Super Bowl XLV halftime show

The Super Bowl XLV halftime show took place on February 6, 2011, at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas as part of Super Bowl XLV. The Black Eyed Peas headlined, performing a medley of their songs, with Slash and Usher making guest appearances.[1] Intended to bring youth back into the halftime show, the show received negative reviews from critics.[2]

Super Bowl XLV halftime show
Part ofSuper Bowl XLV
DateFebruary 6, 2011 (2011-02-06)
LocationArlington, Texas
VenueCowboys Stadium
HeadlinerThe Black Eyed Peas
Special guests
SponsorsBridgestone
DirectorsHamish Hamilton
ProducersRicky Kirshner
Super Bowl halftime show chronology
XLIV
(2010)		 XLV
(2011)		 XLVI
(2012)

Background

A country music halftime show was originally in the planning stages before the Black Eyed Peas agreed to perform.[3] After months of speculation, the selection of the Black Eyed Peas was announced on November 25, 2010.[4][5] The choice of the Black Eyed Peas was intended to bring youth back into the halftime show, after the NFL had booked legacy artists in the years following the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show and its controversy.[6]

Development

The show also displayed a long list of other performers, including Prairie View A&M University's "Marching Storm" Band.[7]

The performance experienced some audio issues.[8][9]

Fashion

Members of the Black Eyed Peas each wore outfits that were unique from one another's. However, they coordinated their look, with each having a futuristic black-colored outfit.[10][11]

Fergie wore an LED-embedded costume designed by Anouk Wipprecht and B. Akerlund.[12][13] Her shoes, on which Wipprecht collaborated with Dutch shoemaker Rene van den Berg, were integrated with Luminex, a light-emitting synthetic fiber.[12][13] The outfit had a leather skirt and a belt studded with many Swarovski crystals.[12] A football-inspired chest-piece design with flashing LEDs was engineered by Tom Talmon for the outfit.[12][13]

Taboo's outfit featured a digital chest plate that switched images to match what song was being performed, for instance, displaying a red heart shape during the performance of "Where Is the Love?".[11]

will.i.am's outfit was accessorized with a transparent skullcap.[11]

During his guest appearance, Slash wore a top hat, a signature look of his. The top hat he wore was sequined.[11]

The show's sizable group of dancers wore LED costumes which could be illuminated various colors.[9][14][15] Some in the media likened the visual effect of the illuminated dancers to the visuals of the Tron franchise.[9][16]

Synopsis
Halftime show

The show began with the four members of the Black Eyed Peas (will.i.am, Fergie, apl.de.ap, and Taboo) descending via cables onto the stage.[2]

The Black Eyed Peas started their performance with "I Gotta Feeling".[8]

The Black Eyed Peas then began their second song, "Boom Boom Pow".[8] Dancers in glowing costumes[9][14][15] arranged themselves on the field into shape formations such as arrows[8] and a giant eye.[2] During the performance of "Boom Boom Pow", the dancers costumes were illuminated in green.[9]

"Boom Boom Pow" transitioned into "Sweet Child o' Mine", with the two songs briefly overlapping.[8] Slash then rose onto the stage, with Will.i.am. introducing him, "Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only Slash."[8] Fergie then joined Slash, singing the lyrics to "Sweet Child o' Mine".[8] For the performance of "Sweet Child o' Mine", the dancers' costumes were illuminated in red.[9]

This was followed by renditions of "Pump It" and "Let's Get It Started".[8]

Usher then descended onto the stage in a manner similar to how The Black Eyed Peas had originally entered. He performed "OMG" with will.i.am.[8]

Stage arranged to spell the word "love"

The stage, which consisted of several moving platforms and was illuminated by many lights, was then rearranged to spell the word "love".[15] Fergie declared, "Super Bowl XLV, show us some love," before The Black Eyed Peas launch into the song "Where Is the Love?".[8]

The performance then ended with the song "The Time (Dirty Bit)" and a Reprise of I Gotta Feeling.[8]

Critical reception

The performance received a negative critical reception.[2][17]

