Image credit: Tribe Inc.

In what's been hailed as the most-watched Super Bowl Halftime Show of all time, the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show was an ephemeral, but stunning performance that stood out as arguably the height of the night's appeal. While the show only took the field for several minutes, the production was a culmination of months of planning, organizing and coordination that drew on the institutional knowledge of the chief architects involved to make it possible. Through the combined efforts of many, led by the teams at Tribe Inc. and pgLang, the Halftime Show was a brief, but incredibly strong anthology of rapper Kendrick Lamar's work.

Tribe Inc.'s portfolio quietly exists as a gallery dedicated to some of the most high-profile live events of decades past. From the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show all the way back to Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca" World Tour, the Tribe Inc. production team has been responsible for live events that work tirelessly to put their subjects on the biggest pedestal possible. And between Shelley and Bruce Rodgers, Art Director and Production Director respectively, that meant a painful attention to detail to see the vision through.

The field plan for the 2025 Superbowl Halftime Show

Lamar's latest album, GNX, had been released with little to no prior warning in the middle of November 2024. Despite the lack of lead-up, it was another staple in the rapper's illustrious career, and to match that, the production team sought out a real Buick Grand National for use on stage. However, to give the illusion of the large cohort of dancers following Lamar downstage, the interior of the car had to be completely hollowed out and attached to an opening that fed dancers onto the set. To procure a worthy example, Erik Eastland of All Access productions, fervently sought out the real deal. Putting the search in perspective, only about 500 GNXs were ever produced, making them highly coveted, with Eastland running into a number of roadblocks in the process.

The direction by pgLang set out the literal stage for the rest of the show as well, depicting the narrative journey of the show in the form of a video game. Atop stages the shape of a square, an X-shape, a circle and a triangle, Lamar went through hit after hit, all the while teasing out the expected performance of "Not Like Us" the artist had become increasingly known for over the course of 2024. As icing on top, the production featured several other key figures, including actor Samuel L. Jackson as a personification of Uncle Sam, musician SZA accompanying Lamar in songs, and tennis titan Serena Williams dancing on-field.

The execution of the halftime show was a feat unto itself. Numerous factors, such as keeping the field intact for play and fitting production pieces through the limited-size entrances, necessitated creative planning from all parties involved. Despite these challenges, the show was a hallmark entry into the history of one of the most celebrated performance opportunities in the world. As far as live events go, the Super Bowl is a demanding venue, but the production team was more than up to the task.