Top 7 Super Bowl Halftime Shows
- Jani Burden
- Feb 18
- 5 min read
Let's be real: some of us only tune in to the Super Bowl for the halftime show and the commercials. For those of you who can relate, I'm going to share with you our top seven Super Bowl halftime shows of all time. Each year brings bigger performances and unforgettable performances by music's biggest names. With so many unbelievable performances, narrowing down the top 7 was no easy task, but these performances stood out as the best of the best.
7. Tom Petty
As a dedicated Gators fan, I may be biased, but Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ halftime show was just pure unfiltered rock and roll. There was no lip-syncing, no flashy shtick— just raw vocals, real instruments and legendary songs. Petty delivered his classic songs like “Free Fallin,” "American Girl" and finished off with "Runnin’ Down a Dream,” each of which being hoisted by unbelievable guitar solos. In the new age of Super Bowl halftime Shows, there are a lot of dizzying spectacles and pyrotechnic stunts; however, Petty proved that sometimes all you need is a little bit of rock and roll. Their simple but exceptional performance was one for the books.
6. Lady Gaga
I gotta give a lot of credit to the performers who had no other singers joining them because, as showcased in Lady Gaga’s performance, it's a lot of singing and dancing at a very high pace. That didn’t seem to affect Gaga very much because she delivered some high-energy dance moves along with flawless vocals. She started the performance with a rendition of “God Bless America” from on top of the stadium. Gaga then leapt from the stadium’s roof and propelled onto a platform where she continued performing. When she slowed things down during “Million Reasons,” she took a moment to shout out her mom and dad (which I thought was such a cute moment). In true Gaga fashion, once her final song was over, she tossed the mic off the stage. Her performance was starting to look like a Pink concert for a second there, but Gaga made this performance a spectacle all on her own.
5. Michael Jackson
This iconic performance felt almost like a Michael Jackson concert with a random football game surrounding it. His performance began with decoy Michaels appearing at opposite locations in the stadium with one of those being on top of the scoreboard. Once the real Michael hopped onto the stage, in a true manner of showmanship, he stood still for nearly two minutes, and naturally he was met with an eruptive applause. While Michael has many hits, the most impactful part of his performance came during “We Are the World,” when fans in the stands held up colored boards to form an image of children holding hands. Michael took this a step farther and delivered a speech saying, “No one should have to suffer, especially our children.” Children of all backgrounds, races and genders joined him on stage where they all sang the song in harmony. As they joined together in arms, a giant inflatable globe rose behind them, further representing the message of love.
4. U2
U2’s performance was a significant step for the U.S. since it was the first Super Bowl since the 9/11 tragedy. The lead singer, Bono, started in the crowd for only a moment then made his way onto the stage. Although he wasn't in the crowd anymore, their well-designed stage was long and kept the crowd involved. A few songs into their show, they began displaying the members of the NYPD, individuals in the World Trade Center and those in the planes who lost their lives. With a projection that slowly scrolled through the list of victims, Bono uttered the words “Oh Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim Your praise." This performance was truly powerful and represented America’s resilience and unity in the face of adversity.
Katy was her own knight in shining armor and began her halftime show with her song “Roar” while riding a big metallic lion that strutted across the field. She started her performance with power then opted to share the stage with rock legend Lenny Kravitz. Between their powerful voices and Kravitz’s funky guitar they rocked the stage and sang her song “I Kissed a Girl”. Soon after, Katy took us to the beach and the famous “Left Shark” stole the show. By far, the most impressive part of her show was her final song. After dancing and running around the stage for about 10 minutes, Perry delivered a goosebump-inducing stripped version of her song “Firework” while standing on a platform that flew through the air of the stadium. She showed the duality of her performance and that's what makes this Super Bowl halftime show one of the best.
This Tampa halftime show started out with a message from Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. The show displayed the perfect mix of genres with songs ranging from “Bye Bye Bye” to “I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing.” Justin Timerlake went all in and was pictured shooting sparks out of his fingers with some kind of device. Looking back now that may have been a bit of a fire hazard, but no pain no gain. NSYNC started the show then passed the baton to Aerosmith. After they each did a few songs, the already unlikely band of voices got even more uncanny when Britney Spears, Mary J.Blige and Nelly joined Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler in singing “Walk This Way.” There was no fancy choreography or backup dancers, just some iconic singers uniting their voices to make a beautiful vocal kitchen soup. It was the perfect early 2000s mashup (one that makes me, an ‘03 baby, very jealous.)
It's no secret that a Coldplay concert is on a lot of bucket lists and they came out with a bone chilling and upbeat performance of “Viva La Vida.” The cherry on top was the moment the lead singer, in the midst of a string orchestra and a musical ensemble of any instrument you can think of, took to say, “Whoever you are, wherever you are, we’re in this together.” Then, Bruno came in and switched the flow to something a bit more upbeat and showcased his dancing skills, but Beyonce stole the show moments later. Instead, the two went back and forth shouting out the ladies and gents, then followed that with one of the most iconic dance breaks in Super Bowl history. That may sound like a tough act to follow, but with Coldplay's tribute to all of the Super Bowl halftime shows throughout the years with their song “Fix You” bolstering the graphic, the tear-jerking masterpiece was the perfect finishing touch. This performance was a true testament to how football has brought people together over the years and how many iconic performers have been on that stage. The harmony of all the voices truly showed the unity that can be found within love.
Edited by Taylor N. Hall
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