Getty Singer Lady Gaga performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LI Halftime Show at Houston NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, February 5, 2017.
Tonight is the 2018 Super Bowl, with the New England Patriots playing against the Philadelphia Eagles. But, not everyone cares about the game. Some of those non-sports enthusiasts out there just want to get all the details on the halftime show. On NBC, the Super Bowl coverage will begin at 6 p.m. ET. Kickoff time for the game is set for 6:30 p.m. ET. And, depending on how the first two quarters of the game are, halftime is estimated to begin between 7:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. ET. It should definitely end by 8:30 p.m. if it sticks to schedule and it will be followed by the second half of the game, which should run until 10:00 – 10:30 p.m. ET. This year’s headliner is Justin Timberlake and he is scheduled to deliver approximately a 13-minute set.
CBS has reported that Timberlake dropped his latest album, “Man of the Woods,” on February 2, 2018, so he will surely be playing some music from the new record. His latest single, “Filthy”, has been well-received. Check out the official music video for “Filthy” below.
Often, there are surprise performers that pop up in halftime shows, but so far, there are no reports confirming an additional music artist. Last year, Lady Gaga was the headlining performer for the Super Bowl and she conquered that performance as a solo act, though she had backup dancers, of course. Other performers in the past, have incorporated additional A-list artists. For example, Beyonce had a Destiny’s Child reunion in her Super Bowl performance. And, when Coldplay was the Super Bowl headliner, Beyonce was actually one of the band’s surprise guests.
As for the other performers in the mix this year, singer Pink will be performing “The Star-Spangled Banner” ahead of the game. Last year, Luke Bryan delivered the National Anthem and he recently told Entertainment Tonight that he has some advice for Pink. Bryan stated, “Pink is one of the best singers on planet Earth and I know she’s going to do an unbelievable job with the national anthem. It’s pretty nerve-wracking, I’m sure she’ll kill it though. She’s been on the big stage for a lot of years, certainly even more than me, so I know she’ll do great and good luck, Pink.”
For this year’s “America the Beautiful” pre-game performance, Leslie Odom, Jr., of “Hamilton”, will be performing and will be backed up by a choir from St. Paul, Minnesota. Last year, members of the same Broadway production, “Hamilton”, also delivered “America the Beautiful” at the Super Bowl, according to Billboard. Odom actually won the 2016 Tony Award as Best Actor for his “Hamilton” performance.
Angelica Cantanti Youth Choir in St. Paul will have 26 12-year-olds participating in the “America the Beautiful” performance. Choir singer Abigail Pearson, recently dished on the choir’s Super Bowl singing gig with Odom. Pearson said, “It’s a huge deal. I mean, we’ve sang at a lot of impressive venues, but this is by far the most impressive one,” according to FOX 9.