If the Super Bowl is for football fans, the halftime show is for everyone else. The music, the spectacle and, of course, debating who will be next to take the stage all play a role in drawing in viewers.
While today’s halftime shows are known for their elaborate productions and superstar performers, the tradition began on a much smaller scale. The first Super Bowl halftime show, held in 1967, featured trumpeter Al Hirt and the marching bands of the University of Arizona and Grambling State University.
Over the years, the halftime show has evolved into one of the biggest stages in music, featuring some of the most famous names in the industry, such as Michael Jackson, Madonna and Lady Gaga.
Beyond the entertainment itself, the halftime show has also become a shared experience that brings people together.
“It’s a good way to bring families together, especially during a time that can bring a lot of headbutting and arguments,” Alexia Padilla, a sophomore diplomacy and international relations major, said
With the NFL season underway, the official announcement of the next halftime headliner is on the horizon. Seton Hall students already have their own ideas about who could be the big name to take the stage.
Some students are looking to recent major sporting events for clues. The recent FIFA World Cup halftime show, which took place at MetLife Stadium in July, has put several artists back into the spotlight and students suspect the NFL might utilize these artists’ momentum.
“I’m leaning towards an older band, probably Coldplay,” Jordan Johnson, a sophomore diplomacy and international relations major, said. “They just recently performed at the FIFA halftime show, so I guess they're on the rise again and becoming more popular.”
Emiliano Rivera, a freshman finance major, had a similar thought.
“I think it’s gonna be Justin Bieber,” he said. “Ever since the World Cup, he’s gotten a lot of attention, and I heard that JAY-Z was talking to Justin about getting him for the Super Bowl too.”
Rivera referenced a report that JAY-Z’s entertainment company Roc Nation had Bieber and Harry Styles on its shortlist to headline the event.
But not everyone expects a solo artist to headline. Isabel Peverill, a sophomore anthropology major, is looking toward one of the world’s biggest groups.
“BTS. They’re fabulous,” Peverill said. “They’re on the same level as Michael Jackson. They’re global sensations.”
Kaido Greene, a freshman business major, also thinks a group will hit the stage, although his pick comes from a different part of the music world. Greene thinks the Red Hot Chili Peppers could perform, citing the band’s widespread popularity.
While students have plenty of predictions for who might perform, their personal wish lists are just as varied.
For some, the ideal halftime show would bring a familiar act back to the stage.
Annapurna Saha, a junior cognitive and behavioral neuroscience major, would like to see Rihanna perform again. Johnson, though, would rather see The Weeknd return without the strict COVID-19 safety protocols that were in place during his 2021 performance.
Others, however, would like to see fresh talent take the stage. Padilla would like to see rock band The Killers perform, while Greene would prefer rapper Rio Da Yung OG.
Rivera thinks Radiohead would be a strong fit for the show due to the band’s energetic and mystical feel.
With students naming everyone from BTS to Radiohead, their choices raise a bigger question: What makes a halftime performance, especially one as big as the Super Bowl’s, memorable and significant?
For Saha, the answer comes down to the performance quality.
“I would say the songs, the remixes and especially the performances,” Saha said. “I think I really like when there’s creativity or something that makes the performance unique.”
For most students, though, it’s not about the performance itself; it’s about the message behind it.
“I think someone who has a good message or is trying to prove a point, it gives them a purpose and more of an importance,” Johnson said.
Padilla similarly pointed to recent halftime performances where artists have used the halftime show to communicate something beyond their music.
“Kendrick Lamar had his message behind his show, as did Bad Bunny, and I think that’s what kind of sticks with you,” she said.
Recent halftime shows have also featured artists coming off significant moments in their careers. Lamar’s 2025 performance came shortly after his highly publicized conflict with Drake and the release of his album “GNX.”
Bad Bunny’s 2026 performance followed the chart-topping release of “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.”
That pattern has some students wondering which artist could be next to turn recent success into a Super Bowl performance.
One possibility could be Olivia Rodrigo. She’s still riding the success of her summer album,“you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,” and it has been nearly four years since a female solo artist last headlined the halftime show.
But the halftime show has become about more than an artist’s popularity or success. In recent years, it has become not only a performance, but a place for artists to share social and cultural messages. Lamar used the stage to address themes of Black autonomy and societal division through his music, while Bad Bunny united the stadium to prove that ‘Together, We Are America.’
Using the Super Bowl as a platform for activism is nothing new. During the 2022 halftime show, Eminem knelt onstage in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, an NFL player who began kneeling during the national anthem to protest against police brutality and social injustice in 2016.
The social and cultural messages tied to halftime performances have become a larger part of the conversation, leaving some fans wondering if Super Bowl LXI’s show will continue that trend.
Ultimately, though, the next halftime performer remains a mystery. Until the NFL makes its official announcement, there’s no way to tell who will take the stage.
Whether it’s a returning superstar, an artist at the height of their career or a brand new face, SHU students are extremely excited to find out who will perform in February.
Matthew Koroski is a writer for The Setonian’s Features section. He can be reached at matthew.koroski@student.shu.edu.
