The All-American Halftime Show: Lewis Capaldi and Ed Sheeran’s Patriotic Pairing Promises Unity and Heart
In the electric heart of a Dallas stadium, where 100,000 flags wave like a living heartbeat, two of pop’s most soul-stirring voices—Lewis Capaldi and Ed Sheeran—will step onto a star-shaped stage, turning a halftime break into the most heartfelt celebration of America since Ed Sheeran’s own 2017 Dallas Cowboys moment.
Lewis Capaldi and Ed Sheeran will co-headline “The All-American Halftime Show” on February 8, 2026, during Super Bowl LX, delivering a 15-minute patriotic extravaganza produced by Erika Kirk in memory of her late husband Charlie Kirk, blending raw emotion, intimate storytelling, and red-white-and-blue pride into what’s already dubbed the most inspiring halftime in decades. Announced on Veterans Day, November 11, 2025, the event—counterprogramming the official Bad Bunny performance—promises a fusion of Capaldi’s vulnerable ballads and Sheeran’s acoustic anthems, with 200 veterans forming a living flag on the field. “This isn’t just music,” Capaldi said in a joint statement. “It’s about love, loss, and what truly brings people together.”
The show is a love letter to America: Capaldi opens with a piano-led “Someone You Loved” reimagined as a tribute to service, Sheeran joins for a soaring “Photograph” backed by a 100-voice gospel choir from Historically Black Colleges; they close with a medley of “America the Beautiful” and “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee,” under a 1,000-drone Liberty Bell that pulses in sync with the crowd. A 60-piece orchestra, including strings from the New York Philharmonic, provides the swell. “Charlie believed halftime was holy time,” Erika Kirk told Variety. “Lewis and Ed are making it heartfelt.”
Produced by Turning Point USA to honor Charlie—a Marine veteran and youth pastor killed in 2023—the $4.8 million spectacle is funded by faith-based sponsors and zero corporate ads, emphasizing “faith, family, and freedom.” Every element is deliberate: stage lights in red, white, and blue; a mid-show moment of silence for fallen soldiers; holographic cameos of Bruce Springsteen and Whitney Houston. The event will stream live on ESPN+, YouTube, and church networks, reaching an estimated 150 million viewers. A simultaneous VR experience lets homebound veterans “stand” on the field.
Rehearsals in Nashville are sacred: Capaldi, 29, and Sheeran, 34, work 12-hour days with a choir of wounded warriors who’ll join them onstage for the finale. “Lewis’s honesty and Ed’s warmth are the perfect harmony for this moment,” Kirk said. The show will air opposite Bad Bunny’s set, sparking cultural buzz as a “traditional values” alternative.
As February 8 looms with #AllAmericanHalftime trending in 88 countries and rehearsal clips surpassing 120 million views, Capaldi and Sheeran’s spectacle reaffirms their legacies: from Whitburn busks to Wembley triumphs, two voices that moved mountains now move a nation—with joy, with pride, with purpose. The troubadours who once sang for love now sing for legacy. And when the final note of “America the Beautiful” fades under Texas stars, 100,000 voices will rise as one, proving some performances aren’t just seen. They’re felt—in the soul of a country that still believes in harmony.