Vince Cestone of Bleacher Report called the performance "uninspiring," and wrote that "The Black Eyed Peas were pathetic—or mediocre at best."[2] However, he praised the visual effects of the performance as "impressive."[2] JP Starkey of SB Nation Dallas wrote, "It wasn't entertaining, it wasn't fun, the songs were brutally bad and didn't translate to a live setting whatsoever."[18] Paul Cashmere of Undercover.fm called the performance "hideous."[17] Nekesa Mumbi Moody of the Associated Press declared, "The Black Eyed Peas brought the youth, but little else," but praised Usher's part of the performance as a "brief exhilarating moment."[6] Ben Werner of the Orange County Register called the performance a "glittering bore."[11]

A national viewer poll conducted by ESPN found that 35% (a plurality) of respondents graded the performance an "F".[19]

When reviewing the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show in 2013, the Associated Press' Mesfin Fekadu retrospectively called the Black Eyed Peas' performance "disastrous."[20] In 2019, Maeve McDermott of USA Today retrospectively ranked the show as the fifth "most disastrous" Super Bowl halftime show, writing, "The Black Eyed Peas revealed themselves to be a woefully inadequate live act for the halftime show."[14] In 2020, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone ranked the performance as the worst-ever Super Bowl halftime show.[21] In 2021, Patrick Ryan of USA Today wrote that it ranks among the worst halftime shows of the 2010s, calling it a "futuristic eyesore".[22]

Setlist

Source: Billboard/Associated Press[23]

References
  1. Stengle, Jamie (February 4, 2011).
  2. Cestone, Vince (February 7, 2011). "Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show: Good for the Eye, Bad for the Ear". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  3. "Black Eyed Peas To Headline Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show". Rolling Stone.
  4. Lipshutz, Jason (November 25, 2010). "Black Eyed Peas Playing Super Bowl Halftime Show". Billboard. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  5. "Black Eyed Peas to play at Super Bowl halftime". ESPN. Associated Press. November 25, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  6. "Black Eyed Peas fail to pump it at halftime". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. February 7, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  7. "Marching Storm Band". www.pvamu.edu.
  8. Gravley, Garrett (May 2, 2019). "Never Forget: Eight Years Ago, The Black Eyed Peas' Super Bowl Show Made History". Dallas Observer. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  9. Herrera, Monica (February 7, 2011). "Black Eyed Peas deliver "Tron"-themed Bowl show". Reuters. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  10. Chochrek, Ella (February 3, 2018). "13 Most Iconic Fashion Moments at the Super Bowl". Footwear News. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  11. Werner, Ben (February 7, 2011). "Review: Black Eyed Peas a glittering bore at Super Bowl". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  12. "From Lab to Showbiz!". V2_Lab for the Unstable Media. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  13. Flood, Kathleen (March 9, 2011). "High-Tech Apparel Fit For Fergie: Q&A With Designer Anouk Wipprecht". Vice. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  14. McDermott, Maeve (January 29, 2019). "The five most disastrous Super Bowl halftime shows, from Nipplegate to 'Indiana Jones'". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  15. "The Black Eyed Peas at the Super Bowl: Pop absurdity at its finest". LA Times Blogs - Pop & Hiss. February 6, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  16. "Love It or Hate It: Costumes in the Black Eyed Peas Halftime Show". POPSUGAR Fashion. February 7, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  17. "The Black Eyed Peas: Worst halftime show ever?". The Week. February 7, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  18. Starkey, J. P. (February 6, 2011). "2011 Super Bowl Halftime Show: Black Eyed Peas Perform, Bore And Confuse". SB Nation Dallas. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  19. Greenfield, Rebecca (February 7, 2011). "America Agrees: The Black Eyed Peas' Super Bowl Performance Stank". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  20. "Beyonce Praised For Halftime Show; 12-Minute Set Featured Destiny's Child Reunion". Sports Business Daily. February 4, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  21. Sheffield, Rob (January 17, 2020). "Super Bowl Halftime Shows Ranked by Sheffield: From Worst to Best". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  22. Ryan, Patrick (February 7, 2021). "The Weeknd delivers a charismatic Super Bowl halftime show, but he was no JLo, Shakira, Beyoncé or Prince". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  23. "Halftime gig 'dream come true' for Black Eyed Peas". Billboard. Associated Press. February 4, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
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