What to expect from the Super Bowl half-time show
Who will join Kendrick Lamar, and other questions answered ahead of the big show in New Orleans.
PHILADELPHIA â Itâs so nice of the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs to schedule their football game around Kendrick Lamarâs televised concert!
The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show this year in New Orleans, and fans are already trying to figure out what he has planned.
Itâs not K.Dotâs first time performing for halftime â he joined Dr. Dre, 50 Cent and other hip-hop legends for Super Bowl LVI as a guest artist. But it does mark his first time as a headliner. It will also be his first performance since winning big Sunday at the Grammys with five awards, including song and record of the year for his Drake diss track, âNot Like Us.â
Hereâs what we know about the âTo Pimp a Butterflyâ artistâs performance and how to watch it.
How can I watch the Super Bowl halftime show?
The Super Bowl will be broadcast on Fox and available for streaming on services that include Hulu, NFL+, YouTube TV, Sling, DirecTV, Fubo and Tubi.
I donât care about football. What time does halftime start?
When halftime starts will depend on how long the first half of the game lasts â sorry, non-footballers, thereâs no set time. But kickoff on Sunday is at 6:30 p.m. ET and each half lasts about an hour and a half once you factor in delays, stoppages, and ad breaks (of which there will be many â Super Bowl ads are kind of a big deal).
All that to say Lamar will probably take the field around 8 p.m.
Who will perform with Kendrick Lamar?
Lamar already announced that friend, labelmate and frequent collaborator SZA will join him.
The popular R&B singer and Lamar have worked together multiple times over the years, including on their respective tracks, â30 for 30âł and âluther.â Theyâll also be touring together this year starting in April.
Itâs unclear whether any other surprise guests are slated to drop by.
Will Taylor Swift join Kendrick Lamar for the halftime show?
OK, time for some Swiftie clown theories.
Lamar and Swift are past collaborators and friends, with the rapper featured on Swiftâs hit single âBad Bloodâ â both the original from her 2014 album, â1989,â and her 2023 âTaylorâs Version.â In a viral photo from the Grammys, Swift could be seen toasting to Lamar as he accepted one of his awards.
With Swift already expected to attend the Super Bowl to cheer on her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, some fans are hopeful that sheâll make a pit stop on the field. But nothing official is set, and many of Swiftâs fans believe the singer wouldnât want to take the spotlight away from her boo.
That said, itâs not as though the couple hasnât mixed work and personal life before. Last year, Kelce famously appeared as a dancer for one of Swiftâs Eras Tour performances. Maybe itâs time for Swift to return the favor?
What songs will Lamar perform?
Itâs all under wraps, but hereâs what we do know: At his 2022 Super Bowl appearance, Lamar performed âM.A.A.D. Cityâ and âAlright.â In more recent performances, Lamar has performed tracks including âNot Like Usâ (multiple times at the same performance), âSwimming Pools (Drank),â âHumbleâ and âDNA.âWith SZA already confirmed, the likelihood of the pair performing some of their existing songs together â like âBabylon,â âEasy Bake,â âDoves In the Windâ and âlutherâ â seems high. Maybe theyâll even pull from their work together on âBlack Panther: The Album.â
Who else is performing at the Super Bowl 2025?
Other performers slated to perform throughout Super Bowl Sunday include NOLA musicians Trombone Shorty and Jon Batiste.
Trombone Shorty and the Christian singer Lauren Daigle will sing âAmerica the Beautiful.â Batiste will perform the national anthem. Singer-songwriter Ledisi will perform âLift Every Voice and Sing,â regarded as the Black national anthem.
Tribune News Service
SZA will join friend and frequent collaborator Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl. Above, SZA performs during the Glastonbury Festival in England last summer. (Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)
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