Believe it or not, the coveted Super Bowl halftime show hasn’t always been a showcase for the hottest pop stars of right now and legacy musical acts of yesteryear. Up until the 1990s, it was mostly just marching bands and drill teams (and once, a troupe of Elvis impersonators).
Since Michael Jackson claimed the field for pop at Super Bowl XXVII in 1993, the Super Bowl halftime show has become a sensational, must-see event every year. Here are six of our favorite past performances from the ’90s to now. (On the flipside, check out the Worst Super Bowl Halftime Shows.)
The six best Super Bowl halftime shows
6. Aerosmith, NSYNC, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, and Nelly (2001)
Rock vampires Aerosmith sharing the stage with boy band NSYNC was strange enough, but then it threw in Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, and Nelly for “Walk This Way”? Pure shiny-pants chaos. Fun note: This was the first year that fans were allowed on the field, further amping the halftime anarchy.
5. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and Eminem (2022)
Staged to look like a cluster of simultaneous house parties in SoFi Stadium, Dr. Dre threw a tribute to hip-hop history with his own hits and some from Snoop Dogg, (once again) Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and a surprise, upside-down 50 Cent. Easily the most L.A. halftime show ever.
4. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira (2020)
As Spinal Tap once asked, “What’s wrong with being sexy?” Latina powerhouses Jennifer Lopez and Shakira furiously shimmied through their respective hits in a spectacular set that seemed designed to shock conservative viewers. Mission accomplished: The FCC received over 1,300 complaints about it.
3. Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz, and Missy Elliott (2015)
Left Shark. This one was all about Left Shark.
2. Lady Gaga (2017)
Lady Gaga’s glitzy, political halftime show was a sci-fi stunner that wasn’t afraid to take on newly-elected President Trump and the Republican Right. After opening with “God Bless America” and “This Land Is Your Land,” Gaga took flight and blazed through her hits—literally—accompanied by a flamethrower.
1. Prince (2007)
Until Prince comes back from the dead, backed by an also-resurrected Whitney Houston and Jimi Hendrix, his thrilling performance at Super Bowl XLI is the halftime show that will never be topped. How do you beat Prince shredding the “Purple Rain” guitar solo in the actual rain? A stone-cold classic.
Bill Frost has been a journalist and TV reviewer since the 4:3-aspect-ratio ’90s. His pulse-pounding prose has been featured in The Salt Lake Tribune, Inlander, Coachella Valley Independent, Las Vegas Weekly, and many other dead-tree publications (see BillFrost.tv). In addition to being a Senior Staff Writer at CableTV.com, Bill is a syndicated streaming TV columnist forSalt Lake City Weekly and other alternative weeklies, and host/producer of TV Tan Podcast. By night, Bill cranks a Flying V with his band at the bar.
Related Posts
