Charlie Puth opens Super Bowl LVI, Bad Bunny headlines halftime as Seahawks triumph

Charlie Puth opened Super Bowl LX with a restrained, piano-led rendition of the US National Anthem, setting a composed tone ahead of the 2026 championship game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Performing before kickoff, the Grammy-nominated singer accompanied himself on piano, supported by a full band, as joint Navy and Air Force aircraft flew over the stadium to close the pre-game ceremony.

Puth featured in a packed pre-show lineup. Brandi Carlile performed America the Beautiful, Coco Jones sang Lift Every Voice and Sing, while Green Day appeared in the broader pre-game entertainment slate. The spotlight later shifted to the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, headlined by global star Bad Bunny.

The anthem performance came as Puth enters a new phase in his career. The singer has indicated that his recent songwriting reflects major personal changes from the period that produced earlier hits such as One Call Away and See You Again. His latest track, Beat Yourself Up, was released in mid-January.

On the field, the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29–13 on February 8, securing their second Super Bowl title. Played at Levi’s Stadium, the game was a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX.

As ever, Super Bowl LX doubled as a major celebrity and advertising event. Several stars appeared in commercials during the broadcast, while a long list of high-profile names were spotted inside the stadium, including Jay-Z, Adam Sandler, Travis Kelce, Travis Scott, Keke Palmer, Jon Bon Jovi, Justin and Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, 21 Savage, Tracy Morgan, Daniel Radcliffe, Rob Lowe, Russell Wilson, Ciara and J Balvin.

The biggest post-game buzz, however, came from halftime headliner Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican superstar delivered a high-energy performance alongside Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, before taking an unexpected step hours later by wiping his Instagram account entirely. All posts were deleted, the profile picture removed and every account unfollowed, leaving his page showing zero posts despite a following of more than 51.8 million.

The move triggered widespread speculation online. Some fans described it as the start of a new creative era, possibly pointing to an upcoming album or tour, while others suggested the artist may be distancing himself from online and political discourse following the Super Bowl.

The halftime show received strong support from fans worldwide but also drew criticism from US President Donald Trump, who posted on his social media platform Truth Social during the broadcast. Trump described the performance as “one of the worst ever” and claimed it failed to reflect what he called American standards of creativity and excellence.

Bad Bunny has not issued any statement explaining the Instagram wipe or responding to the criticism, keeping the conversation around Super Bowl LX alive well beyond the final score.