J.LO AND SHAKIRA SPICE UP A TIE GAME
Thank you to my incredible team for the most epic halftime I could have ever imagined. I love you guys so much #SBLIV #SuperBowlLIV #PepsiHalftime pic.twitter.com/sRCDxaWhRp
— Jennifer Lopez (@JLo) February 3, 2020
In just under 14 minutes, J.Lo and Shakira romped through more songs that any other Super Bowl halftime show in history. By our count they played snippets of about 15 of their own songs and dropped in Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA,” Bad Bunny’s “Callaita” and J. Balvin’s “Mi Gente.”
Shakira opened the show with a six-minute segment in the company of an army of female dancers, everyone dressed in red as she romped quickly through “She Wolf,” “Empire,” and one of her earliest records, “Ojos Asi.” “Whenever, Wherever” and “Hips Don’t Lie” bookended a medley that found the Colombian singing sensation crowd surfing during “Callaita.”
Jennifer Lopez emerged in black leather surrounded by male dancers working a black and white motif as she reached back for “Jenny from the Block” and “Ain’t it Funny.” It’s been months since she received positive notices for her work in Hustlers, but she worked he pole while serenading the masses with “Waiting for Tonight” after a quick change into a revealing outfit of silver and sparkles.
“Booty,” Balvin’s Mi Gente” and “On the Floor” followed, Shakira returning to the stage to drum and sing with J.Lo on “Let’s Get Loud.”
Their only other collaborative effort was on the closer, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” which stayed true to its African guitar lines and then weaved in an assortment of Puerto Rican rhythms.
It’s the final musical moment of the day that, during the pre-game show, included DJ Khaled delivering the introduction; Dan + Shay playing “Tequila” outside the stadium; a video set to Johnny Cash’s “Ragged Old Flag”; Pitbull providing Rob Riggle’s party inspiration; and Yolanda Adams singing “America the Beautiful” on the field with a Miami youth choir. The presentation of the game ball was accompanied by Ray Charles’ “What’d I Say.”
Demi Lovato delivered a powerful and controlled version of “The Star Spangled Banner” in, by our count, about one minute and 50 seconds. Congrats to everyone who bet the under.
And props to whatever aging hippie chose the Grateful Dead’s “Bertha” for the ad bumper music after the 49ers first touchdown.
The night before the Super Bowl, Lovato got onstage at Bud Light's Super Bowl Music Fest at American Airlines Arena with Dan + Shay to perform "Speechless."
