Super Bowl XLV: Power Ranking the 15 Best Halftime Performances in History
The Super Bowl is less than a week away and while the big story is about the two teams playing in the game, it is the side-stories that go along with the Super Bowl which make the event such a global phenomenon.
Oftentimes, the hottest talk after the game is which commercials stood out and created the most laughs amongst the audience. But what about the talk related to the halftime shows at the big game?
From Paul McCartney, to Prince, to The Who, the Super Bowl has always been an event that brings out the biggest names to perform on the world's biggest halftime stage.
While some of these names might be known for their outstanding music careers, not all of them have had the most noteworthy performances at the Super Bowl.
Let's take a look at some of the past Super Bowl shows and rank the 15 best halftime performances in history.
15. Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton, 2000
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This halftime show was produced by Disney and titled "Tapestry of Nations," celebrating Disney World's millennium celebration.
In addition to the four artists, this show included a full orchestra and an 80-person choir that sang in front of 70,000 people at the Georgia Dome.
The general consensus on this show is that it was pretty average, but certainly better than some of the not-so-great performances that have since taken place. Fortunately, fans did get the chance to see an incredible game as the Rams and Titans fought to one of the best finishes in Super Bowl history.
14. Chubby Checker, The Rockettes, 1988
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In Super Bowl XXII, Chubby Checker teamed up with The Rockettes and 88 grand pianos for a halftime show that would be remembered for a long time. This is the show that set the stage for many of the bigger Super Bowl performances to come.
It was a good thing that Checker and the Rockettes rocked the stage like they did at Jack Murphy Stadium because the game itself was not much to watch. The Washington Redskins walked all over the Denver Broncos in a 42-10 rout.
Hey—at least the fans got some Chubby in their lives.
13. New Kids on the Block, 1991
3 of 15The people running the show made the right decision to go with New Kids on the Block, which was the newest, hottest teen pop band to hit the market. The only problem was, those watching on television never got to see the halftime show!
The performance that was considered to be a memorable one by those in attendance was pre-empted by ABC News for coverage of Operation Desert Storm. For those who wanted to see the performance, they had to wait until the postgame show to watch an edited version.
NKOTB, which they were soon to be called, teamed up with Walt Disney World to produce a 25-year tribute to the Super Bowl. The boy-band rocked the stage when they performed their hit single "Step by Step" in front of 74,000 at Tampa Stadium.
12. Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Queen Latifah, 1998
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In a salute to Motown's 40th anniversary, this big-name crew took the stage at Super Bowl XXXII at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA.
The Temptations and Smokey Robinson started things off, then Boyz II Men came from under the stage—sending the crowd of 70,000 to its feet.
The only issue here is that the Super Bowl was held in San Diego, not Motown (Detroit). However, it was pretty fascinating to see The Temptations and Boyz II Men sing together to close out the show.
11. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 2008
5 of 15While many felt like Tom Petty was past his prime, when you put a legend like Petty on stage in front of 70,000+ people and have him play the likes of "Free Fallin'," "American Girl" and "Runnin' Down a Dream," it proved a task to not include his performance in the top 15.
It certainly wasn't the best Tom Petty performance, but when you combine his musical skills with the fact that fans got to see one of the best Super Bowl games in history, everyone certainly got their money's worth.
The game concluded with Eli Manning leading the Giants on a game-winning drive to end the Patriots perfect season. Talk about a "heartbreaker."
10. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, 2009
6 of 15This is another prime example of bringing back a legend to perform in a day and age where pop culture rules the world. In this case, while he could perhaps have had a better performance, say, 10 years ago, "The Boss" still rocked Raymond James Stadium at Super Bowl XLIII.
Smoke and flares filled the air as "The Boss" had his arm waving and fans singing along in front of the stage. The hit of the night was when Springsteen busted out "Glory Days," substituting a baseball line with, "He could throw a...Hail Mary pass."
The game itself proved to be just as entertaining as the halftime show, and resulted in a 27-23 win for the Steelers over the Cardinals.
9. Shania Twain, No Doubt, Sting, 2003
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Shania Twain opened the show up with a descent performance, but once Gwen Stefani came in and bolted out "Just a Girl," the crowd at Super Bowl XXXVII began to go bananas.
The real highlight of the show came when Sting came onto the stage and performed a duet of "Message in a Bottle" as fireworks filled the air at Qualcomm Stadium.
It was certainly a good thing that the halftime show was worth watching because the game itself was nothing to write home about. Tampa Bay stomped the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in a slugfest of a Super Bowl.
