Not everyone watches the Super Bowl for the football: Last year, Lady Gaga’s halftime show on Fox was viewed by 117.5 million people, which is nearly six million more than watched the New England Patriots’ thrilling (or crushing) overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Super Bowl halftime show is a condensed stadium show that runs between 11 and 13 minutes and has featured headliners ranging from rock legends like Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty and The Who to pop divas Madonna and Katy Perry to R&B-leaning artists Prince, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Bruno Mars and this year’s headliner, Justin Timberlake.
The halftime show wasn’t always such a superstar-driven extravaganza. Before Michael Jackson upped the show’s game in 1993, previous years’ entertainment included Up with People, the Los Angeles Super Drill Team, assorted college marching bands, the Rockettes and Chubby Checker, salutes to Hollywood, the Big Band era and Duke Ellington. The 1995 show was dubbed “Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye” and featured Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, Arturo Sandoval and the Miami Sound Machine. (Hey NFL, maybe they’re all available next year…)
Any “best” list is purely subjective and this one is no exception, but this reflects the opinions of many friends and acquaintances we’ve spoken with over the years, not to mention countless other online article like this one. Without further ado, our Top 10 (and bottom two) …
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1. Prince (XLI, Feb. 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami)
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As a drizzling rain enveloped the field, the Purple One took to the stage for a jaw-dropping dozen minutes which included covers of “We Will Rock You,” “Proud Mary,” a medley of “All Along the Watchtower” and just for good measure, Foo Fighters’ “Best of You” (keyboardist Morris Hayes said the song’s title fit the Super Bowl’s championship theme). He also performed “1999/Baby I’m a Star” with the Florida A&M Marching Band and finished with the weather-appropriate “Purple Rain,” perhaps the greatest live version of the song he ever performed. And it wouldn’t be a Prince show without controversy: As he played the song’s soaring solo on his trademarked curlicue guitar, his silhouette was projected on a giant banner, and the lower part of his guitar looked like… well…
2. Michael Jackson (XXVII, Jan. 31, 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.)
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Marking the beginning of the Super Bowl’s modern halftime-show era, the King of Pop starred in one of the most-watched events in U.S. television history, a five-song set that included “Billie Jean,” “Black or White,” “We Are the World” and “Heal the World.” Clad in a trademark brass-buttoned military style outfit, Jackson used body-doubles to make it look like he teleported himself across the field, exploding out of the bottom of the stage, staring for 90 seconds before launching into “Jam.” Nobody even seemed to mind that it was all sung to backing track.
3. Beyonce, Destiny’s Child (XLVII, Feb. 3, 2013 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans)
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Lady Bey would return three years later with Coldplay and Bruno Mars, but this was her coming-out party. She started off with an a cappella “Love on Top,” then roared into “Crazy In Love,” “End of Time” and “Baby Boy” before bringing on Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland for “Bootylicious,” “Independent Women Part 1” and a show-stopping “Single Ladies.”
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