The Super Bowl 2023 is finally here! Hosted in the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the final game of the NFL season will pit the Philadelphia Eagles against the Kansas City Chiefs, making for an exciting occasion for sports and culture fans all over the world.
Aside from the exciting game, the Super Bowl is one of the most watched televised broadcasts, featuring impressive commercials with all manner of stars. Topping it all off, this year’s Halftime show features Rihanna, marking her official comeback to music after an extended absence.
Performers
Rihanna is the halftime show’s headliner, performing a 13-minute set that featured some of her greatest hits. Last year, the Super Bowl halftime show was an ode to hip hop, featuring performances from Eminem, Dr. Dre, Mary J Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and more.
Rihanna came out wearing a red outfit made out of pants, a top and a jacket, hovering over the field in a moving platform. She opened the set with “B**** Better Have My Money”. Her performance included hits like “Wild Thoughts”, “Diamond”, “Umbrella”, etc.
Rihanna’s Halftime show focused on her music, covering her different eras and the genres she’s explored over her career, highlighting hip hop, pop and EDM. She was accompanied by no other performers.
Following her performance and much speculation from the audience, a representative for Rihanna confirmed her that she was pregnant to The Hollywood Reporter. She’s expecting her second child.
Earlier on in the evening, Chris Stapleton performed the National Anthem, Babyface performed “America the Beautiful”, and Sheryl Lee Ralph performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. Oscar winner Troy Kotsur, Colin Denny, and Justina Miles signed the songs listed above in ASL. They also signed the halftime show performance.
We’ve previously written about the Latinos who’ve performed the National Anthem in the Super Bowl, including Marc Anthony,Demi Lovato, and more.
Social media reactions
Shakira, who’s previously performed in the Super Bowl Halftime show, took a minute to send positive thoughts to Rihanna. The two colloborated on the song “Can’t Remember to Forget You” in the year 2014.
Adele was spotted at the Super Bowl. She claims to be there for Rihanna and Rihanna only.
Sasha Calle was featured on the new trailer of “The Flash”, which co-stars Ezra Miller and Michael Keaton. She plays Supergirl, marking the first time when the comic book character is played by a Latina.
Rihanna was spotted walking inside the stadium, rocking a stunning red body suit.
Cara Delevingne was spotted in the stands, wearing a shirt that read “Rihanna concert interrupted by a football game, weird but whatever.”
A$AP Rocky was spotted filming and enjoying Rihanna’s performance.
Commercials
Super Bowl commercials are a universal source of appeal. While most will be revealed over the course of the broadcast, some brands have already released clips of their ads, including a “Breaking Bad” reunion for PopCorners, Anna Faris for “Avocados from Mexico”, Jack Harlow for Doritos, and more.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are featured in a new Dunkin Donuts ad. The commercial shows Affleck working at Dunkins drive through when Lopez unexpectedly stops by for an order. “What are you doing? Is that what you do when you say you’re going to work all day?” she asks.
Bradley Cooper and his mom starred in T-Mobile’s latest commercial, with Cooper playing one of the store’s employees.
The NFL’s new commercial spotlighted Diana Flores, a Mexican flag football star. The commercial shows her dodging all manner of obstacles, placing her and various women at the forefront of the NFL’s future.
The trophy
While the Super Bowl is all about the action of the game, the trophy plays an important part. Designed by Tiffany & Co and named the Vincent Lombardi Trophy, the hardware is custom made for the NFL every year, measuring 22 inches tall and weighing seven pounds.
Who won the match?
The Super Bowl LVII was won by the Kansas City Chiefs. The final score was Chiefs 38, Eagles 35.