The Super Bowl XLVI halftime show took place on February 5, 2012, at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana as part of Super Bowl XLVI. It was headlined by Madonna, who became the first sole female headliner since Diana Ross in 1996. It featured guest appearances by LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A. and CeeLo Green. Including collaborations with Cirque du Soleil, choreographer Jamie King as music director, and multimedia show producer Moment Factory, the show was critically acclaimed, becoming the second most viewed, behind the XXVII halftime show (1993), Super Bowl halftime show at the time with 114 million viewers, higher than the viewership of the game itself.
Preparations began in January, with Madonna saying that the rehearsal was the most exhausting one in which she had ever participated. Costumes were designed by Riccardo Tisci, Givenchy, Miu Miu and Prada. The production team was allotted seven minutes to set up the stage, 12 minutes for the performance and eight minutes to take down the stage. The modular structure was assembled from a truck, with a large white fabric in front as media screens for Moment Factory. Projection mapping was used by video-hardware manufacturer Barco, with films modified for the spectators and the television audience. The stadium was equipped with Sharpys lighting arrangements from Clay Paky, and the show used Sennheiser sound equipment.
Madonna was not paid for performing at the halftime show, which provides global exposure for an artist. Keith Caulfield of Billboard reported a 17-fold sales increase for Madonna's back catalog and strong preorder sales for her upcoming releases. Critics praised the show, noting Madonna's cautious performance. However, criticism and controversy was targeted at M.I.A. extending her middle finger to the camera near the end of her verse of "Give Me All Your Luvin'". The NFL apologized for its inability to blur out the image. The league later fined M.I.A. $16.6 million, which was settled in a confidential 2014 agreement.
Synopsis
The halftime show was broadcast on NBC. It began as a procession to the stage, with men dressed as gladiators pulling a large structure hidden from view by large gold-colored flags. As "Vogue" began the flags were removed, revealing Madonna in a long, gold-colored cape and an ancient-Egyptian helmet seated on a large throne. The procession reached the stage, and the singer began performing "Vogue". During the chorus, the stadium floor lit up to reveal animated Vogue magazine covers featuring Madonna. After the song, she took off her helmet. As "Vogue" segued into "Music", two large boom boxes appeared on the ground screens and the stadium handrails were lit with moving lights. Madonna and her dancers moved towards the stands. Slacklining performer Andy Lewis accompanied the singer, who danced on a tall pedestal. Madonna pretended to shoot Lewis and moved to the other end of the stage, where LMFAO sang "Party Rock Anthem" in a segue from "Music". They and Madonna danced to "Sexy and I Know It".
"Music" ended with a group of female dancers in cheerleading uniforms joining Madonna onstage for "Give Me All Your Luvin'". Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. joined her onstage, dressed in Egyptian-style clothing, and they danced as cheerleaders with pom-poms. During the song they stood on separate, elevated platforms, where Minaj and M.I.A. performed their respective verses. CeeLo Green came onstage with a marching band at the end of the song, and he and Madonna performed portions of "Open Your Heart" and "Express Yourself". "Like a Prayer" opened to a darkened stadium, with small specks of light visible, and a large choir dressed in black joined Madonna onstage. She reached the top of the bleachers and sang the final line before being pulled beneath the stage, surrounded by smoke. The show ended with "World peace" appearing on the ground screens with an image of the continents.
Background
According to CBS News, Madonna had been asked to perform in the 1999 and 2001 Super Bowl halftime shows but canceled both. In January 2001 she was scheduled to perform her new single, "American Pie", at the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show. However, she withdrew from the commitment due to a conflict with her recording schedule. In a statement at the time, Madonna expressed "sincere apologies" to the league and said: "I look forward to the possibility of doing something with the NFL in the future."
In late 2011 Madonna was busy with the release of her film W.E. and with recording her twelfth studio album, MDNA. The singer was reportedly signed by the NFL for the Super Bowl halftime show, and in December the league confirmed that Madonna would perform in the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The game was scheduled for February 5, 2012, and its organizers continued their practice of inviting global musicians to perform. Artists who had previously performed in the show included the Black Eyed Peas, Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, the Who, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, U2, Paul McCartney and Prince. The show coincided with the release of W.E. in United States.
Madonna collaborated with Cirque du Soleil to produce the show, and her longtime choreographer Jamie King was its music director. King suggested hiring Moment Factory. The production studio, which had worked on Celine Dion's Las Vegas residency shows, specializes in multimedia effects. Jacques Methe, Cirque du Soleil executive producer for special events, said that it was "contributing to the creative process that will lead to the creation of this very special moment ... For us, it's an interesting opportunity. It's not something that we do very often, working with other stars". According to Methe, Cirque du Soleil was involved with the creative side of the halftime show and its logistical challenges. The circus had previously put together a nine-minute pregame show at the 2007 Super Bowl. "Our work has been done mostly to help magnify and create an environment for the artists", said Moment Factory executive producer Eric Fournier, citing shows in which the studio had used lighting and video projections for special effects.
Development
Rehearsals
We had a lot of rehearsals — intense rehearsals. It wasn't like [Madonna] was standing there with a whip but you knew it was going to be her biggest show so I understand she was nervous.
