Super Bowl halftime show: How to watch as Usher promises surprise guests

Usher said he’s been prioritising self-care and affirmations as he prepares for his upcoming 11 February Super Bowl halftime performance at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In a cover interview with Vogue, the 45-year-old R&B icon told the outlet that he’s made a note to make sure that he’s in the best possible mental space when he takes the stage on Super Bowl Sunday. After the end of his twice extended Las Vegas residency and as he began to prepare for his halftime show performance, the singer said it was essential for him to practise more self-care.

“When is the last time you looked in a mirror and really looked at yourself?” he asked the Vogue culture editor during their interview. “When you looked in that mirror, did you tell yourself you loved yourself? Did you tell yourself that you forgive yourself?”

Super Bowl LVIII will be leaving viewers with an influx of celebrity-filled commercials as brands attempt to gain customers during what could also be called the Advertising Super Bowl.

This year, the football game will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday 11 February and available to watch on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. In November 2023, the Hollywood Reporter reported that the network had sold out all of its Super Bowl commercial time slots, and had wanted $7m for 30-second ads.

The ads are known for entertaining the less avid football fans during breaks in the game, with many brands already beginning to tease their commercials in the two weeks before the big game.

These are some of the best – and worst – Super Bowl ads released so far.

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The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched sporting events of the year.

Because of how many people watch the event every year, with an estimated 100 million people watching the 2023 Super Bowl, it has become a large deal for companies to purchase one of the rare advertisement slots.

Here’s an insight into how it works, and just how much companies are prepared to spend to get one of those coveted ad spots:

Rapper and singer Post Malone will perform “America the Beautiful”. Meanwhile, country music star and actor Reba McEntire will sing the national anthem, and Grammy and Golden Globe award-winning singer and actor Day will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing”.

Both will be produced and arranged by Emmy-winning musical director Adam Blackstone.

Both the pre-game entertainment and the Apple Music Super Bowl halftime show will also feature American Sign Language performances.

Usher is joining a renowned list of artists, including Rihanna, Béyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, who have been given the coveted opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl’s halftime show.

As the 12 to 14-minute halftime slot has typically been offered to well-established artists, they have often put together a set of their biggest hits.

And while the gig has been associated with being a pinnacle of success for artists and an opportunity to put their talent on display for a global audience, many fans may be surprised to find out how much the Super Bowl organisers pay their headliners.