As soon as the whistle blew to end the second quarter, the lights at SoFi Stadium began to change.
While the players were trickling off the field, hundreds of grounds crew members in black work uniforms swarmed in from the tunnels at the four corners of the stadium like a colony of ants. They pushed modular stage components, sound equipment, and light rigs, expertly beginning to assemble the stage near the 50-yard line.
This was a Super Bowl halftime show tradition. The entire setup process had to be completed within eight minutes.
For the 170 million viewers watching on their TVs, phones, and computers, these eight minutes were for commercials.
For the 70,000 people in the stadium, watching the stage being built was a show in itself.
The players could get a short break, and the commentators could take a sip of water.
