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| Top 10 Super Bowl Halftime shows
Howdy everyone. The big game is next week and this time of year always gets me thinking about the biggest pop culture event in America, the Super Bowl halftime show. What I wanted to do here is rank my top 10 favorite halftime shows in the modern era (since 1993) and provide more analysis on why I feel each one is placed where they are beyond “it was nice of ____ to host a football game at their concert”. Sorry for the WatchMojo type list but I figured, hey it's music!
I watched every show since 1993 and narrowed them down below. What I judge a show the most on are the following: charisma, energy, spectacle, and the setlist chosen. Below are the rankings, the album listed is my favorite released by the artist before their show appearance (sorry Chromatica and Renaissance), along with an analysis of each. Honorable mentions are not ranked. Enjoy and go sports! | | 14 |  | Madonna
Like a Prayer
Honorable Mention:
Madonna featuring LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., and Cee-Lo Green - February 5, 2012 - Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis IN
Madonna in hindsight deserves a lot of credit for revitalizing the Super Bowl halftime show format. After many years of panic following the wardrobe malfunction this is the first halftime show I would call a genuine risk. A little too grabby on the guests, and playing a new song keeps it off the top 10 list. But it has my genuine respect. | | 13 |  | Aerosmith
Pump
Honorable Mention:
Aerosmith & NSYNC featuring Britney Spears, Mary J Blige and Nelly - January 28, 2001 - Raymond James Stadium - Tampa FL
This show is just all the right kinds of insane. I do not really have a justification for having a high opinion of it but the energetic back and forth between NSYNC and Aerosmith is really charming and very emblematic of the times. The guests here feel unnecessary, but this one is a hell of a time capsule. | | 12 |  | Dr. Dre
The Chronic
Honorable Mention:
Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg featuring 50 Cent, Mary J Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and Anderson Paak - February 13, 2022 - Sofi Stadium - Los Angeles CA
What you are going to see going forward on this list is I appreciate an artist being able to carry a show by themselves. There is nothing wrong with this show, it is pretty great. Very stacked setlist and a very cool stage setup. Plenty of memorable moments here as well. I just wish we got more of Dre and Snoop. | | 11 |  | The Weeknd
After Hours
Honorable Mention:
The Weeknd - February 7, 2021 - Raymond James Stadium - Tampa FL
This was the last cut. I wanted to give the show the benefit of the doubt due to COVID regulations impacting the show, but this show is just kind of missing something without audience interactivity and a wide stage to perform on. What we have is a fantastic career encompassing setlist (the transition from House of Balloons to Blinding Lights is elite), pretty great visuals and a good performance. Just missing the energy of some of the others I chose. | | 10 |  | Tom Petty
Full Moon Fever
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - February 3, 2008 - University of Phoenix Stadium - Glendale AZ
Of all the “safe” overcorrection shows after the wardrobe malfunction scandal, besides one obvious exception, this is by far the best. Super tight setlist with 4 memorable hits even non Petty fans would know. Has the vibe of a straight up rock concert. It is all you could really want from a once in a career performance. | | 9 |  | Justin Timberlake
The 20/20 Experience
Justin Timberlake - February 4, 2018 - US Bank Stadium - Minneapolis MN
I do not know whether to call this the black sheep of all Halftime performances or just criminally underrated, but yes. I do not know what more you could possibly want from a performance. I will acknowledge some of the cons, poor mixing, starting with a new song, some weird setlist choices, I can see why some people are more critical of this. But JT absolutely kills it here. A consummate professional JT is on his A game here. A career spanning setlist, killer choreography, great vocals and a touching tribute to Prince, makes this a slam dunk. My biggest criticism is closing with “Mirrors” maybe brings this in better favor overall. | | 8 |  | Katy Perry
