Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show: 10 Things You Didn’t See on TV

Obviously every Super Bowl halftime show comes together quickly on the field, but Lamar’s stage was constructed breathtakingly fast: the light sticks were scattered, the light-up bracelets were tested, and the Buick Regal coupe was planted on a huge platform at midfield before most attendees could even make a bathroom run. When the Superdome lights dimmed and Lamar kicked off the performance crouched on the hood of the car, most people in the stadium were audibly surprised, a feeling of “Oh, it’s already starting!”

Following a quick intro and Lamar’s proclamation, “The revolution about to be televised — you pick the right time but the wrong guy!,” a sighing harmony arrived: “Someone better squabble upppp.” With that, the “Squabble Up” beat kicked in, and every Kendrick fan in the Superdome was ready to bellow along with the backing track: “Reincarnated! I was stargazin’! Life goes on, I need all my babies!”

“Squabble Up” and “Humble” are both Hot 100 chart-toppers for Lamar, but the latter has seven years and more cultural cache compared to his latest No. 1 hit, and as his backup dancers made a U.S. flag formation for “Humble,” even the older members of the Super Bowl crowd were nodding along. Plus, “my left stroke just went viral” was the biggest rap-along of the evening — until “Not Like Us” dropped, of course.

Perhaps the most impressive physical feat that Lamar performed during the halftime show came during “DNA,” when he sprinted down the center of the field to keep up with the camera — all while breathlessly rapping the Damn. smash. On the telecast, Lamar didn’t appear to be running too fast, but the way he hustled down the field without sacrificing his focus was worthy of Saquon Barkley.

Speaking of quick movements, Samuel L. Jackson — who made multiple cameos as the narrator of the halftime show, dressed as (natch) Uncle Sam — also moved smoothly along with the stage setup, popping up at different locations within the morphing terrain to deliver his grand statements. Not bad for a 76-year-old acting legend in an elaborate costume!

While it was only visible on the telecast for a couple seconds, the setup for GNX highlight “peekaboo” was jaw-dropping to witness in the stadium, with dancers quickly corralled into different corners of X-shaped structures onstage, then banging their bodies forward with abandon as Lamar sleekly dipped between the factions. Those were tight quarters that everyone involved had to navigate, but they slammed their heads unscathed and were quickly onto the next song.

The arrival of SZA in the second half of the halftime show included some nifty shape-shifting, literally: “Luther” began on a triangular platform, then Lamar hopped onto a rotating circle for “All the Stars,” while the dancers ping-ponged around the rectangular field and the Buick stayed planted on a square platform. What might have been lost in translation on the telecast made for smart architectural design within the Superdome.

Yes, you could hear “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably a minor,” the most unforgettable lyric from “Not Like Us,” sung by the entire Superdome through your TV broadcast (while Lamar himself opted not to finish the line himself)… but it was even more deafening in the Superdome than the telecast suggested. With the entire stadium ready to elongate that final syllable, you’d be hard-pressed to find a single row without someone contributing to the chorus — Lamar simply let the thousands in attendance shine.

A protester crashed the finale of the Super Bowl halftime show, waving the Flag of Palestine and Flag of Sudan for multiple seconds during “tv off” in the middle of a raised platform before finally being chased off by security members. Lamar didn’t seem to notice, as his back was to the stage crasher during the performance.

The closing one-two punch of “Not Like Us” and “tv off” was as crowd-pleasing as one could expect, but the real marvel of the closing act was the choreography of the on-field dancers, who sprinted toward each other at the start of the penultimate song, then scattered as soon as Lamar hit his first “MUSTAAAAAARD” (and then was joined by Mustard himself) on the closer. The visual was brilliantly executed, and recalled a mosh pit that suddenly and unexpectedly dissipates, all while Lamar got to click the off button on his halftime showcase.