— Nicki Minaj, on rehearsing for the show
Rehearsals began in January 2012 in a New York studio, and lasted for 12 hours. Rappers Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., who had collaborated on Madonna's single "Give Me All Your Luvin'", said that the rehearsals were "the most grueling thing [they had] ever done and wouldn't expect anything else, calling it an 'epic learning experience'". Minaj confirmed her performance in the show with a Twitter message, and rapper will.i.am confirmed that the American electronic dance music group LMFAO would also join Madonna for the event.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the NFL had coyly revealed the show's set list in its magazine: "Though Madonna's set list was not officially announced at press time, fans might expect her to give all her luvin', provide a ray of light and be in vogue with her music". Before the show, Madonna expressed concern about the physical and time constraints of the event. "I have eight minutes to set up my stage, 12 minutes to put on the greatest show on Earth, and I have seven minutes to take it down. So, that football field is clean for the second half of the game", she said. "How do you do that? This is a Midwesterner girls dream to be performing at the Super Bowl half-time show. In over 25 years of performing that I've done, I have never worked so hard or been so scrupulous or detail-orientated or freaked out." The singer's plan to have 100 drummers descend from the stadium ceiling was canceled, since the structure could not support the weight.
Fashion
Madonna had promised that there would be no wardrobe malfunction during the show, alluding to controversy surrounding Janet Jackson's performance in the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show. Madonna's show's fashion theme was the Roman Empire, with gladiator influences combined with modern Roman elements. Costume designer B. Akerlund created the dresses. Akerlund called on other designers to contribute to the costumes, which included Givenchy haute couture, boots by Miu Miu and earrings by Bvlgari. She worked closely with Madonna, who was involved with details including costuming the show's gladiators. According to Akerlund:
This was by far the biggest challenge I have ever taken on in my career, and I could not be more honored to be a part of such an amazing and historical event. Nothing could ever come close to working with Madonna on this Super Bowl performance, her attention to detail and commitment to all of her projects is truly inspiring and life changing.
Madonna's first dress was black, with a gold-colored, pleated overskirt designed by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy. The singer wore heavy jewelry, her blonde hair long and tightly waved, with diamond earrings by Bvlgari. Her first costume also had a gold-sequined cape with a leopard-print chiffon lining and Philip Treacy headgear. For "Give Me All Your Luvin'", Madonna, Minaj and M.I.A. wore red-and-black cheerleader outfits and carried gold-colored pom-poms. The singer wore a long-sleeved black gown over the short black dress for her last performance. Riccardo Tisci said that he had made all of Madonna's clothes, gloves, belts, hats and underwear. He had 28 choices for the singer, who decided on the gold cape. Although Tisci and his team had designed a shorter version of the cape, they had to re-do it for the singer. The performance featured 100 drumline performers, 150 gladiators (who wore black Calvin Klein underwear) and 200 choir singers.
Stage setup
The 1,500 crew members were allotted seven minutes to set up the stage, with the California-based Torrence All Access Staging and Productions handling the required equipment. Erik Eastland of the company, who oversaw the setup, had been associated with the Grammy Awards and the Daytime Emmy Awards. About 70 percent of the workers were volunteers who underwent six months of screening, and the remainder were stage-vendor employees. The main stage was 120 feet (36.6 m) long and modular, assembled in segments from six large trucks. The crew also set up the lighting, video, special effects and audio equipment.
The challenge may come from working outside in the elements. It could be 50 degrees when we rehearse and 50 below on game day, we're working under the pretext that we can be doing this in snow or rain ... In a normal indoor environment we have seven minutes to install the stage and get it camera ready. That can be stretched to nine minutes. It's the same time frame for this.
According to setup coordinator Douglas Cook, the rehearsals enabled them to reduce the setup time to under five minutes. Cook, who had worked on previous halftime shows, understood the details and guided the team. Drawings of the performances depicted what was expected for each setup, with the volunteers assembling the stage in segments and moving them to the field with carts. Madonna's entrance had to be rehearsed several times for coordination. Although Cook learned during the game that the New England Patriots were scheduled to exit on the route used by volunteers carrying the stage equipment, he resolved the issue by talking with the team.
Set designer Bruce Rodgers, who had worked with Madonna on the Drowned World Tour in 2001, was familiar with the singer's work ethic. Rodgers, director Hamish Hamilton and executive producer Ricky Kirshner met several times with Madonna's team, represented by choreographer Jamie King (who presented the show's initial concept). Rodgers developed a large, cross-shaped stage with a central platform accessible by five hidden lifts, bleachers with an escape system at the rear, four positions for the band to play, an area for slacklining at one edge and ramps at the two ends of the cross. At the front of the stage was a 149 ft × 90 ft (45 m × 27 m) white fabric, the main screen for the Moment Factory projections. Props included a Jimmie Martin-designed gold-leaf throne on a barge carried by 150 gladiators. Rodgers' greatest challenges were getting the barge onstage and rehearsing the procession.
The stage used multimedia projection and technology conceived by Moment Factory and Cirque du Soleil. After Madonna's entrance, the ground and stage floor revealed animated Vogue magazine covers featuring the singer. The effect was achieved by projection mapping, which turns an object (often irregularly-shaped) into a surface for video projection. Although projection mapping had been used to introduce the Nokia Lumia and project images of NBA players on the Hudson River in 2011, it had never been used on such a large scale. Moment Factory partner and executive producer Eric Fournier said that since the studio had been associated with technology-dependent shows, preparing for and accommodating the requirements of the Super Bowl were easy. When Moment Factory began the halftime-show preparations, Madonna's team had already selected the songs, and the studio developed visual effects complementing the songs' choreography. According to Moment Factory creative director Sakchin Bessette, using video projections was the most efficient method for the visual effects, as this required moving less equipment to the field than other methods. Fournier said, "It all came from the decision at the beginning to make a show out of it, not just a performance. Madonna's a perfectionist, and she wanted to do something extraordinary, so that was the objective of everybody."