8. Paul McCartney, 2005
8 of 15After the controversial halftime show that went on the year before (Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction), the choice was made to go with a more mellow performance that wouldn't create such a media outrage. McCartney was perfect.
He took the halftime stage at Super Bowl XXXIX and delivered a brilliant performance that had fans screaming out the lyrics to "Live and Let Die."
McCartney concluded the night with "Hey Jude," which kept the 78,000+ fans at ALLTELL Stadium on their feet, waving their hands in the air and signing along to every lyric.
It was nice that the game was one to remember as well, as Tom Brady and the Patriots edged out Donovan McNabb and the Eagles in one of the many memorable Super Bowls in the past decade.
7. Diana Ross, 1996
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Diana Ross belted out the lines to some of her classic hits including, "I Will Survive," "Take Me Higher" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" during Super Bowl XXX at Sun Devil Stadium.
However, even more so than the game, this Super Bowl was remembered for how Ross left the stadium. As she was in the middle of singing "Take Me Higher," she hopped into a helicopter and flew off into the Arizona sunset.
As for the game itself, the Dallas Cowboys topped the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 for their third Super Bowl title in four years.
6. The Rolling Stones, 2006
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Still rockin and rollin at age 62, Mick Jagger kicked off the halftime show at Super Bowl XL in Detroit with the Stones hit single "Start Me Up."
Perhaps the most extravagant thing about this show was the stage itself that the band performed on. The stage was crated into a replica of the Stones' trademark tongue logo. This was also the first halftime show where ABC introduced a five-second delay, where lines were cut from two of the three songs.
Nonetheless, the Stones rocked Ford Field and Mick Jagger showed Motown that he still has some prep in his step. It was a fitting performance for a high-energy crowd of 70,000 who saw the Steelers beat up on the Seahawks in 2006.
5. Michael Jackson, 1993
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The King of Pop lit up the stage at Super Bowl XXVII at the Rose Bowl. With smoke filing the stage and fireworks and other assorted pyrotechnics filling the air, MJ put on a show that was aired live and set the stage to make sure all halftime shows were filmed on air from there on out.
It would be this halftime performance that the T.V. ratings increased more than the game itself. The performance became one of the most watched events in television history.
Jackson delivered four of his hits, including "Jam," "Billie Jean" and "Black or White," and then closing the performance with "We Are the World."
4. Janet Jackson, P. Diddy, Nelly, Kid Rock and Justin Timberlake
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While this might not have been the best Super Bowl performance of all time, it certinaly has to be the most memorable.
Super Bowl XXXVIII featured the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers. It also featured a few halftime artists by the names of Nelly, P.Diddy and Kid Rock.
But no matter what, this one will always be remembered for Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction," when Justin Timberlake ripped off part of Jackson's outfit at the very end of "Rock Your Body" to reveal her bare breast.
The incident, known as "Nipplegate," led to a huge debate about broadcasting halftime shows live. Because of the incident, MTV was banned from producing future halftime gigs and CBS took a $550,000 hit from the FCC.
Oh by the way, New England won the Super Bowl on a game-winning field goal, but that's beside the point.
3. Aerosmith, N'Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Nelly, 2001
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Fireworks sounded and strobe lights flashed down on this MTV-produced show titled "The Kings of Rock and Pop."
The group closed out the show with "Walk This Way," which had Raymond James Stadium on their feet and singing along at the top of their lungs. The best part about this whole show might have even been the outfits, as Britney was decked out in a noticeably low-cut t-shirt with a pair of football pants.
Hopefully the fans thought this show was a good one, because the game itself was one of the worst Super Bowls in history. The Baltimore Ravens blew out the Giants 34-7 in one of the worst-played Super Bowls of all time.
2. Prince, 2007
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In 2007 at Super Bowl XLI, the artist currently known as Prince put on one of the most memorable performances in Super Bowl history.
After performing a number of his hits that made him so popular in the mid-1980's, Prince brought the house down with "Purple Rain," which actually happened in a coincidental downpour. It was rather funny how one man who had so many sexual-related tunes put on such a memorable performance while keeping his music at a "G" rating.
For those who forgot about how moving Prince's music could be, this was a good reminder at how talented the man really is.
1. U2, 2002
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Less than five months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Bono and U2 delivered one of the most moving musical tributes of all time.
The group opened the show with "Beautiful Day," followed by "MLK" and concluded with"Where the Streets Have No Name." At the end of their final song, Bono flashed opened his jacket, showing a stars-and-stripes lining, and the whole stadium erupted in cheer.
The game itself was also a memorable one as the Patriots edged the Rams 20-17, which was the first of many New England victories over the past decade.
Memorable game and the most memorable halftime show. What more could you ask for?
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