In which year did Bruno Mars headline the Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show? The answer is 2014. Mars headlined the halftime performance on February 2, 2014, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The performance came during Super Bowl XLVIII, in which the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Denver Broncos. Mars appeared with his band, the Hooligans, and invited the Red Hot Chili Peppers as special guests. The set combined his own songs with a performance of the Chili Peppers’ “Give It Away.”
Mars opened with a drum performance before moving through songs including “Locked Out of Heaven,” “Treasure,” “Runaway Baby” and “Just the Way You Are.” The show was notable because it presented a relatively young headliner in a tightly choreographed, live-band-centered production.
The year is sometimes confused with the Super Bowl number. “XLVIII” is the Roman numeral for 48, not a year. Super Bowl XLVIII was played in early 2014, and the following halftime show, Super Bowl XLIX, took place in 2015.