Halftime show

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A halftime show is a performance given between the first and second halves or the 2nd and 3rd quarters of a sporting event. Halftime shows are not given for sports with an irregular or indeterminate number of divisions (such as baseball or boxing), or for sports that don't stop. Ice hockey games consist of three periods, so there are in effect two halftimes at a hockey game: the intermissions are usually given over to contests involving randomly-selected audience members.

A halftime show can consist of cheerleader performances, marching bands playing music or other spectacle performances.

1 American football
- 1.1 Super Bowl
2 See also
3 External links

[edit] American football

A halftime show is a traditional element in an American football game. During the interval between the second and third quarters (normally 15 minutes) some form of entertainment is presented on the field. The entertainment frequently consists of performances by marching bands.

At some high school and most college games, the school bands of the two competing teams perform at halftime; however, with most high schools, only the home team's band will perform. Often, the cheerleaders and/or a dance team will perform. Other activities may also take place, and these vary widely. Until sometime in the early 1980s, these shows were typically televised (assuming the game itself was televised, of course): since that time it has become traditional for TV networks to devote the halftime to a roundup of other ganes' scores.

During a professional football game, a high school or college band may be brought in to perform. For the Super Bowl game, an elaborate show involving world-renowned music stars, dancers, fireworks and other special effects has become the norm.

[edit] Super Bowl

In the United States, the halftime show for the Super Bowl is a highlight of the event and can cost millions to stage.

On February 1, 2004, the live halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVIII, produced by music video giant MTV, sparked outrage among many viewers when Justin Timberlake, one of the performers, exposed Janet Jackson's right breast in a 'wardrobe malfunction'. Since it was broadcast live, the exposure was seen by millions when it happened.

Janet Jackson's brother Michael Jackson gave a memorable halftime show in 1993 at Super Bowl XXVII which attracted attention at the time only for being a spectacular performance. However, his finale seems distasteful in retrospect; he performed his song "Heal the World" with an adoring chorus of hundreds of local children. The first allegations of child molestation against Jackson surfaced later that year.

In 2002, U2 gave the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXVI, shortly after releasing the single "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of." The video had an American football theme: a placekicker repeatedly misses a field goal at the end of a game. The band chose most moving and emotional Super Bowl halftime shows in history.