The Super Bowl LI Halftime show took place on February 5, 2017, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, as part of Super Bowl LI. Lady Gaga headlined the show, with no special guests (the first overall solo-headlined show since the 2010 edition and the first female solo-headlined show without special guests since the 1996 edition), performing a medley of her songs, including material from her then-most recent studio album, Joanne (2016). The show formerly held the record as the most nominated Super Bowl halftime show in Emmy Awards history, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Special. This record was later broken by Super Bowl LX halftime show headlined by Bad Bunny in 2026, securing 9 nominations.
Gaga began rehearsing for the show in January 2017. Her sister Natali gave her the idea of performing from atop the NRG Stadium; Gaga worked on the logistics behind it. She promoted the performance by uploading short clips on her social media accounts. Fashion house Versace created the wardrobe for the show, while designers Bruce Rodgers and LeRoy Bennett did the show's production work with lighting designer Bob Barnhart. The stage was created by All Access Staging & Productions, which had also created previous Super Bowl halftime stages. During the introduction scene, Gaga was accompanied by a fleet of 300 drones, which formed an image of the American flag behind her. It marked the first time the drones had been used as part of a television broadcast.
The show was noted for its acknowledgment of the LGBTQ community, the perceived political undertones, and the technical achievement of the use of drones. It received critical acclaim, with media outlets praising Gaga for demonstrating artistic and musical qualities while citing it as one of the top Super Bowl halftime performances ever. With 117.5 million television viewers, it was the fifth most-watched Super Bowl halftime show after the halftime shows during Super Bowl XLIX and subsequent editions from Super Bowl LVII onwards, and had higher average viewership than the game itself. Gaga's music catalog benefited from the performance, with sales growth for all her records. The song "Million Reasons" from Joanne, which was part of the set list, consequently became her 14th top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Synopsis
The halftime show began with a prerecorded segment on the roof of NRG Stadium. Lady Gaga started singing "God Bless America" (1939) as drones swarm behind her emitting red, white and blue color. She then sang Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" (1945), followed by the ending of the Pledge of Allegiance: "One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Gaga then dove from the rooftop as the drones behind her formed the design of the Flag of the United States. She came down from the roof to begin the show proper and stood on a tall pillar across the stage as a montage of her songs "Dance in the Dark" (2009), "Just Dance" (2008), "LoveGame" (2008), and "Paparazzi" (2008) played in the background. She then sang a line from "The Edge of Glory" (2011) before abruptly switching to "Poker Face" (2008), as fireworks lit up behind her. After the first verse and chorus, Gaga, attached to a harness, bounced from the pillar to the main stage. Her dancers joined her as she sang "Born This Way" (2011), which included the track's intermediate spoken verse.
As the song ended, Gaga headed towards a star-shaped structure on another corner of the stage before singing "Telephone" (2009), while holding her characteristic "Disco Stick" prop. A dancer carried her back to center stage where she performed "Just Dance" (2008) with a keytar. The singer moved from the stage to the ground as the song ended before moving to a podium with a piano. She began singing "Million Reasons" (2016) as the audience on the field synchronously waved LED batons. Continuing the song, she came down from the podium and embraced a fan in the audience. For the finale of "Bad Romance" (2009), a team of white-clad dancers strutted across the main stage as Gaga disappeared into the crowd for a quick-change. She finally ran back onto the stage wearing a white football-inspired costume as they performed the track's choreography accompanied by flamethrowers. After performing the song's bridge and last chorus on a raised platform, Gaga was carried to the edge of the stage by her dancers. As the song concluded, fireworks erupted before Gaga said "Super Bowl LI!", did a microphone drop and then jumped off the stage while catching a football covered with diamonds.
Background
Around August 2016, media outlets began reporting that Adele was in discussions with the National Football League (NFL) to perform at the Super Bowl LI halftime show, which was planned for February 5, 2017, at Houston's NRG Stadium. Pepsi Zero Sugar would sponsor the show. During her Adele Live 2016 concert tour in Los Angeles, Adele clarified that although she had been asked to perform by the NFL, she had declined since she did not believe she was suitable for the halftime show. Soon after, the NFL explained they had not signed any musician and were still in discussions with several artists.
In the meantime, Gaga announced that she would be releasing her fifth studio album, Joanne, in October 2016. Billboard reported that the NFL was in discussions with the singer, because of her performance of the national anthem at the previous Super Bowl. On September 29, 2016, Gaga confirmed on her Instagram account that she would be performing at the halftime show. Fox Sports president and executive producer of the show, John Entz, also confirmed Gaga's involvement, and added, "[She] is one of the most electric performers of our generation, and we couldn't be happier with the choice to have her headline the Super Bowl LI Halftime Show... It is going to be an incredible night."
