beat the Giants handily, 34-7—the stars were out in full force as superstar singers Britney Spears and Nelly, smash-hit boy group ‘N Sync, R&B queen Mary J. Blige and legendary rock group Aerosmith with front man Steve Tyler performed one after another, ending it with a flourish as all the acts capped the show with a star-studded rendition of Aerosmith’s classic “Walk This Way.”
2. Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake—the “Wardrobe Malfunction”
Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 ended in electrifying fashion, netting a second of three Super Bowl rings for Tom Brady after New England kicker Adam Vinatieri kicked a 41-yard field goal to win the game for New England 32-29. But what everyone would be talking about the next day was the performance that Jackson and Timberlake put on during the half.
After the sultry Jackson performed a medley of her hits including “All for You” and “Rhythm Nation,” Timberlake appeared alongside her onstage to perform his hit “Rock Your Body.” At the line “gonna have you naked by the end of his song, the former ‘N Sync singer ripped open her leathery top—and exposed her right breast.
Thus was born the phrase “wardrobe malfunction”—as explained by Timberlake regarding the allegedly unintentional incident—a widely-used phrase since that night, even to this day.
1. Michael Jackson lights up the Rose Bowl--by himself
Never before in the history of the Super Bowl had one artist done the entire halftime show. Yet, that is exactly what Michael Jackson did.
The King of Pop provided a ground-breaking performance in Super Bowl XXVII in 1993, performing a medley of his greatest hits including “Billie Jean,” “Black or White,” “Jam” and debuting a new song called “Heal the World” to electrify the tens of thousands that gathered for the big game between the Buffalo Bills and the Dallas Cowboys at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
With the game being so lopsided, ending in a 52-17 Cowboys win—the first of three Super Bowl rings for Cowboys quarterback and NFL great Troy Aikman Jackson’s performance was arguably more exciting than the game itself.
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