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22 Degrees and PRG Deliver Lighting for Bad Bunny’s Apple Music Halftime Show

Lighting

More than 100 million viewers tuned in for the big game and the Apple Music Super Bowl LX 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.

Lighting Philosophy and Fixtures

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 reality 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.

The result was a lighting system capable of delivering clarity, impact, and visual energy for millions of viewers watching the halftime show, while still fully engaging the live audience inside the stadium.

Missed out on the historic performance? Watch the full halftime show here.

Credits

Executive Producers: Roc Nation, Diversified Production Services, Jesse Collins Entertainment: Shawn Carter, Desiree Perez, Dave Meyers, Jesse Collins, Roger Goodell
Producer: Jana Fleishman
Director: Hamish Hamilton
Associate Director: Hayley Collett
Associate Director: Cameron Whitelaw
Director of Photography: Dylan Sanford

Lighting Team

Designer: Al Gurdon
Lighting Directors: Harry Forster, Ben Green
Lighting Director/Programmers: Eric Marchwinski, Mark Humphrey
Lighting Drafter: Jeff Behm
SystemTech: Davis Kornegay
Gaffer: Alen Sisul
Best Boys: Dennis Sisul,Chris Latsch, John Cox, Damon Isaacks, Brian Marshall, Gerardo Vizcarra, Mike Smallman
Best Boys /Followspot: Adam Hagin
Chief Tech: Robb Minnotte
PRG Lead Techs: Meg Flanagan,Ben Lewis
Panel Light Operators: Brian Frieden, Ron Murphy
Pre-Vis Tech: KeeganWebber
Fiber/Stadium Cable Management: Larry Ganson
IATSE Local 134 Stadium Support
Electrics Head: Justin Wright
IATSE Local 134 Field Support Electrics Head: Daniel Hutchinson
Field Team: Lynn Ann Sorensen, Daniel Ramos, Kevin O’Neill, Tuutau Fanene, Felisha Moore, Stephanie Whigham, Abigale Chick, Micael Sega, Lucas Hannon
Spot Operators & Stadium Team: De’Nicia Brown, Michelle Burnett, Mike Eisenstein, Elias Achmed, James Thylin, Andy Edwards, Jacob Loretto, Mariel Camacho, Joe Ray Zaragoza, Leon Roberson, Cosmo Maddux, Charles McCorrnell, Jennifer Honka, Miranda Mauricio, Chris Stabler, Kevin Johnston
22 Degrees Project Manager: Marie Turner
PRG Account Managers: Tony Ward, Patrick Osuna
PRG Forum Founder/CEO: Kevin Columbus

Production

EVP, NFL Events: Peter O’Reilly
SVP, NFL Events: Jon Barker
NFL Field Operations: Nick Pappas
Supervising Producer: Jody Kolozsavari
Production Designers: Bruce Rodgers, Tribe Inc.
Art Directors: Shelley Rodgers, Jack Headford, Lily Rodgers

BAD BUNNY CREATIVE TEAM

Production Manager: Roly Garba
Creative Director: Harriet Cuddeford
Production Design: Yellow Studio, Julio Hemede, Nicola Filler Assoulin,
Art Directors: Connor Munion, Oli Coleman, Leticia Leon.

CAD Design: Brian Ireland
Creative Producers: Harriet Cuddeford, Cory Fitzgerald
Art Department Assistants: Andrew Frey, Regan Eastland
Lead Stage Manager: Gary Natoli
Stage Managers: Jeffrey Gitter, Harve Levine, Donna Parker, Tammy Raab, Karen Tasch Weiss, Zachary Figures
Field Creative Producer: Kristen Patterson, “KP” Terry
Technical Director: Tim Kubit
Head Rigger: Carsten Weiss
Populous: Barnes, Jennifer Hill, Sean Englert, Nichole Hayes
Talent Manager: Annie Goodroad
Line Producers: John Kilgore, Chelsea Gonnering
Consulting Producer: Darren Pfeffer
Operations Director: Carly Vaknin
Associate Producer: Elizabeth Jones;
Production Manager: Erin Harding
Staging Supervisors: Tony Hauser, Cap Spence, Doug Cook, Justin Klynsman

STAGING AND SCENIC

Set Fabrication And Engineering: All Access Staging.
Scenery: Lennon & Co., ShowFX, Trio Entertainment Services, Global Scenic.

Lighting Fixtures

Long-Throw & Specialty

Atmospherics & Airflow

Control & Networking

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