Top 5 Best Super Bowl Halftime Shows
By Mary Fournier
Whether you loved it or hated it, everyone is talking about Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s Halftime performance. These days it’s not just about the football game and who wins but whoever performs at halftime and how good a job they do is also a spectacle. And let’s be honest, I’m sure you all know at least 5 people who only watch the Super Bowl to see the halftime show. Let’s head down memory lane and discuss the performances that walked so J.Lo and Shakira could run.
1-Michael Jackson
Fun fact, MJ’s performance increased ratings for the Super Bowl so significantly that the NFL made a deliberate effort to get high-profile artists to perform going forward; he’s not called the King of Pop for nothing. But seriously, that 1 minute and 35 seconds of him standing as still as a statue before he gave his band the cue to start playing and having the crowd all flip cards revealing children holding hands during his performance of Heal the World (a song, which was definitely ahead of its time and still relevant today) was unimaginable at the time. Michael Jackson set the bar and he set it high.
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2-Prince
When you’re about to perform in front of 100 million television viewers, you’d have a lot to worry about. Add an outdoor venue with pouring rain, electrical equipment and a slippery stage, obviously, no pressure. With Prince, that was exactly the case. His stage didn’t need the intense layout that many other performers use to keep the crowd and audience at home entertained, his voice and incredible guitar skills had everyone in the palm of his hand. He turned the pouring rain into a stage prop like it was meant to be there the entire time. And when he performs Purple Rain IN THE RAIN?! I need to make a doctors appointment cause I got chills.
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3-Katy Perry, Missy Elliot, Lenny Kravitz
If you like your Halftime shows to be over the top, this is the one for you. Arriving on a giant lion, you knew that Katy knew this was going to be extra. Katy also made sharing cool again with a rock version of I Kissed A Girl with Lenny Kravitz and having Missy Elliot sing a medley of her hit songs which was a comeback society didn’t know they needed. Plus, singing Firework on the More You Know star was a perfect way to end her set. But let’s not get started with the Left Shark situation.
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4-Madonna, LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A, Cee Lo Green
Can’t forget about the Queen of Pop right? Arriving as a Greek goddess carried by Spartan soldiers to the opening lines of Vogue, you knew this was going to be good. She gave us new arrangements of some of her classic songs with Cee Lo Green and LMFAO and making us wish we were cheerleaders with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. The way she transitioned from song to song and showed off her dance moves made it seem like it was easy, for a pro like her, it probably is.
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5-Aerosmith, NSYNC, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Nelly
What do you get when you want to bring lovers of all music genres together but still maintain pop culture relevance? You get the 2001 Halftime show. This was the first time fans were allowed on the field to surround the stage, giving a more concert-like atmosphere along with fan interaction that has since become a Halftime staple. Plus, Justin Timberlake’s sprinkler hand, Britney’s arm sock and that rendition of Walk This Way? I’m still recovering.
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