Super Bowl 2011: The Best Halftime Performances of the Decade
The Super Bowl is one of the most watched sporting events in the world, with about 100 million viewers tuning into the game each year.
The Super Bowl halftime show has become one piece of the program that has made the event so spectacular. The halftime show usually represents the hottest pop culture trend of that current year.
Even if you are not a football fan, you watch the halftime show because chances are...you know who is singing on stage.
Let's go back and recap the 10 greatest halftime performances of the modern era.
11. Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton, Phil Collins (2000)
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The 2000 Super Bowl halftime show was the sixth one to be produced by Disney. Each of the artists collaborated on songs that were themed after the Tapestry of the Nations.
It is too hard to really get amped up for a show like this, but they made it decent by having the best performers at the time.
10. The Who (2010)
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Last year's Super Bowl halftime show was honestly not that great. It continued the trend of conservative classic rock artists who were "safe" for the stage.
Ever since Janet Jackson and her "wardrobe malfunction", the producers of the halftime show have been very conservative about picking their performers.
Hopefully, The Who was the end of the road for this trend as the show goes back to modern pop this year with the Black Eyed Peas.
Let's face it—The Who is a great band, but the market is changing now and the halftime show has almost become a joke for the younger audiences.
9. The Rolling Stones (2006)
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Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones tried their best to put on a better halftime show, but could only do so much.
At least Jagger was attempting to create a good performance by running all over the stage and trying all his dance moves.
One good creation from this show was the stage. It was in the shape and formation of the Rolling Stones logo of the tongue and lips.
8. Tom Petty (2008)
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Tom Petty, I think, was an underrated show music-wise.
Of the "classic rockers," I thought Tom Petty sounded the best. His voice has changed a little bit, but the overall performance sounded pretty close to a record track.
Also, every single song he sung was a top hit when it was released. Everyone, regardless of age, knew his songs.
7. Shania Twain, No Doubt, Sting (2003)
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2003 continued the past trends of going with multiple high-end performers.
Shania Twain did her own thing, followed by No Doubt.
Gwen Stefani and Sting then collaborated on what I think was the best song of the show in "Message in a Bottle."
6. Prince (2007)
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OK, I might be a little bit biased with this one.
Many saw Prince's performance as being pretty great. I, on the other hand, saw it as just plain average.
For my generation, it was just too old and too slow-paced for the halftime show for the most part.
Prince is a great guitarist, but his vocals and performance that year weren't the best.
5. Paul McCartney (2005)
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Yes, Paul McCartney's music is from an older generation, but his music will last forever.
McCartney and the Beatles will be forever etched in the history of the music industry. Their songs are also be hits that you can often hear on radio stations.
McCartney's performance was again a conservative one in nature, but his audience was much greater than that of The Who and The Rolling Stones.
4. Janet Jackson, P. Diddy, Nelly, Kid Rock, Justin Timberlake (2004)
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2004 was the performance that pretty much ruined the halftime show.
After the "malfunction," producers were hesitant to put risque performers back on stage.
Since 2004, we still have not seen any modern pop artist back on stage.
2011 does present us with the Black Eyed Peas. Hopefully they put on a good performance because if they don't, it could ruin the next decade for audiences.
3. Aerosmith, 'N Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Nelly (2001)
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The 2001 performance was pretty well done for having so much talent on the stage. It was littered with talent, stretching all the way from the 80's with Aerosmith, to the present with Britney and Justin.
The collaboration on "Walk this Way" is what made the performance so good. Having all those different types of genres and voices on stage and making it all sound and work well was amazing.
The main reason why it worked so well was because of the audience it captured. It captured the youth with Spears and Timberlake, while also attracting the older demographic with Aerosmith.
2. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (2009)
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Performance-wise, this was by far the best show that the Super Bowl has put on in the past decade.
Springsteen is another guy who attaches himself to multiple audiences and has hits that span multiple decades.
He really was into the camera, and he showed that he was really having a lot of fun with the crowd and the whole atmosphere. He even did a "feet" first slide into the camera.
1. U2 (2002)
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The first Super Bowl after 9/11 was done by Irish band U2.
Regardless of where they are from, U2 put on a tremendous show and finished it by honoring the lives lost on that terrible day.
They started off the show with "Beautiful Day" and had Bono walk right through the crowd.
Another reason why this performance was so good is that, like Tom Petty, they were very good live and their music sounded like their album track.
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