Super Bowl XXX halftime show
Part ofSuper Bowl XXX
DateJanuary 28, 1996
LocationTempe, Arizona, United States
VenueSun Devil Stadium
ThemeTake Me Higher: A Celebration of 30 years of the Super Bowl
HeadlinerDiana Ross
SponsorOscar Mayer
ProducerRadio City Music Hall
Super Bowl halftime show chronology
XXIX
(1995) 		XXX
(1996) 		XXXI
(1997)

The Super Bowl XXX halftime show occurred on January 28, 1996, at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona as part of Super Bowl XXX and featured American entertainer Diana Ross. The show was produced by Radio City Music Hall. The performance was entitled Take Me Higher: A Celebration of 30 years of the Super Bowl.

Background

Ross had previously performed the national anthem at Super Bowl XVI in 1983.

Development

Ross had developed a show which would last for a duration of thirteen-and-a-half minutes. Broadcaster NBC demanded that she shorten the performance to twelve minutes. After she pleaded with them to allow her to keep the performance unabbreviated, they relented to allow her a thirteen-and-a-half minute time slot.[1]

Synopsis

The show featured a number of Ross' songs, both from her solo career and her time in The Supremes. The show made use of pyrotechnics, special effects, and stadium card stunts.[2] Ross made many costume changes throughout the performance.[3]

Ross started the performance standing on a crane, which lowered her onto the stage as sparklers were illuminated on the bottom of the crane, while singing "Stop In The Name of Love".[4] Hundreds of dancers occupied the field surrounding the stage. At the start of the performance they spelled out Ross' name.[4] Ross's initial outfit was a red mini dress.[4]

Ross then sang "You Keep Me Hangin' On", followed by "Baby Love", "You Can't Hurry Love", and "Why Do Fools Fall in Love".[5]

For the next song, "Chain Reaction", Ross made a costume change into an orange and purple colored dress.[4] Chain reaction was followed by "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)".[5]

For the next song, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough",[5] a yellow-robed choir joined her.[4]

This was followed by the song "I Will Survive".[5]

The show ended with Ross singing "Take Me Higher" from her 1995 nineteenth studio album of the same name.[5] Ross then looked to the sky and exclaimed, "Oh my, here comes my ride," as a helicopter came into the stadium.[6] Ross was then was taken from the field in the helicopter.[2][6]

Reception

Critical

Ross’ halftime performance has been ranked positively among Super Bowl halftime shows.[3][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Her performance was cited as The Weeknd's favorite halftime performance; he would later go on to perform for the Super Bowl LV halftime show.[14]

Commercial

In the week following her performance, Ross' newest album, Take Me Higher, saw a 74% increase in sales, selling 3,000 copies in the week following the performance.[15]

Set list

  1. "Stop In The Name Of Love"[5]
  2. "You Keep Me Hangin' On"[5]
  3. "Baby Love"[5]
  4. "You Can't Hurry Love"[5]
  5. "Why Do Fools Fall in Love"[5]
  6. "Chain Reaction"[5]
  7. "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)"[5]
  8. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"[5]
  9. "I Will Survive"[5]
  10. "Take Me Higher"[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Murphy, Austin. "It's... Halftime!". Sports Illustrated Longform. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  2. ^ a b Mitchell, Fred (January 29, 1996). "Halftime Headliner Diana Ross Goes Up, Up And Away". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  3. ^ a b Brian Moylan. "Best Super Bowl Halftime Shows Ever, Ranked". vulture.com. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e Rabkin, Heather (1 February 2018). "Remember When Diana Ross Left Her Super Bowl Halftime Show Via Helicopter?". CR Fashion Book. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Diana Ross Setlist at Super Bowl XXX". setlist.fm. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  6. ^ a b "21 unforgettable Super Bowl halftime shows: from Nipplegate to The Mouseketeers". The Telegraph. 2 February 2020. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Best and worst Super Bowl halftime shows". CBS News. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  8. ^ Sheffield, Rob (4 February 2016). "Super Bowl Halftime Shows Ranked by Sheffield: From Worst to Best". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  9. ^ "Super Bowl 2018 halftime show rankings: Where every performance ranks, from worst to first". CBS Sports. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  10. ^ "Ranked: The Best Super Bowl Halftime Shows". ESPN Radio 1320. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  11. ^ Schneck, Anthony (4 February 2019). "The Biggest Super Bowl Halftime Shows, Ranked". Thrillist. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  12. ^ Acker, Lizzy (22 January 2020). "25 Super Bowl halftime shows ranked from truly terrible to totally transcendent for 2020". Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  13. ^ Moylan, Brian (8 February 2021). "Every Super Bowl Halftime Show Since 1993, Ranked". Vulture. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  14. ^ Aswad, Jem (February 3, 2021). "The Weeknd shares details about Super Bowl halftime show". Variety. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "Super Bowl Halftime Shows: Who Got the Biggest Sales Bumps?". Billboard. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
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