The Very Best of Superbowl Halftime Show Performances
It’s August, which means football is back! Millions are already looking forward to the annual emotional roller coaster that is an NFL season. However, music enthusiasts will be counting down the days until they can pile on the couch and enjoy (and critique) a thrilling show during one of the most televised events in the world. To honor it being the best time of the year, I am going to count down the top five most entertaining Superbowl halftime show performances.
Disclaimer: The list compiled is based on my own opinion and is ranked based on which shows were the most entertaining to me.
5. 2015 – Katy Perry, Missy Elliott, Lenny Kravitz
I’d like to preface my commentary on this halftime show by saying that Katy Perry is a great live performer. The same goes for Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t impressed with the musical performance of 2015’s halftime show. But, ultimately, the outrageousness of this halftime show is what puts it on this list. From the ridiculous dancing sharks and palm trees to the entire sensory overload induced the moment Perry entered the stage on a giant mechanical lion, the show had every unlikely middle-aged viewer victim to humming “California Girls” in the kitchen for the next week. Really, that’s what a good Superbowl Halftime Show is supposed to do. A boring and emotionless halftime show will not be remembered, no matter how well it is performed. No one will talk about how many octaves the star of the show reached in the breakroom at work for the next week. They’re going to talk about how weird and quirky Katy Perry’s halftime show was. Some may say the creative director needs to be fired, but I would say we need more halftime shows like this. In the end, it was an electric, fun halftime performance and earned its place as the most viewed show in the history of Superbowl halftime shows.
4. 2022 – Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar & 50 Cent
It’ll be hard for this season’s Superbowl performance to top 2022’s production, which included appearances from an iconic lineup that multiple generations could appreciate. The show starts with Dre rising on an all-white stage, designed to look like the inside of a studio, while Snoop Dogg raps the intro to “The Next Episode”. The innovation didn’t stop there, though. Like most memorable halftime shows, this one was full of surprises, such as seeing Anderson .Paak laying it down on drums and Dre playing the iconic “Still D.R.E” riff on an all-white grand piano. Seeing 50 Cent perform “In Da Club” live while upside down put a smile on everyone’s faces, and Kendrick Lamar stole the show with a passionate performance of his classic hit, “Alright”. Overall, I love this halftime show because it not only features some of the most iconic rappers of all time, but also keeps things fresh and interesting in a way that challenges future halftime shows to do the same.
3. 2020 – Shakira, Jennifer Lopez
Rarely do we see a performer in a halftime show shred the electric guitar and execute intense choreography at the same time. Shakira reminded everyone that she can not only do it, but can do it very well. 2020’s Halftime show was chock-full with talent and passion. Shakira brought the fire (literally), and J. Lo kept the energy at a fever pitch for the entirety of the show. Besides being incredible performers, Shakira and J. Lo can DANCE. As can their choreographers. In fact, if this list were being evaluated based on choreography alone, this halftime show would be miles ahead of any other. Unlike many halftime shows, there wasn’t really a single dull moment in the 14 minutes that the two women were on the stage. It felt like every time you blinked there was a new attention-grabbing element to the show, from a brilliant brass sextet to split-second outfit changes. The addition of Bad Bunny and J Balvin really pushed the show to an even more commendable of appreciation for Latin music. Simply put, I loved this show because of how FUN it was. While emotional halftime shows can be great too, it’s refreshing to watch a show that energizes you and gets you ready for the second half of the biggest football game of the year.
2. 2016 – Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Beyoncé
One of the reasons that I enjoyed this halftime show so much was that it was very nostalgic. It seems that there has been a Coldplay song ringing through my head through almost every chapter of my life. So, while I am biased because of that, I would still like to point out how great this performance was. The challenge in this production laid in transitioning between three very different (but equally beloved) musical acts while still paying homage to halftime shows of the past. So, I think for what it is worth, they did a really good job. Also, remember that time period when you couldn’t go a day without hearing “Uptown Funk”? Well, that was 2016. So, to see a high-octane performance of one of Mars’ most popular songs transitioning into a drumline accompanied introduction of one of the music industry’s biggest names earned points in my book. I think what also puts this show so high on my list is the fact that it’s simply very well-done. Bruno Mars and Beyoncé are the type of performers that make everything they do appear effortless. As an avid watcher of halftime shows, I also really appreciated the references to previous shows – and I can’t be the only one. Superbowl halftime shows have played a significant part of pop culture over the last five decades, and I think that this show featured a lot of talent and does a great job at recapping some of the great live moments from classic halftime shows of the past.
1. 2007 – Prince
I’ll preface by making a possibly bold claim: I don’t think that we will ever have a halftime show this good again. Few artists can mesmerize audiences the way he did, let alone take on the responsibility of performing a halftime show solo. It gives me chills every time. Four-year-old me was not able to appreciate His Royal Badness delivering an electric rock performance in the rain, but I can and will now. 2007 is the year that my love for football, Prince, Jimi Hendrix, Foo Fighters, and Queen all converged into one legendary performance. The sound of Prince’s distorted guitar sounding through Hard Rock Stadium is enough to top any other halftime show for me. Watching him perform Purple Rain, in the rain, in a stadium illuminated in purple was watching history. In my opinion, Prince is one of the most talented artists ever, and he proved that with this awesome show. I am seriously jealous of people that saw this performance in person. But, until time machines exist, YouTube will do.
Written by: Julian Dedeaux