According to Emma Quigley, Pepsi's North American head of music, and Justin Toman, Pepsi's sports marketing director, choosing Gaga to headline the show made sense based on her previous musical output and endeavors. They considered various parameters—social media followers, record sales, trending topic—and then shortlisted her. Toman also took into account the total time it usually takes for the show—seven minutes for set up, 12 minutes for the main show, and another seven minutes to dismantle—and believed the singer could deliver "power, punch, performance, singing, lights" within that time frame.
Development Conception
In October 2016, Gaga told Entertainment Weekly that she wanted to give "the best show for the football fans, the ones that are watching at home". Although indecisive about the set list, the singer wanted to play a mixture of her past and recent songs. She also confirmed that the NFL heard Joanne before its release and decided to offer her the halftime performance slot. Her inspiration came from earlier halftime performances by Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and Bruce Springsteen. Gaga remarked that she loved "all the [past shows]". In December 2016, Gaga launched the "Guest of Honor" contest with Pepsi and the NFL. This would give her fans the opportunity to see the halftime show from the stage's sidelines. The singer uploaded a video titled Fanifesto, talking about the power of fandom. She explained that to win, fans had to upload a 15–60-second video on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtags #GOHContest and #PepsiHalftime by December 15, professing their fandom for Gaga.
Billboard Colin Stutz revealed that Gaga would not be accompanied by any guest musicians, which was different from the shows of the past few years. She was the first headliner to perform with no special guests since The Who during their 2010 show and only the eighth act to do so. Pepsi confirmed in a press release that a ten-second countdown would precede Gaga's performance, when a lead-in, produced by Creator's Studio featuring jazz singer Tony Bennett, would be shown. Gaga confirmed her plan to sing from atop the dome of NRG Stadium, an idea given to her by her sister Natali Germanotta. US media had expected Gaga to do "something overtly political" during her performance. The NFL refuted news that they had forbidden the singer from mentioning President Donald Trump during the show. A representative from the organization issued a statement saying, "The Super Bowl is a time when people really come together. Lady Gaga is focused on putting together an amazing show for fans and we love working with her on it; we aren't going to be distracted by this."
Rehearsals By January 2017, Gaga began posting images on her social media accounts, showing her practicing for the show. She first built a tent in her backyard where she rehearsed with her dancers for weeks. Gaga enlisted vocal coach Don Lawrence to help her belt out the correct notes. Lawrence worked with Gaga for her National Anthem performance the previous year, as well as during her concert tours.
Pepsi uploaded a behind-the-scenes video from the rehearsals, where Gaga explained the main challenge was to make the halftime performance different from the preceding years but to still keep it about the music. On his social media, choreographer Richy Jackson was shown in the middle of a session with the dancers, displaying the characteristic moves from the song, "Bad Romance". Jackson said the dancers were hand-picked and had worked before with the singer. He added the show would unveil a different aspect of Gaga, since she had never had the opportunity to perform on a big world stage like the Super Bowl.
As the day of the show approached, the singer kept posting short videos from rehearsals as well as behind-the-scenes. She showed her pre-game dance routines and choreography, FaceTimeing with her grandmother, warming up for the show, and the onstage activities. Toman explained that they wanted to have fans get "a peek into the journey to halftime, tapping into the artist fanbase—that really works. Doing a behind-the-scenes content program, giving people that glimpse of what it takes to prepare. People love that. So that really worked and we continue to do that." In an interview with Billboard, Gaga explained: "I really had a real sense of being in the zone for this performance, worked on it for a really long time, took months, trained hard. Every second I wanted to give the world and my fans what they deserve, a great show. Its really exciting, I wanted to enjoy the moment not just be hell bent [sic] on everything."
Fashion
After the release of Joanne, Gaga began wearing simple outfits, deviating from her previously outrageous attire. Before the halftime show, there was much uncertainty about what she would wear for the performance. Versace created all the looks for the show, including the final one inspired by the label's Spring 2017 collection. The singer wore a custom, Atelier Versace, iridescent-colored jumpsuit, beaded all over with Swarovski crystals, along with high shoulder pads and matching knee-length boots. The bodysuit facilitated swift movement onstage, aiding to Gaga's mobility.
According to fashion expert Cameron Silver, Gaga's look for the performance of "Bad Romance" was the "most interesting". It consisted of sequined silver hot pants and a football shoulder-pad-like jacket. Billboard deemed both the outfits a "customary nod" to Gaga's past, adding, "It was a solid balance of glam and sexy without overdoing it [...] [The dress] gave fantasy to her fans. She looked great. She sounded great. It's like she was playing football in heels." Gaga also wore a golden jacket which had shoulder spikes while playing the keytar.