Kendrick Lamar's performance at Super Bowl LIX wasn't just a musical spectacle; it involved a meticulously planned visual extravaganza that transformed a Buick GNX into a "clown car" bursting with dancers. This idea, born from the creative minds that have shaped stages for icons like Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, illustrates the immense effort and innovation that goes into one of the world's most-watched events.
Crafting an Iconic Super Bowl Moment
The task of transforming the GNX into a performance piece fell to Shelley Rodgers, an Emmy-winning art director known for her work on Rihanna’s 2023 halftime show. Rodgers, alongside Erik Eastland from All Access, the company responsible for fabricating the stage, scoured locations to procure the perfect car—a task that became challenging once Lamar dropped his album titled "GNX."Challenges and Innovations in Stage Design
Rodgers and Eastland's adventure led them to a mom-and-pop car lot in Riverside, California, where they found what they were looking for. The car's transformation was pivotal for the halftime show, where it served as a dynamic prop that, on cue, revealed a group of dancers during Lamar's performance of "Bodies." This act was one of many that showcased Lamar's theme of navigating life as if it were a video game, with each stage designed to resemble a PlayStation-style controller button.
The Vision and Execution
The integration of the GNX and other innovative elements into Lamar’s performance highlights the complexities of Super Bowl halftime shows. Rodgers, who has helped design the halftime show for nearly two decades, and her team at Tribe Inc. had to ensure that the staging, which included custom-built streetlights and polycarbonate panels, was assembled and disassembled within minutes, all without damaging the Superdome's synthetic turf.