SAN DIEGO (NFL press releases) - Shania Twain, No Doubt, and
Sting played the AT&T Super Bowl Halftime Show at Qualcomm Stadium in San
Diego yesterday (January 26), performing to a television audience of 130 million in the United States, and over 800 million around the world.
Shania Twain started the show off with a bang on a stage in the center of the field, launching into her 1997 hit "Man! I Feel Like A Woman," wearing a long black coat with pointy lapels and cuffs, over a short skirt and a revealing bustier. She then ran down a catwalk to another stage to sing her latest single "Up!," the title song of her current album, during which she was lifted over the crowd in a crane.
No Doubt then appeared on the center stage, playing its 1995 hit "Just A Girl," with singer Gwen Stefani running up and down between the two stages. At a moment late in the song she sang "I'm just a girl at the Super Bowl!" which was the cue for a horde of cheerleaders dressed in outfits matching hers to take to the stage, shaking black pom-poms.
The music suddenly changed to the opening notes of the Police hit "Message In A Bottle," and Sting appeared at the center stage, where he sang the song as a duet with Stefani, backed by No Doubt. During the "sending out an S.O.S." chorus, the scoreboard at Qualcomm stadium flashed out "SOS." Fireworks ended the set.
Earlier, the show started off with Celine Dion singing "God Bless America," in an arrangement crafted especially for her by Grammy Award-winning producer David Foster. (Dion previously performed the song in September of 2001, as the final performer on the telethon America - A Tribute To Heroes.)
The Dixie Chicks sang the National Anthem before the game, performing for the first time since group member Emily Robison gave birth to son Gus in November.
The annual pregame show also boasted top talent, including Bonnie Raitt, Santana, and Styx. Santana played three songs: "Oye Como Va" with Beyonce Knowles of Destiny's Child; "The Game Of Love" (with Michelle Branch); and "Foo Foo." Styx also played an arrangement of Queen's "We Are The Champions/We Will Rock You."
After the game, Bon Jovi took the stage for a set that included "It's My Life" and "Everyday."
