aaamusic | On 24, May 2021

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events watched all over the world. People tune in to see the best teams in the NFL face off to battle it out for the ultimate prize in American Football. Whether it be for their love of the sport, or because they’re checking out NFL Picks to place some bets in the hopes to win some money.

However, others watch it purely to check out the halftime show performance. The halftime show of the Super Bowl is a ritual for many to tune in to, with some huge talents featured over the years. Some have been much more memorable than others; from great musical performances, to some surprise mishaps that really added to the entertainment value.

If you were thinking of trawling YouTube and the rest of the web to check out some of the best halftime shows, let us help you out. Some may argue with our order, but believe us, this is the true list of the 5 best halftime Super Bowl shows of all time.

5 – Beyonce, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams – Super Bowl XLVII

One of the most iconic Super Bowl halftime shows of our lifetime, saw Beyonce take to the center stage in 2013. Emerging from a cloud of smoke, Queen B strut onto the stage performing top hits such as Love on Top and Crazy in Love. Which would have been enough for some fans.

But then as she always does, Beyonce stepped things up as she reunited with Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams to see Destiny’s Child back together. Sadly, they spent most of the time singing her own songs like Bootylicious and Single Ladies, rather than all the classics we’d have loved to see, which is why this Queen only comes in at number five in our list.

4 – Michael Jackson – Super Bowl XXVII

Twenty years prior to Beyonce, the stage was commanded by another member of music royalty, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Sadly, it is believed that rather than singing live, Jackson only lip-synched during the show where he performed classic hits such as Billie Jean and Black or White.

But whilst that may seem a poor idea for a half time show, as Jackson always does, he takes things to the extreme. As MJ began to perform We Are The World, the crowd at Super Bowl XXVII all turned over cards revealing drawings by the children of Los Angeles. Then he took it even further with a performance of Heal the World in which 3,500 children swarmed the field and an inflatable globe was deployed on the 50 yard line.

He may be controversial for the allegations made against him, but one thing is certain, he’s one of the greatest performers of all-time. And created one of the most memorable halftime shows remembered.

3 – NSYNC, Aerosmith, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly – Super Bowl XXXV

This Super Bowl halftime show was one of the first not organised by the NFL. Instead, it was MTV who were left in charge to put on the event. And whilst you’d think Aerosmith, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Nelly and NSYNC may seem like a mismatch of performers, it actually worked incredibly well.

The main highlight of their performance is Aerosmith’s Walk This Way. It was definitely different from the original, but this mashup of American Pop history with the Rock and Roll hall of famers really was one of the craziest and greatest shows in Super Bowl history. It had Nelly rapping, Mary J. Blige belting out the notes, and Britney, well, she wore some tight little football as she played the part of the “missy who was ready to play”. 

Some argue that this was too cringeworthy overall. We say yes it was, but that’s why we love it, and it is still a classic worthy of making the top five list.

2 – U2 – Super Bowl XXXVI

One of the biggest rock bands in the world graced the stage the year following the above act, U2. It was always going to be difficult to top the crazy performance from 2001, but U2 managed to pull it off, as only they could.

No, this time they didn’t give everyone a free album like they did with that failed marketing campaign years back, they just performed to their very best on the halftime show stage. Paying a massive tribute to those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks just months earlier.  Opening up with Beautiful Day with a rendition that made the hairs all over your body stand up, they moved on to perform MLK as the names of those who lost their lives in the tragic attack scrolled across the jumbotron.

Bono then finished the show by ripping open his jacket to display the US flag on the inside, a perfect finish to the perfect tribute following one of the most emotional halftime shows to have taken place.

1 – Prince XLI

2007 has to be the ultimate Super bowl halftime show of all time though, as Prince took to the stage. We all knew this was going to be one hell of a show, but Prince exceeded all expectations as he continued to blast out hit after hit. And it has only become more iconic with fans around the world since his death in 2016. We’d tell you more about it, but this is one you have to see for yourselves to experience just how good it was.

Honorable Mentions

Whilst these may not have been in the top 5, there are still some halftime shows worth checking out. First up, purely for the controversy around it, Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson. During their performance together, the pair got close and JT accidentally pulled down Jackson’s top and her nipple popped out. Sadly, she got a lot of stick for it, and JT didn’t do much to stick up for her back then, something he now regrets today.

Another honorable mention is for the Super Bowl XLV halftime show, where an ultimate mismatch collaboration took place, as the Black Eyed Peas, Usher and Slash took to the stage. They tried to perform a rendition of Sweet Child O’ Mine that ended up being ridiculed as Fergie tried to mimic Axl Rose’s voice. If she’d just have tried to make the song their own, it probably wouldn’t have bombed as hard. But it’s worth watching just to see what not to do if you get that coveted halftime show spot.