LIFESTYLE

There’s a special number surrounding the Super Bowl halftime show

Feb 10, 2024, 9:24 AM | Updated: Oct 8, 2024, 11:27 am

Image: Usher poses during the Super Bowl LVIII Pregame & Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show...

Usher poses during the Super Bowl LVIII Pregame & Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show press conference at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Photo: Candice Ward, Getty Images)

(Photo: Candice Ward, Getty Images)

There’s a special number surrounding the Super Bowl halftime show and it is probably not one you are thinking of.

It’s not 13, which is Taylor Swift’s favorite number. And, no, it’s not 87, which Travis Kelce’s jersey. (Unless you live under a rock, those two are dating.)

Micki and Taylor

KIRO Newsradio’s Micki Gamez with Taylor Swift. (Photo: Selfie courtesy of Micki Gamez)

It is also not 15, which is the jersey number of Patrick Mahomes, one of the best quarterbacks of all time (who throws passes to Travis Kelce).

The number in question is 9.

Super Bowl LVIII is this weekend. The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs go head to head at 3:30 p.m. Sunday on CBS and Paramount+ (plus, there’s a special special broadcast for kids on Nickelodeon).

Usher will perform the famous halftime show. What has he been up to? He just finished a two-and-half-year Las Vegas residency in December. And since the game is in Vegas, then why not, Usher Raymond?

Not only is Sunday a big day for Usher, he also has a new album coming out soon after the big game. But before we get into that …

It has been nine years since Usher released his 8th album, “Hard II Love.”

Related news: Super Bowl team stirs controversy among Native Americans

Another interesting fact… Usher has had nine No. 1 hit singles.

  1. “U Got It Bad”
  2. “You Me Wanna”
  3. “U Remind Me”
  4. “Yeah!”
  5. “Burn”
  6. “My Boo”
  7. “My Way”
  8. “There Goes My Baby”
  9. “Love In This Club”

And that’s not all: Usher’s ninth studio album called “Coming Home” dropped Feb. 9. Plus, think about it: The Niners are in the Super Bowl. So many nines!

According to numerologists, the number nine means completion, transformation, and balance and that might be good news for Usher.

What we might see during the show

The singer did confirm viewers can expect to see unexpected famous guests.

“It will definitely be an event,” Usher teased in an interview with Billboard magazine. “There are special guests. And I’ve considered new songs. But you know, it’s 12 to 15 minutes. So it’s really hard to determine what moment matters more than others, especially with a new song. But there’s the dance, the wardrobe, the lighting, how long you stay in a song, the fact that the audience may sing along … It’s a lot. So I’m trying my hardest not to overthink it.”

The special guest list is super secret but some rumored names are popping out. Pitbull, Madonna, Justin Bieber and Lil John (He lives in Vegas, wink wink, nudge nudge).

Even more exciting for Usher fans, they will get to see a bit more of him Sunday than other halftime show acts in the past.

Usher told Entertainment Weekly recently that while most performers are tasked with curating a very tight show that runs around 13 minutes, Usher said he managed to get 15.

“I can’t explain why, but it’s a funny thing that I was able to do and craft,” Usher explained. “That was a huge strategic thing that happened between me and my agency.”

You can read more of Micki Gamez’s stories here. Follow Micki on X, formerly known as Twitter, or email her here.

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There’s a special number surrounding the Super Bowl halftime show