The Super Bowl might be nearly 60 years old, but its halftime shows really are barely half that age.
Oh, the midgame distraction has been around since the very beginning when marching bands from the University of Arizona, Grambling State and a Southern California high school played halftime of Super Bowl I at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1967.
But there have been a couple of important lines of demarcation.
The first was during the Chicago Bears’ 46-10 rout of the New England Patriots in 1986. Super Bowl XX is remembered as much for the greatest defense in NFL history as for Up With People, the quasi-glee club that performed Super Bowl halftime for the fourth and last time amid scathing reviews and NFL executives who essentially decreed “No more variety show acts.”
There were baby steps in the ensuing years with Disney and Radio City Music Hall productions – until everything changed permanently in 1993.
During the Super Bowl XXVII halftime, “The King of Pop” played five songs in what was dubbed “An Unprecedented Super Bowl Spectacular Starring Michael Jackson.”
And thus, The Super Bowl Halftime Show As Spectacle was born.
Over the past 33 years, the highly anticipated performances by world-class entertainers have become career-making turns that sometimes dwarf the big game itself. An annual showcase of wildly varied musical genres and styles (along with the occasional controversy), the event morphed into a global lightning rod of attention.
While so much of the Super Bowl is objective (the stats, the records, the final score), the halftime shows are subjective by definition. How the performers are judged to have connected with the audience can depend on who’s watching as much as the material and its delivery.
With that in mind, from the perspective of a hard-core Gen Xer with a penchant for late 20th-century college radio and indie rock, here are 10 of our favorite Super Bowl halftime shows:
10. 2009, Super Bowl XLIII: Bruce Springsteen
“For the next 12 minutes, we’re going to bring the righteous and mighty power of the E Street Band into your beautiful home,” The Boss proclaimed, and many would agree they did exactly that. A trademark high-energy performance from the world’s greatest bar band was punctuated by Springsteen’s full-stage slide into the camera during the “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” opener.
9. 2012, Super Bowl XLVI: Madonna
Making a grand entrance befitting an Egyptian pharaoh, the Queen of Pop commanded a set that was visually stunning in its elegance. It also was a celebration of her penchant for issuing challenging artistic statements (having assembled a cast of guest stars known for pushing boundaries). Closing on a spiritually uplifting closer and a unifying message, Madonna disappeared with the same powerful grace with which she arrived.
8. 2008, Super Bowl XLII: Tom Petty
From the opening chords of “American Girl,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer hooked an adoring crowd (which rushed the stage with gleeful abandon as the lights come up) and never let go during a rollicking set. There was minimal banter, but Petty and the Heartbreakers clearly enjoyed playing for fans who never stopped pogoing and smiling. The singalongs, particularly during “Free Fallin’” were the loudest in halftime history. With few pyrotechnics and hardly any theatrics, the music spoke for itself.
7. 2017, Super Bowl LI: Lady Gaga
A literal high-wire performance that begins on the roof of NRG Stadium, this was a one-woman tour de force of death-defying acrobatics and pitch-perfect vocals. With no backup from any guest stars, Lady Gaga played an electronic keyboard and piano in between dazzling dance moves and multiple costume changes while maintaining an infectiously positive vibe (that included a memorably playful shoutout to her mom and dad). “We’re here to make you feel good,” she said. “You want to feel good with us?” Lady Gaga appropriately ended with a mic drop.
6. 1993, Super Bowl XXVII: Michael Jackson
It all started here -- and with a startling silence. After magically “appearing” atop two scoreboards on opposite ends of the Rose Bowl, Jackson launched up from beneath the stage and then embraced a pregnant pause of 90 seconds before beginning the performance that redefined how Super Bowl halftime shows were orchestrated and measured. Gasps can be heard piercing the nonstop din of the buzzing crowd, signs of wonder from fans who were cognizant they were witnessing the historic birth of a cultural touchstone.
Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Recording artist Katy Perry performs during halftime in Super Bowl XLIX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Seahawks 28-24. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
5. 2015, Super Bowl XLIX: Katy Perry
It was the halftime show that launched a million memes. But aside from the hilarious virality of “Left Shark,” there were so many other eye-catching moments. With an overwhelmingly pleasing blend of vibrant colors and creative visuals (Dancing palm trees! Giant robotic lions! Buck-toothed beach balls!), it’s easy to sink into the polka-dot pastels while enjoying Perry’s powerful voice (and a Missy Elliott cameo). Disney produced six other Super Bowl halftime shows, but somehow was uninvolved in this one that often felt like watching a reboot of “Fantasia” crossed with “Beach Blanket Bingo.”
Bono, singer with the Irish rock group U2, opens his jacket exposing an American flag as he performs during halftime 03 February, 2002 of Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans, Louisiana. The St. Louis Rams and the New England Patriots are playing for the NFL championship. AFP PHOTO/Jeff HAYNES (Photo by JEFF HAYNES / AFP) (Photo by JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
4. 2002, Super Bowl XXXVI: U2
Never shying away from coveting the title of best band in the world, U2 understood the assignment while performing at the biggest global event held since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The three-song set emphasized their aspirational tunes of hope and resilience instead of the biggest hits, and the band played on a relatively spartan stage with few production flourishes. The show’s focus was catharsis – from the nearly 3,000 names of victims that scrolled on a massive screen to the American flag pattern stitched inside Bono’s jacket that he revealed as a powerful closing image.
Feb 13, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; Recording artists from left Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg perform during the halftime show for Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
3. 2022, Super Bowl LVI: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar
If you grew up as a child of 1990s hip-hop, you were in heaven. The MTV Generation had its day in the sun (and in a daytime performance) with a highly unique stage that accommodated multiple sets and celebrated the Southern California location of the Super Bowl. A halftime show with a record number of headliners (plus 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak) didn’t feel overcrowded – a testament to its three Emmy Awards (including the first Super Bowl halftime show to win Outstanding Live Variety Special). Its appeal might have been generationally limited, but there’s no denying the NFL’s YouTube video of this show has amassed 380 million views.
2. 2013, Super Bowl XLVII: Beyoncé
The reunion of Destiny’s Child made it historically significant, but the mere presence of Queen B was what made this the ultimate show-stopper. Executing a complicated mix of choreographed maneuvers, Beyoncé matched her dynamic vocals with exquisitely perfect and powerful footwork. And she spent most of the performance effortlessly making eye contact directly with the crowd and a camera beaming her to 110 million people. “Everybody put your hands toward me, everybody,” she says before the “Halo” closer. “ I want to feel your energy.” She seemed to be channeling more juice than the actual Superdome, which suffered a 34-minute power outage shortly thereafter during the third quarter.
1. 2007, Super Bowl XLI: Prince
Rarely has life imitated art as much as this performance, which ended with the most iconic moment in Super Bowl halftime history. During a driving South Florida downpour, Prince wailed away on one of his signature solos during the definitive rendition of “Purple Rain.” Many have hailed it as the peak in a towering musical career, and the rest of the show was just as powerful. Prince eschewed his hits to play a trio of covers (ending with an inspired reworking of Foo Fighters’ “Best of You”) that emphasized his sublime chops on guitar and vocals. He seemed completely unbothered by a storm that easily could have derailed a multimillion-dollar production for over a hundred million people – but instead enhanced a beguiling scene.
