It’s Super Bowl day, which means there are two squads of football players who will have been walking around for the past few hours with an army of butterflies in their stomachs.
For those not in the know, the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks in the 60th edition of the NFL’s biggest match.
And it’s not just the players who have a responsibility to perform tonight at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The Super Bowl halftime show has become almost as iconic as the football itself over the years, and this time around there’s arguably even more scrutiny than usual.
Puerto Rico rapper Bad Bunny is the superstar tasked with giving the world an unforgettable interval this year, even if not everyone was happy with the NFL’s decision.
All the same, no matter how much people kick and fuss and make their alternate halftime shows (TPUSA, we’re looking at you), Bad Bunny is the main man for 2026.
With the gig comes a set of rules the 31-year-old must abide by if he wants to avoid legal action, so we thought we’d dive into them hours before one of the biggest performances he’ll have had to date.
Short songs
The first rule is that songs have to be shortened from their usual length for the halftime show.
This makes perfect sense when the usual time slot is 12-15 minutes, and an artist is expected to offer a number of songs.
The usual modus operandi sees artists performing their greatest hits in a lightning fast medley of music and melody,
“You’re just running around for 13 minutes, trying to put like a two-hour set for 13 minutes,” 2023’s headliner Rihanna revealed, as per Billboard.
The need for PG
Given that the halftime show is watched by an audience of millions – and a lot of families make up said audience – the halftime show is intended to be PG. This means swearing or inappropriate gestures are a big no, no.
Back in 2012, rapper MIA flashed a middle finger at the cameras during her appearance alongside halftime show headliner Madonna.
The move prompted hundreds of complaints to the Federal Communications Commission and resulted in a public apology from the NFL.
The NFL are said to have sued MIA for an eye-watering $16.6 million, with both parties settling for an undisclosed amount in 2014.
No nudity
As should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody, nudity is not permitted by the NFL during the halftime shows either.
Readers may well recall Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction back in 2004, when Justin Timberlake pulled open her corset to reveal her right breast. The moment was caught on camera momentarily before operators had time to pan away.
Yet a moment was long enough to cause trouble. After backlash online, Jackson was forced to apologize a few days later. Her publicist, meanwhile, explained that it was an accident, and that Justin ‘was supposed to pull away the bustier and leave the red-lace bra.’
Even so, CBS and Viacom were reportedly sued by the Federal Communications Commission. Fortunately for them, the case was ultimately dismissed.
Get ready fast!
Last but not least, the headliner reportedly has only six minutes after the second quarter of football ends in which to set up for their show.
Audio engineer Patrick Baltzell told The Verge: “Six. Minutes. From the end of the first half of a football game to the beginning of the halftime show is between six and seven minutes.”
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