Super Bowl LIX is finally here, and although I’m a huge football fan, my favorite part of the game is the halftime show. Taking the stage this year is Kendrick Lamar, who’s already had an amazing month so far with his 5-Grammy sweep. The halftime performances we know and love today look nothing like they did in the early days. Up until 1993, the NFL usually featured a college band with the occasional star. This all changed when Michael Jackson took the stage, drawing in millions of viewers to what once used to be just a filler between halves. Since then, the performances have only gotten bigger and more extravagant, so let’s take a look back and see the top 10 best pop Super Bowl halftime performances.
10. Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake
Unfortunately, a certain wardrobe malfunction is probably what comes to mind when you think of this Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004. However, the costuming, staging, choreography, and set list made for an incredible performance. The Spirit of Houston and Ocean of Soul opened the performance, followed by some of Janet and Justin’s greatest hits, like “Rhythm Nation” and “Rock Your Body”. Nelly made a guest appearance to sing “Hot in Herre”, and to balance out the R&B and pop vibe, Kid Rock also performed. A bit weird, but certainly electric. “Rhythm Nation” featured dancers hanging off set pieces, costume changes for Janet and all of her dancers, and of course, Janet and Justin had real chemistry, and it’s hard not to have a good time while watching this.
9. Shakira and Jennifer Lopez
We already know these two could dance, so it’s no surprise they brought their A game with the choreography for Super Bowl LIV in 2020. Shakira performs solo for the first half, singing some of her hits like “Whenever, Wherever” and “Hips Don’t Lie”, and Bad Bunny made an appearance to rap his part of “I Like It”. JLo then takes the stage, or rather, a huge pole that she’s hanging off of. She performs some of her greatest hits like “Jenny from the Block” and “On the Floor”, and brings out J Balvin for a mashup of her song, “Booty” , and his song, “Mi Gente”. JLo brings out her daughter to sing, and they all end the performance with “Let’s Get Loud” and “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)”. The visuals for this performance are insane, and the show certainly did not disappoint.
8. Madonna with LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, CeeLo Green
Although Madonna was the sole headliner for Super Bowl XLVI in 2012, there was no shortage of special guests. Madonna comes out looking like Cleopatra, being paraded out on a gold throne. With dancers adorned in gold and black armory and accessories, Madonna performed some of her hits like “Vogue” and “Music”. LMFAO came out in sparkling, zebra print armor and performed “Party Rock Anthem” with Madonna while the projections made the stage look like a DJ set up. She was then joined by Nicki Minaj and M.I.A to perform their song, “Give Me All Your Luvin’ ”, fit with majorettes, pom poms, and some cheerleading choreography. CeeLo Green makes his way to the stage dressed as a drum major alongside a marching band to continue the football game aesthetic, and the show ends with Madonna, CeeLo Green, and a choir singing “Like a Prayer”. Madonna could’ve killed this show on her own, but the special guests made the performance even better.
7. Rihanna
As much as we all wished that Rihanna was going to release music after this performance, we were still served excellence for Super Bowl LVII in 2023. She revealed her pregnancy at the show, and the Internet went crazy. She didn’t have fancy costume changes or insane choreography (but that didn’t stop her white-hooded dancers from going viral on TikTok), buttop she still showed up and showed out. She began her set on one of seven floating platforms performing “B*tch Better Have my Money”, and the hits never stopped coming. The most iconic moment of this performance was her mini Fenty Beauty ad, where she stopped mid-show to fix her makeup, going right back into singing “All of the Lights”. She finishes her killer set with “Diamond” on one of the rising platforms, with thousands of cell phone lights up and a beautiful fireworks show. I wouldn't be taking my role as a pop girlie seriously if I didn’t ask Rihanna to release more music, so if you’re reading this Rihanna, please do that!
6. Coldplay, Bruno Mars, and Beyonce
This was Coldplay’s year to headline, but it eventually became Bruno Mars and Beyonce’s halftime show - to no fault of their own. Chris Martin, the lead singer, starts on the field singing “Yellow”, and makes his way to the flower adorned stage to sing some of the band’s hits“Viva La Vida” and “Paradise”. All of a sudden, after a record scratch, the bass line from “Uptown Funk” starts to play, and Bruno Mars takes the side stage decked out in leather and gold. Beyonce emerges from a marching band on the field, paying homage to Michael Jackson’s Super Bowl performance with her outfit. She performs “Formation”, her and her dancers get into a little dance battle with Bruno and his dancers, and Coldplay takes the stage once again for their mashup of “Fix You” and “Up and Up”, showing clips of past Super Bowl half time performances.
5. Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga has been known to be someone who pushes boundaries and isn’t afraid to be eclectic or crazy, and this performance at Super Bowl LI in 2017 was no different. She starts on top of the stadium in a sparkly one piece performing a mashup of “God Bless America” and “This Land Is Your Land” with a drone show behind her. She then jumps off the roof and goes right into “Poker Face”, while continuing to do flips and tricks in a harness. Whether she’s in full choreography or being carried around like she was in “Telephone”, Lady Gaga doesn’t miss a single beat and makes everything look effortless. She seamlessly weaves her ballad, “A Million Reasons”, into the setlist filled with high energy pop songs, and the cameras often cut to the sun formation that the people on the field made with lights. Lady Gaga changes into a two piece with shoulder pads and finishes off the show with “Bad Romance”. This performance was amazing, and it really shows how well Lady Gaga can command a stadium with over 70,000 people.
4. Michael Jackson
Who else would be the first Super Bowl halftime performer besides Michael Jackson? He shot up from underneath the stage and stood still for over a minute, but as soon as he grabbed glasses, the show began. He only played five songs - “Jam”, “Billie Jean”, “Black or White”, “We are the World”, and “Heal the World” - yet, the performance was still electrifying. He did his classic Michael thing with his first three songs, but the performance takes a more wholesome turn, when a choir sings “We are the World” while a card stunt in the stands shows a picture of many children holding hands. Michael delivers a heartfelt speech before ending the show with “Heal the World”, as hundreds of kids in their culture’s traditional attire come on stage. Although it wasn’t as extravagant as the others (and I certainly believe he would’ve done more if he wasn’t the first real halftime show performer), Michael is a performer unlike the world has ever seen, and he set the bar incredibly high with this performance.
3. Katy Perry
There are so many iconic moments from Katy Perry’s halftime show performance Super Bowl XLIX in 2015. For starters, she came out on a huge, gold tiger singing “Roar” that pranced down the field. She sings “Dark Horse” while her dancers are dressed as silver cheese pieces, dancing on a chess board. Lenny Kravtiz joins Katy on stage to do a duet of “I Kissed a Girl”, and in 20 seconds, Katy is in a brand new outfit on the other side of the field. Of course I have to bring up Left Shark, who stole the beach-inspired stage during “Teenage Dream” and “California Girls”. Missy Elliott comes on stage to perform “Get Ur Freak On”, “Work It”, and “Lose Control” with Katy after her second costume change of the night. Katy changes her costume one more time into a starry, silver gown to play “Firework”, and is pulled up into the air by a shoot star. And of course, there were fireworks. If all of this wasn’t impressive enough, her show is the only halftime show where every single song on the setlist went number 1.
Beyonce
Of course Beyonce is the only person who could make this list twice. Her solo halftime performance was for Super Bowl XLVIII in 2013. She rises from the stage in a cloud of smoke, with a speech from Vince Lombardi about excellence playing in the background. She gives us a little taste of her amazing vocals with “Love on the Top”, but as soon as that brass line from “Crazy in Love” hits, she starts strutting down the stage. The song features an amazing guitar solo, and to add onto the difficulty of that, the guitar was shooting fireworks out of the head and body. After a brief dance break, she goes into “End of Time” and then “Baby Boy”, where she dances in front of the screen with multiple versions of herself doing the same choreography. All of a sudden, an alarm sounds, and the iconic intro riff of “Bootylicious” (and “Edge of Seventeen”) plays as Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland are shot up from underneath the stage for a Destiny’s Child reunion. The three of them sing “Independent Women, Pt.1” and “Single Ladies” together, the latter with dozens of backup dancers. She finishes the killer show with a beautiful, rock-ified version of “Halo”. Everything about this performance was amazing, and the fact that she is the only Super Bowl performer who had only women on stage with her makes it even better.
Prince
Prince performing “Purple Rain” in the pouring rain could’ve landed him in this number 1 spot by itself. He performed at Super Bowl XLI in 2007 on top of a stage shaped like the “Artist Formerly Known as Prince” logo. Queen’s “We Will Rock You” played before Prince took the stage to play “Let’s Go Crazy”. After some crazy impressive guitar solos and some call and response with the crowd, Florida A&M’s Marching 100 took the field to play for the rest of the songs. He did three covers that night - “Proud Mary” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, “All Along the Watchtower” by Bob Dylan”, and “Best of You” by the Foo Fighters - and each one was somehow better than the one before. And of course, he finished off his epic show with “Purple Rain”. There were no crazy theatrics, no costume changes, and only two back up dancers, and yet, this performance is widely considered to be the best Super Bowl halftime performance ever. Prince is one of the most legendary performances ever, and this show is no exception.
What songs do you think Kendrick Lamar is going to play this year? You can watch the halftime show (and the Super Bowl of course) live on Fox Sports, the NFL app, Tubi, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV at 6:30 pm EST on Sunday, February 9th.
Written By Lauren DiGiovanni
*copyright not intended. Fair use act, section 107.