• Charlie Puth’s piano-driven national anthem drew mostly praise despite auto-tune debate among viewers
• Bad Bunny made history with the first all-Spanish halftime show, bringing out Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, Cardi B, Pedro Pascal and Jessica Alba
• Green Day’s pregame set sparked controversy after NBC censors scrambled to bleep an f-bomb during “American Idiot”

SANTA CLARA, CA (TDR) — Super Bowl LX packed enough star power into Levi’s Stadium on Sunday to rival a Hollywood awards ceremony, as a cross-genre entertainment lineup delivered performances that ranged from stirring patriotic tributes to a punk rock expletive that slipped past NBC censors. The pregame ceremony, halftime spectacular and celebrity-filled luxury suites made the Feb. 8 matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots as much a cultural event as an athletic one.

Green Day Sets the Tone — And Tests the Censors

Bay Area natives Green Day opened the evening by welcoming generations of Super Bowl MVPs onto the field during the 60th anniversary opening ceremony. The punk rock trio led with a strings-backed “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” before launching into a medley of “Holiday,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and their signature anthem “American Idiot.”

The performance immediately divided viewers. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong appeared to sing the lyric “the subliminal mind-f— America” as originally written, and while NBC censors attempted to garble the expletive, many viewers at home reported it was still audible.

“We are super hyped to open Super Bowl 60 right in our backyard! We are honored to welcome the MVPs who’ve shaped the game and open the night for fans all over the world. Let’s have fun! Let’s get loud!”

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But the bigger debate played out along political lines. Some Trump critics were disappointed the band refrained from making explicit anti-administration statements during their set, despite Armstrong’s history of comparing Trump to Hitler and regularly changing “American Idiot” lyrics to reference “the MAGA agenda” at other concerts.

“Green Day turning out to be performative losers was a pretty big disappointment. They talk a whole bunch of talk but when given the opportunity to play at the biggest event in America they don’t say ANYTHING meaningful.”

Others praised the restraint. The band did reportedly change one “Holiday” lyric from “the representative from California has the floor” to “the representative from Epstein Island has the floor” and dedicated the performance to Minneapolis amid ongoing ICE protests and the shooting deaths of protesters there.

Pregame Trio Delivers Emotional Anchor

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Grammy-winning singer Coco Jones opened the pregame musical program with a soulful rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” backed by an eight-piece string section. Dressed in a flowing white outfit accented with red, blue and green, Jones closed her eyes through much of the song before locking into the camera for its soaring climax.

“Just representing my culture well is always something that I’ve strived to do since I was a little girl in this industry. To be able to do that on such a huge stage, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Eleven-time Grammy winner Brandi Carlile followed with “America the Beautiful,” performing fully live with no backing track — a deliberate choice she discussed beforehand.

“The people deserve to have you live. They need you to be taking the risk they’re taking every day when they walk out into those streets.”

The Washington state native, wearing a navy suit with red and white striped tie, accompanied herself on acoustic guitar with SistaStrings providing cello and violin support. Fans flooded social media with praise, with one calling it “perfectly done” and another describing it as “the most beautiful I’ve ever heard.”

Charlie Puth then delivered a piano-driven national anthem that drew mostly positive reviews but sparked a minor auto-tune debate. The 34-year-old four-time Grammy nominee played keyboard while a gospel choir joined him for the crescendo, culminating with a joint Navy and Air Force flyover that the NFL called “UNREAL.”

“I applied. I auditioned for it. I recorded a little demo, just me singing with the Rhodes and sent it to Roc Nation. I’ve been told Jay-Z loved it.”

Some viewers questioned the production choices. One wrote the anthem “sounded like an overproduced Christmas song,” while another said the “sound engineer needs to be fired for slapping so much auto-tune on someone who doesn’t need it.” But the consensus leaned favorable, with one fan declaring Puth “straight taking us to church with that national anthem.”

Deaf performing artist Fred Beam signed the anthem and “Lift Every Voice” in American Sign Language, while Julian Ortiz signed “America the Beautiful.”

Bad Bunny Makes Halftime History

The main event belonged to Bad Bunny, who delivered what critics are calling one of the most culturally significant halftime shows in Super Bowl history — the first performed entirely in Spanish. Fresh off his Album of the Year win at the 2026 Grammys, the 31-year-old Puerto Rican superstar opened with “Tití Me Preguntó” while walking through an elaborate recreation of a Puerto Rican neighborhood, complete with domino players, manicurists, piragua carts and a boxing match.

The surprise guests elevated the spectacle. Lady Gaga — making her third Super Bowl appearance after headlining in 2017 — performed a salsa-inflected version of “Die With a Smile” before dancing with Bad Bunny. Ricky Martin followed with an emotionally charged rendition of Bad Bunny’s “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii,” sitting in a plastic chair that evoked the “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” album cover while dancers behind him enacted a power blackout — a reference to the 11 months Puerto Rico waited for electricity after Hurricane Maria.

“They need to give me several hours to even begin processing the tsunami of emotions I’m feeling.”

The show’s signature set piece, La Casita — a recreation of Bad Bunny’s iconic house from his Puerto Rico residency — drew an A-list crowd. Cardi B, Pedro Pascal, Karol G, Jessica Alba, Young Miko and influencer Alix Earle were all spotted dancing on camera. Venezuelan MLB star Ronald Acuña Jr. also made a cameo.

In one of the show’s most talked-about moments, Bad Bunny facilitated what Variety confirmed was an actual wedding ceremony on stage. The couple’s nuptials served as a throughline woven across the entire performance.

The political subtext was present but measured. The jumbotron displayed “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” and a clip of Bad Bunny’s Grammy speech calling out ICE played on a small television as a young boy watched — though the show stopped short of the explicit “ICE out” declaration some supporters anticipated.

Levi’s Stadium as Hollywood’s Living Room

Beyond the stage, the stadium’s luxury suites and sidelines read like a casting call. Jay-Z arrived with daughters Blue Ivy Carter and Rumi Carter, walking the field less than an hour before kickoff. Travis Kelce attended without fiancée Taylor Swift, who was notably absent. Travis Scott was photographed talking with Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

One premium box alone held Kevin Costner, Jessica Alba, Machine Gun Kelly and Jamie Foxx. Actor Chris Pratt introduced the Seahawks alongside his son Jack, both wearing team jerseys. Tennis legend Roger Federer watched from the field. Jon Hamm wore his allegiances openly on the sideline. Even Brian Baumgartner — Kevin from “The Office” — showed up with friends wearing matching bald caps.

The A-list attendance list also included Justin and Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Adam Sandler, Jon Bon Jovi, Rob Lowe, Daniel Radcliffe, Tracy Morgan, Emma Roberts, Logan Paul, former Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, Carmelo Anthony, Apple CEO Tim Cook, 21 Savage, Flavor Flav, Russell Wilson and Ciara.

Reports also surfaced that Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton appeared together, fueling ongoing dating speculation.

With Super Bowl entertainment budgets rivaling major concert tours and celebrity attendance that overshadows most award shows, has America’s biggest game become more about the spectacle surrounding it than the sport itself — and does that serve or undermine the event’s cultural significance?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from The Hollywood Reporter’s celebrity attendance coverage and halftime guest star report, Deadline’s pregame performance review and halftime show review, Billboard’s halftime critic’s take, Variety’s halftime coverage, Fox News’ coverage of Green Day and Charlie Puth reactions, CBS Sports’ performer lineup, ABC News’ celebrity sightings, Rolling Stone’s La Casita guest report, Parade’s NFL anthem reaction, and the Associated Press’ pregame preparation interviews.

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