Super Bowl Halftime Show: Grading Madonna and the Performances Since 2000

Madonna headlined the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show on Feb. 5, with appearances by Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., LMFAO and Cee Lo Green.

How does Madonna stack up against the dozen performances before her? Red pen in hand, I watched every halftime show since 2000. High and low marks aplenty, each received a final letter grade.

Letter grades are based on singing ability, background music, song selection, visuals—including stage and lighting—transitions to other performers and overall vibe. 

Going into Madonna's performance, fans seemed to be split between excitement and skepticism. There were sides who felt Madonna's time has passed. There were others who view her as an icon whose star power will never fade.

Did her singing earn her an A? Or did the theatrics drop her grade down?

2000: Phil Collins

The 2000 Super Bowl halftime show was produced by Disney, and it showed. The show was very theatrical and featured songs such as "Reflections of the Earth" and "Tapestry of Nations."

But as Disney productions often do, they felt kid-like. It didn't seem to fit for the Super Bowl, the main event of football, a rough-and-tough, hard-hitting game. Maybe slowing it down was the point. The theme, after all, was about growing the world together and ending racism.

I like the message. I like the attempt. The singing by Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton and Phil Collins were pleasant, but the songs were lackluster. The dancing was OK, but the whole thing was almost too theatrical. The narrator was uninspiring.

Grade: C+

2001: Aerosmith and *N Sync

This was a very cool halftime show.

The show opened with *N Sync and effectively transitioned to Aerosmith. The singing was fantastic and the crowd was pumped. We had boy-band pop and rock legends sharing the stage. The energy was amazing.

Britney Spears made an appearance, and she looked insanely gorgeous. Mary J. Blige appeared as well, but wasn't on screen as much.

Everything was going in an A+ direction until Nelly happened.

The St. Louis rapper stormed the stage rapidly spitting lyrics to "E.I." He looked more like a fan trying to steal 12 seconds of fame. His half and half jersey with No. 20 on the front and No. 17 on the back was just awful.

Nelly bad. Britney oh so great.

Grade: A-

2002: U2

The show opens up with Bono walking through the crowd to the stage singing "Beautiful Day." Fantastic way to start.

Bono proceeds to play well to the crowd and the camera. The singing and acoustics are great.

Then, it all slows down. A tribute to those who passed on September 11, 2001 comes up on a huge screen. It was a nice touch and very well-timed. It was even a bit emotional.

I only wish the song would have remained a bit slow for the duration. There was something off about Bono running around wildly as the crowd screamed for him while names continued to scroll.

I'm pretty sure the point was, "we're still here, we're not down, we're banding together."

I just didn't feel that way re-watching it.

The fact that it ends with Bono, lead-singer of a band from Dublin, unveiling the inside of his jacket lined with the American flag was nice.

Grade: B+ 

2003: Shania Twain

This one may get me into trouble.

I love the choice of Shania Twain. She looked absolutely stunning to say the least. I mean, wow. But her singing sounded lip-synced.

While I liked the songs, I didn't like the choices for a football game. Here I am, all jacked up for the biggest game of the year. We've had one half of hitting and sticking and we open the show with, "Man, I Feel Like a Woman."

The mix of Shania to No Doubt's Gwen Stefani wasn't fantastic either. Stefani proceeded to continue the song trend with "Just a Girl."

Sting topped off the show with "Message in a Bottle." I get it; women watch the Super Bowl too. I'm not saying they are bad songs. They're great songs. I just wasn't feeling them for that particular event.

Grade: B-

2004: Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake

The infamous Super Bowl halftime show. The Janet Jackson-Justin Timberlake show. The wardrobe malfunction.

That seems to be the only part we remember. However, there were many songs before the slip.

The theme was getting young people to vote. Then, Jessica Simpson in an odd outfit screams "Choose to party!" That was awkward.

Janet opens the singing portion well, though it did sound lip-synced. The performance itself featured a lot of visuals: back-up dancers, costumes, a marching band. It was fun.

Then, it transitioned awkwardly to Diddy, who raps for about 20 seconds. Then, another awkward transition to Nelly. Nelly's re-do was much better than 2001. Diddy sang for another 30 seconds before Kid Rock came storming through the crowd.

Kid Rock did his thing as well as he could. Donning an American flag poncho was a great touch.

The rest is basically history. Janet returns, singing well again. Justin Timberlake joins her for one last song. The singing was top notch. The dancing and grinding between the two was a bit provocative.

It closes in shambles. Watch the entire 12-minute show here, at your own risk.

Grade: A- (for the performance, not the wardrobe malfunction)

2005: Paul McCartney

Many felt the performance of Paul McCartney would be too safe. However, after 2004, there was reason to be cautious.

