Jennifer Lopez and Shakira will perform the Super Bowl Halftime Show on Sunday.
So what are the best Super Bowl Halftime Show performances ever?
Here’s a ranking of the Top 10 below:
10. The Rolling Stones (2006)
Arguably the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band of all time — giving The Beatles a run for their money — The Rolling Stones rocked the Super Bowl with some of the greatest jams ever recorded, from “Start Me Up” to “Satisfaction.” Their performance might have ranked even higher if they weren’t over the hill, but their timeless energy and strutting showmanship taught a new generation what it meant to have “Moves Like Jagger.”
9. Paul McCartney (2005)
After Janet Jackson’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction” the previous year, Super Bowl planners decided to go the throwback route and began tapping older artists to perform. Enter Paul McCartney, who delivered a string of Wings hits like “Live and Let Die” and Beatles jams like “Get Back.” He, of course, closed with the ultimate stadium anthem “Hey Jude,” providing one of the finest sing-a-longs in Super Bowl halftime history.
8. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (2008)
With so many cluttered stages in recent years, it was refreshing to see Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers hit the stage alone. “American Girl” was practically written to be played on Super Bowl Sunday, kicking off a superb set list of “I Won’t Back Down,” “Free Fallin'” and “Running Down a Dream.” Now that Petty has passed away, it should make fans realize that they took his Super Bowl for granted. Play it back and see.
7. Lady Gaga
Backed by 300 drones, Lady Gaga declared “I’m on the edge” before “leaping” off the roof of the stadium in a fancy editing illusion. Freezing momentarily like a statue, she sang, “I wanna hold ’em like they do in Texas, please,” then rattled off hits like “Poker Face,” “Born This Way” and “Telephone.” After playing a keyboard on “Just Dance” and a piano on “Million Reasons,” she ended with “Bad Romance,” donning a pair of shoulder pads to jump off stage, catch a pass and disappear off screen. Wow.
6. Michael Jackson (1993)
Nothing will top his moonwalking on “Motown 25,” but the King of Pop came close with his Super Bowl halftime show. It began with M.J. shooting up through the stage, only to stand like a statue for 90 seconds. The roaring crowd hung on his every head turn, before he launched into motion for “Billie Jean” and “Black or White.” He then brought kids on stage for “Heal the World” (awkward in hindsight). The performance loses points for lip syncing, but the presentation is what made the halftime show relevant.
5. Beyoncé (2013)
Decades from now, if people want to know what made Beyoncé such a superstar, they need only pull up this Super Bowl Halftime Show. From her “Crazy in Love” opener to her “Halo” closing, Queen Bey owned the stage with fancy footwork alongside Destiny’s Child. It was so electric that it caused a blackout in the second half of the game, shifting the momentum from the San Francisco 49ers to the Baltimore Ravens. Don’t lie — you did the “Single Ladies” dance all the way into work the next day.
4. Bruce Springsteen (2009)
Bruce Springsteen regularly performs four-hour live sets with his E Street Band, so a few minutes at a Super Bowl halftime were a cake walk. The Boss mixed new tunes like “Working on a Dream” with classic hits like “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out,” “Born to Run” and “Glory Days.” We’ll never forget Bruce sliding on his knees right into the camera, or the final exchange between Bruce and Stevie Van Zandt: “We’re gonna be going overtime! Penalty time! Delay of game! Stevie, what time is it?” “It’s Boss time!”
3. Bruno Mars w/ Red Hot Chili Peppers (2014)
If anyone doubted whether Bruno Mars was ready for prime time, those doubts were silenced with one of the best halftime shows ever seen. After an impressive drum solo, Mars launched into “Locked Out of Heaven” with Motown moves, slick jackets and brass instruments that were both nostalgic and fresh. It was truly a “star is born” moment that cascaded into future Grammy wins for “Uptown Funk” and “24K Magic.”
2. U2 – 9/11 Tribute (2002)
My No. 2 pick could just as easily be No. 1 for sheer emotional impact. Not only is U2 one of the most prolific bands in rock history, the Irish group crossed the pond to help America heal after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. We got goosebumps watching the victims’ names rise on a giant screen as The Edge played “Where the Streets Have No Name,” while Bono let out a primal scream as the names came tumbling down like the Twin Towers. I’m tearing up just writing about it. Words can’t do it justice. Just watch it.
1. Prince (2007)
Topping the list is Prince, whose 2016 death cements this Super Bowl performance for the ages. Standing in the middle of his giant symbol, Prince shredded electric guitar on “Let’s Go Crazy” before killer covers of the Foo Fighters’ “Best of You,” Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower.” Fittingly, the climax was “Purple Rain” in a Miami thunderstorm, all while wearing eight-inch platform heels on the slippery tile. Before the game, concerned officials said, “It’s raining. Are you OK?” Prince replied, “Can you make it rain harder?” That’s the stuff legends are made of.
Below is a full chronological list of Super Bowl halftime performances:
1967 – University of Arizona and Grambling State University Marching Bands, Al Hirt
1968 – Grambling State University Marching Band
1969 – Florida A&M University and Miami-area high school bands
1970 – Carol Channing, Southern University Marching Band
1971 – Southeast Missouri State Marching Band, Up with People
1972 – Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Channing, Al Hirt, U.S. Marine Corps Drill Team
1973 – University of Michigan Marching Band, Woody Herman, Andy Williams
1974 – University of Texas Marching Band, Miss Texas Judy Mallett
1975 – Mercer Ellington, Grambling State University Marching Band
1976 – Up with People
1977 – Los Angeles Unified All-City Band
1978 – Tyler Apache Belles Drill Team, Pete Fountain, Al Hirt
1979 – Ken Hamilton, Various Bands from the Caribbean
1980 – Up with People, Grambling State University Marching Band
1981 – Southern University Marching Band, Helen O’Connell
1982 – Up with People (Tribute to Motown)
1983 – Los Angeles Super Drill Team
1984 – University of Florida Marching Band and Florida State University Marching Bands
1985 – Tops in Blue
1986 – Up with People
1987 – George Burns, Mickey Rooney, Grambling State University and USC Marching Bands
1988 – Chubby Checker, The Rockettes, San Diego State Marching Band, USC Marching Band
1989 – Elvis Presto
1990 – Pete Fountain, Doug Kershaw, Irma Thomas, Nicholls State University, Southern University and USL Marching Bands
1991 – New Kids on the Block
1992 – Gloria Estefan with Olympic figure skaters Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill
1993 – Michael Jackson
1994 – Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, The Judds
1995 – Patti LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass, Tony Bennett, Arturo Sandoval, Miami Sound Machine
1996 – Diana Ross
1997 – The Blues Brothers, James Brown, ZZ Top
1998 – Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Temptations, Queen Latifah, Grambling State University Band
1999 – Gloria Estefan, Stevie Wonder, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Savion Glover
2000 – Tina Turner, Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton
2001 – Aerosmith, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Nelly
2002 – U2 (9/11 Tribute)
2003 – Shania Twain, No Doubt, Sting
2004 – Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, P. Diddy, Nelly, Kid Rock
2005 – Paul McCartney
2006 – The Rolling Stones
2007 – Prince
2008 – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
2009 – Bruce Springsteen
2010 – The Who
2011 – The Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Slash
2012 – Madonna, LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., Cee Lo Green
2013 – Beyonce with Destiny’s Child
2014 – Bruno Mars, The Red Hot Chili Peppers
2015 – Katy Perry, Missy Elliot
2016 – Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Beyonce
2017 – Lady Gaga
2018 – Justin Timberlake
2019 – Maroon 5
2020 – Jennifer Lopez, Shakira
