There’s so much to like about Super Bowl Sunday: the tradition, the pregame hype, the parties…and let’s not forget the football game itself. But one tradition that certainly can’t be forgotten is the halftime show.
The halftime show began with the first Super Bowl, when the marching bands of the University of Arizona and Grambling State University played in Los Angeles. This year the Black Eyed Peas are set to play in Dallas. In between, there have been quite a few classic performances that have entertained the crowds. Here are the top ten Super Bowl Halftime shows:
From pop acts Britney Spears and NSYNC to hip-hop artist Nelly to R&B singer Mary J Blige to rock n’ roll legends Aerosmith, this was the quintessential blending of genres and “old-meets-new” show. Viewers were kept on their toes in the beginning as Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” was sandwiched between NSYNC performances. For me, the standout moment from this show is clearly when all of the acts came together to perform Aerosmith’s “Walk this Way” to close the show, as it drove home the theme of all of these artists of different genres and decades coming together.
Petty had a great selection of songs at his disposal, including “I Won’t Back Down,” “Free Fallin” and “Running Down a Dream,” and he kept the crowd excited throughout. And somehow, it almost makes sense that some of those songs were performed at this particular Super Bowl. After all, when hearing Petty perform “Won’t Back Down,” it’s easy to remember the underdog New York Giants not backing down and shocking the mighty, then-undefeated New England Patriots later on that night.
The Rolling Stones may have gotten old, but as this Super Bowl revealed, they can still put on a show. Performing on a stage in the shape of their iconic tongue and lips logo, the band pumped up the Detroit crowd with “Start Me Up” and kept them rocking with “Rough Justice” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” And you have to like Mick Jagger’s sense of humor when he reveals that the latter song was old enough that it could have been played at the first Super Bowl.
“Purple Rain”… in the rain? In Miami, this was indeed the case. Prince performed a variety of hits like the aforementioned song and mixed them with various covers of songs such as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary” and Foo Fighters’s “Best of You.” Impressively, Prince was able to put his full performing and guitar abilities on display during halftime of the only Super Bowl to ever take place in pouring rain.
With the Super Bowl and FCC still reeling from the fallout of the halftime show from the year before (see #3), the next selection was the popular ex-Beatle, who gave a very solid performance while causing no controversy. McCartney excited fans of all ages with a collection of his old hits, including incredible performances of “Drive My Car” and “Live and Let Die” and a great closing performance of “Hey Jude.” This performance was the start of a trend that for the past seven years saw only classic rock acts performing during halftime of the Super Bowl.
1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz38asyJkcU
2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojkHjVnlnIg&feature=relatedThe most recent Super Bowl halftime show, The Who did not disappoint. The band gave solid performances of past hits such as “Baba O’Reilly,” “Who Are You?” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” to close the show. And if there were a viewer who wasn’t impressed with the band’s performance, they were most likely at least impressed with the lighted stage and the light show in general.
The Boss and his E Street Band had the Tampa audience hooked from the start, opening with a rousing rendition of “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” From there, it was a party complete with old hits such as “Born to Run” beautifully mixed with some of his new material like “Working on a Dream.” The great performances and energy, the features (which included lighters, fireworks, and even a large choir), and even some of the onstage banter between the Boss and guitarist Steven Van Zant made this halftime show almost as memorable as the game itself.
3. Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Diddy, Nelly, Kid Rock -Super Bowl XXXVIII (2004)
Easily the most infamous of the list, the incident that happened at the end made it so you’d almost forget that big names like Diddy (then P. Diddy), Nelly, and Kid Rock had performed. The controversy came when Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake performed Timberlake’s hit “Rock Your Body,” and Timberlake removed a piece of Jackson’s clothing in what is known as the infamous “wardrobe malfunction.” Television cameras did not cut away until a few seconds later, meaning that millions of Americans of all ages saw the indecent exposure at home. This resulted in countless complaints to the FCC about what happened. The controversy became so significant that for the next seven years, no modern pop artists were booked for the Super Bowl halftime show. It may not have been the greatest halftime show of all time, but it was certainly one of the most memorable.
1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkE_49skYts
2. Michael Jackson, Super Bowl XXVIII (1993)
Placards. Fireworks. Steam coming out of the stage. A long silence in the beginning. All of this contributed to one of the most entertaining halftime performances in Super Bowl history.
Would you have expected anything different from the King of Pop?
After a dramatic beginning, Jackson sang and danced (as only he could) to hits such as “Billie Jean,” and “Black and White” and kept the Rose Bowl crowd energetic. One of the most memorable moments, however, was Jackson closing the show with his “We are the World” and “Heal the World.” The songs tugged at the heartstrings of viewers as Jackson sang with a large gathering of children while placards were slowly revealed showing drawings of children standing together happily, further bringing home Jackson’s hope for a better world. A Michael Jackson performance would always be accompanied with hype, and Jackson certainly delivered here.
1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lAuG98yBnQ&feature=related
2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeKh4qijWeQ&feature=related
Heal the World: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drc6gARRBT8&feature=related
1. U2-Super Bowl XXXVI (2002)
Just a few months after the September 11th attacks occurred, Super Bowl XXXVI had a very patriotic feel to it. The halftime show was no different. After a rousing opening with their “Beautiful Day,” U2 performed “MLK” and “Where the Streets Have No Name,” while a screen in back of the stage showed a scroll listing all the victims whose lives were taken in the attacks. The phenomenal and emotional performances of all three songs, the tribute on the giant screen, the sites of everyone waving red glow sticks around the stage, Bono’s own personal tribute in revealing his American flag jacket at the end, and the overall high energy inside the Louisiana Superdome make this an easy choice for the best Super Bowl Halftime show.
1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYYpTh8K48E&feature=related
2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f1sHk1Kttw&feature=related
The Who-Super Bowl XLIV (2010)
5. The Who-Super Bowl XLIV (2010)