OK, so it was a bit boring on the performance side. Besides moving to play the piano, McCartney stood in the same spot almost the entire time. But who cares? It's Paul McCartney! The guy is a Beatle.

The song choice was excellent, and the man showed the world he can still jam. He had us pumped the entire time. The guitar, the drums, the songs, everything about it had me head-bobbing and foot-tapping.

When it slowed down toward the end for "Hey Jude," I questioned the song choice. Too slow to end on this, right? I was wrong. A stadium full of thousands chanting in unison, "Na-na-na-na" over and over was perfect. We were doing it at home on our couch.

I haven't even raved about his stage yet, either.

Grade: A

2006: The Rolling Stones

Apparently I am not a fan of Mick Jagger's moves.

It was hard to watch. He ran around more than he sang. His gyrations were a bit, well, creepy. I know, I know. He's a rock legend. But I felt like I was watching my dad run around in skinny jeans that were way too low while on something.

Hey, the stage was cool. I liked the songs too.

Grade: C

2007: Prince

Considering it was raining the entire time, Prince deserves a boost in his grade automatically.

The show started out rocking, everyone chanting "We will, we will rock you." Prince's guitar skills are still dazzling.

The stage was awesome, shaped in his famous symbol, and the addition of the marching band really brought everything to the max. "Baby I'm a Star" was the performance of the night.

Great song choice and great energy. The only knock was the silhouette display. Prince stood behind a curtain holding his guitar low; the shadow looked a bit provocative. It was over the top.

Grade: B+

2008: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

It started off with a lit-up arrow moving toward a lit up heart-shaped stage. The arrow goes through the heart, fireworks go off and there's Petty standing on stage.

The song choice was pretty good. The stage and visuals were good. But if visuals are your bread and butter, the Super Bowl halftime show is not for you.

Overall, it was too slow and kind of boring. I enjoyed the songs, but they almost lulled me to sleep. Petty didn't move once. After 12 minutes, he looked out of breath.

Grade: C+

2009: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

I appreciate Springsteen's energy, I do. He knows how to pander to the crowd and camera. The entire show was very, very energetic.

I can't exactly put my finger on what bothered me. Springsteen reminded me of the guy who has children in college but still tries to go to their fraternity parties. I enjoyed the energy, but he needed to personally slow down.

The guitar flips at the end sum up his performance and my feelings perfectly.

Grade: C+

2010: The Who

Who did the Super Bowl halftime show in 2010? No wait, that's not a question. The Who did the Super Bowl halftime show in 2010.

I was incredibly skeptical about the performance. I love The Who, but I felt they would simply be too aged to do the halftime show.

Well, I was right in the sense that they sounded aged. But it also didn't sound bad at all. It sounded classic. They jammed just as well. The guitars and drums were awesome. The light show was fascinating and fit perfectly. The crowd sang along the entire time. The vibe was electric.

My only small complaint was the shrieked lyrics I love were more of yells. Hard to blame the guys; I doubt they can hit the high notes much these days. Opening with lyrics like "that deaf, dumb, and blind kid..." seemed to not be very politically correct on such a national stage either.

Grade: A-

2011: The Black Eyed Peas

It was new, it was hip, it was fresh.

It was over the top. The singing was not good. Why is Fergie yelling at me?

None of these guys sounded good singing while moving, and they moved the entire time.

The lighting and visuals were all very awesome. The costumes were just weird.

Slash comes out on guitar, and I'm really starting to feel it. Then, Fergie ruins "Sweet Child of Mine."

Usher tries to save the show, but Will.I.Am steps in front of the spotlight, literally. He then proceeds to use the stage to push a personal message to the president. Fergie yells at us some more.

Tons of energy nonetheless.

Grade: B 

2012: Madonna

Madonna's start matched the hoopla surrounding her performance by parading in as a Roman queen. Both the song choice and the entrance seemed to be a perfect fit. Either she's an outstanding singer still or the performance was lip-synced. I literally couldn't tell.

The stage was pretty awesome, changing from black and white to dazzling colors. The transition between songs was also perfect.

The dancers might have been the most impressive part. Between the break dancers and the bouncing man on the rope, it was eyebrow-raising fun.

LMFAO matched Madonna's rhythm and vibe perfectly as well. Even better, the group didn't wear skintight, leopard-print spandex.

While Madonna looked good and sang very well, her new single was less than stellar. Nicki Minaj was a cheerleader half of the time and I couldn't understand her the other half.

Madonna's "Like A Prayer" with Cee Lo Green wasn't too bad. The crowd lit up was visually appealing.

The songs were pretty good. The singing was great. The theatrical additions were perfect.

Madonna's still got it.

Grade: A-