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22 Degrees and PRG Deliver Lighting for Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show

The lighting plot emphasized even coverage across the field rather than isolated focal zones, ensuring consistent visibility as the performance moved fluidly across the stage. Photo: Getty Images

More than 100 million viewers tuned in for this year's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, broadcast live on NBC from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Bad Bunny made history as the first solo headliner to perform entirely in Spanish, staging the performance as a love letter to his home, Puerto Rico.

As the sun dropped low in the sky, cameras panned across new features erected during the six-minute halftime turnover. The football field transformed into a sugar cane field as Bad Bunny performed directly to the camera, weaving through a maze of emblematic scenes. Old men played dominoes. Working people were represented through a piragua stand, barbershop, and nail technician's station. A wedding took place on the field, where Lady Gaga performed "Die with a Smile" for an intergenerational group of guests. Fellow Puerto Rican Ricky Martin later joined the performance. The show concluded with a message of unity for the Americas, guided by love and inclusivity across both continents.

PRG and partner PRG Forum supplied the technology and team for Al Gurdon and Ben Green's lighting design, delivered through 22 Degrees. For PRG, the show marked its 20th consecutive year supporting the halftime show. Lighting programming by Eric Marchwinski played a key role in translating the design's scale, timing, and cultural moments for both the stadium audience and the broadcast.

Because the halftime show took place in the open-air Levi's Stadium on the West Coast, the performance unfolded in partial daylight rather than full darkness. This fundamentally shaped the lighting strategy, placing a premium on output, throw distance, and contrast -- rather than the subtlety or low-level effects typically possible in enclosed or nighttime environments. The rig was designed to read clearly for both the in-stadium audience and broadcast cameras, where daylight significantly reduces perceived brightness.

The GLP JDC1 Burst drawn from PRG's 2025 CapEx inventory, formed a major backbone of the rig. The fixtures delivered high-output, IP-rated performance that cut through ambient light, with their hybrid strobe-and-plate design, proving especially effective for wide broadcast shots.

The lighting plot emphasized even coverage across the field rather than isolated focal zones, ensuring consistent visibility as the performance moved fluidly across the stage. Long-throw fixtures were positioned to maintain punch over extended distances, compensating for reduced contrast caused by daylight. Strobe and effect layers were carefully timed to create a visual rhythm that translated cleanly on camera without overwhelming the performers.

Vari-Lite VL3600 LT fixtures were deployed in significant numbers to meet the show's long-throw demands. Force and throw distance were key drivers in the fixture selection, with the VL3600 LT maintaining intensity across a large performance footprint in daylight conditions. Demand for these fixtures was so high that PRG expanded its inventory ahead of the show. PRG Long Throw and GroundControl fixtures were incorporated for their ability to deliver powerful, focused beams over extended distances.

PRG additionally deployed seven Antari AF-14 IP-rated fans, marking the company's first purchase of an IP-rated fan solution. The AF-14s provided DMX-controlled airflow in an all-weather package, supporting consistent atmospheric effects across the field despite outdoor conditions. Their lightweight design and availability in quantity made them well-suited to the scale and logistics of a halftime production.

WWWwww.prg.com

WWWwww.22deg.com


(11 February 2026)

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