Alexis SimmermanAustin American-Statesman
The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will face off in the 2024 Super Bowl. The largest football game in the U.S. will be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 11. But the NFL athletes won't be the only ones playing.
Who is performing at the Super Bowl's pregame and halftime shows? Here's what you need to know.
Who is performing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show?
Usherwill be the"Superstar"of theSuper Bowl 58halftime show on Sunday.
The eight-time Grammy winner was tapped back in September toheadline the halftime show, presented by Apple Music, at Allegiant Stadiumin Las Vegas, a gig he called "an honor of a lifetime."
Usher recently referred to Las Vegas as his "new home" after he closed out asold-out, 100-show residency in Sin City in December.
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When is the Super Bowl Halftime Show?
Usher's halftime show performance will take place during, well, halftime, but when exactly is that?
Halftime is a brief intermission between the first and second halves of the Super Bowl. Each half of the game is made up of two 15-minute quarters, but the game clock differs from the actual length of the game. Stoppages in play, from timeouts to TV timeouts and commercials during the game, make it hard to predict the exact time halftime begins, but on average, each quarter typically lasts about 45 minutes.
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Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Central time.
How long is the Halftime Show?
A regular NFL halftime normally lasts 13 minutes, but halftime for the Super Bowl lasts longer to accommodate for the setup, show and takedown, in addition to teams' on-field warm-ups.
Still, expect Usher to be on the stage for fewer than 15 minutes.
"Don’t take the moments for granted because you only get 13 of them," Ushersaid of the halftime showin November. "The hardest part is trying to figure out how to squeeze it all in when you actually have a large catalog, or a lot of records people celebrate and love."
Where to watch the Super Bowl in Austin if you're a die-hard Chiefs or 49ers fan: See map
Who is singing the National Anthem?
"The Queen of Country Music" Reba McEntire, 68, will sing the national anthem during the pregame.
WhenReba McEntiresteps up to the mic on Sunday to unfurl the national anthem, betting fanatics will set their stopwatchesto time the durationof her performance.
This is not new. Betting on the length of the anthem has been a sport for casual bettors for as long as there have been offshore illegal gambling sites. Thus, a while.
This year, thebetting line rangesfrom 86 to 90.5 seconds. The “over” is favored for good reason considering theaverage anthem performanceis one minute and 5 seconds.
McEntire should be a familiar name, face and voice to the majority of Super Bowl 58 viewers, given her cross-generational appeal as a singer, actress andcoach on “The Voice.”
What is Post Malone singing?
Following the national anthem, rapper Post Malone, 28, will sing "America the Beautiful." A Grammy nominee every year since 2015, he's best known for five-time platinum tracks "Psycho" and "White Iverson," CBS News reports.
Who is Andra Day?
The last of the pregame performers, the singer and Oscar-nominated actress will perform "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Day, 39, amassed over a billion streams and three platinums for her 2015 song "Rise Up," according to KHOU 11 News. Along with winning a Grammy, she has also earned two Golden Globes for her role in "The United States v. Billy Holiday."
What is the "Black National Anthem?"
"Lift Every Voice and Sing," to be sung by Day, is widely known as the "Black National Anthem," according to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was created in 1900 as a poem-turned-hymn by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson, then his brother John Rosamond Johnson composed music for the lyrics.
Who are the ASL performers?
For the 2024 Super Bowl, the NFL partnered with LOVE SIGN and the National Association for the Deaf (NAD) to feature American Sign Language performers. Here's the list of ASL performers, as published by NAD:
- Actor Daniel Durant, who starred in the Academy Award-winning movie “CODA,” will perform the National Anthem in ASL.
- Actress and model AnjelPiñerowill sign “America the Beautiful."
- Shaheem Sanchez, actor, dancer, and choreographer, will sign “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Sanchez will also perform the ASL Halftime Show.
—USA TODAY reporters Cydney Henderson and Melissa Ruggieri contributed to this report.
