4 Surprising Facts About Prince’s Epic Super Bowl Halftime Show Performance

The Super Bowl isn't just about watching a football game. There's also the great commercials that premiere every year and, of course, the highly anticipated Super Bowl Halftime Show.

In fact, the halftime show has become a must-watch television event in the past few decades with big-name musicians, surprise guests, and huge productions. But arguably, none of them have been as iconic as Prince and his halftime performance during Super Bowl XLI in the rain in Miami in 2007.

You may be surprised to learn about some of the things that made this show so special.

1. The Foo Fighters Didn't Know Prince Would Cover Their Song
2. The Rehearsal Didn't Go Well
3. Prince Didn't Change His Performance Because of the Weather
4. Some Viewers Thought the Rain was Fake

The Foo Fighters Didn't Know Prince Would Cover Their Song

In addition to Prince's own hits, he also included snippets of songs like "Proud Mary," by Creedence Clearwater Revival, "All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix, and "Best of You" by the Foo Fighters in his setlist for the Super Bowl.

As it turns out, the Foo Fighters were just as surprised as fans when Prince played their song. "I was stunned, in shock, flooded with emotion," said Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl about the surprising moment.

The band's drummer, Taylor Hawkins, also described watching the game at a friend's house and ducking out for a smoking break when someone broke the news to him. "Someone sticks their head outside and goes, 'Uh, dude, Prince is doing your song,'" he recalled of the moment, adding he had no idea why Prince chose that song to cover.

The Rehearsal Didn't Go Well

Prince and his band only had a three-hour window a few days before the Super Bowl to do a full rehearsal, and it didn't go well, including him hitting himself in the forehead with his mic stand.

The NFL recorded the performance as a backup just in case there were issues on the day of the show, and the rehearsal was so bad that Prince asked for the tape so it couldn't be shown. Producers had to convince Prince that the performance would sound much better the day of the show—and it did.

Prince Didn't Change His Performance Because of the Weather

One of the most iconic pieces of Prince's performance was the pouring rain, and producers, understandably, considered making changes because of potential electricity issues and the very slick stage.

Producers were even considering using Prince's recording from the rehearsal so he wouldn't have to sing live. But in the end, Prince decided to change nothing, and the show went ahead as planned in the pouring rain. He even joked with producers by asking them at one point if they could make it rain harder.

Some Viewers Thought the Rain was Fake

The rain elevated Prince's iconic performance so much that some viewers thought it was planned as part of the show. One of the halftime show's producers recalled traveling to China after the Super Bowl and getting a surprising question from reporters at the airport.

"The first question to me was, 'How many water trucks did it take to create the rain effect that you achieved on TV?'" recalled producer Don Mischer.

This year’s Super Bowl takes place on Sunday, February 8, with Bad Bunny performing the halftime show.