Teenage Dream
Katy Perry featuring Lenny Kravitz, and Missy Elliott - February 1, 2015 - University of Phoenix Stadium - Glendale AZ
Pure spectacle with all the hits you would expect, good vocal performance and plenty of memorable moments. The Lenny Kravitz duet with Perry on “I Kissed a Girl” was awesome and Missy was a pleasant surprise. Probably the best looking show on this list. Left shark is still my spirit animal. | | 7 |  | Beyonce
B'Day
Beyoncé featuring Destiny’s Child - February 3, 2013 - Mercedes-Benz Superdome - New Orleans LA
I have never been a big Beyoncé fan and at this point you could have even called me a hater, but I cannot hate on this. If Madonna revived the format, Beyoncé solidified it. Unforgettable all around in the way of setlist, performance, and a reunion with Destiny’s Child on the big stage. It’s great, meets the hype. | | 6 |  | Shakira
Laundry Service
Shakira & Jennifer Lopez featuring Bad Bunny, J Balvin and Emme Muñiz - February 2, 2020 - Hard Rock Stadium - Miami Gardens FL
Shakira carries this, could have been an all timer with a full set. J-Lo is good enough though. This show is just pure euphoria and energy. Beautiful stage design and visually dominant choreography along with its own fair share of unforgettable moments. The features from Reggaeton heavy weights are well done and placed. The remix of “Mi Gente” specifically is very exhilarating. One last celebration before the world got all depressed and stuff. Pure pleasure. | | 5 |  | Bruce Springsteen
Born in the U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - February 1, 2009 - Raymond James Stadium - Tampa FL
You don’t have the nickname the Boss, if you cannot live up to it. The energy behind this performance is ratcheted up way beyond your normal performance. Beyond that you have a medley of timeless hits, fantastic performance, ridiculous charisma, and a pretty iconic monologue to boot. I have not eaten guacamole since! | | 4 |  | Lady Gaga
Artpop
Lady Gaga - February 5, 2017 - NRG Stadium - Houston TX
The near perfect modern Super Bowl Halftime show. The stamina of this woman is ridiculous. It is alien-like. With an dazzling intro leading into a dive off the roof into a medley of the early 2010’s zeitgeist of Pop music complete with energetic choreography, fantastic vocals. Also the first reception of the second half! Cannot beat it. Worth revisiting. | | 3 |  | Michael Jackson
Dangerous
Michael Jackson - January 31, 1993 - Rose Bowl - Pasadena CA
Going into this list, this has been my unprecedented number 1 pick. Taking a critical look at it, it is not perfect. Jackson clearly lip syncs, which was common at the time but unusual by modern standards. Setlist while topical after the recent rioting in LA left a bit to be desired as well with the back to back duo of "We are the World" and "Heal the World". All of this being said, this is the most influential pop culture moment of all time. It showed what the halftime show can be, a moment of unity and entertainment to be shared by the stadium and the viewing public. The performance is brilliant and is an everlasting triumph for the King of Pop. | | 2 |  | Prince
Purple Rain
Prince - February 4, 2007 - Dolphin Stadium - Miami Gardens FL
I mean what the heck do you want me to say? Sometimes the God’s shine on you and everything lines up perfectly. The man played "Purple Rain" in a downpour. This alone preserves it's legacy status. This along with a selection of hits and cover classics of many who have never been able to grace the famed stage. It is a perfect combination of artist and circumstance unseen since Queen’s Live Aid performance. How can it be beat? | | 1 |  | U2
The Joshua Tree
U2 - February 3, 2002 - Louisiana Superdome - New Orleans LA
Leave it to the non American rock stars to completely meet the moment of one of the most important and inspiring moments in American entertainment. This performance is just emotional perfection. I remember watching this one as a kid, and it had this surreal sense of magic and healing to it. A tribute to all the lives lost in the September 11th attacks, “Beautiful Day” begins the healing in the most electric moment on this list. I can never recall hearing the crowd this much at any other moment in any other show. And the American flag in the jacket? Dude. All timer. Say what you want about U2, I still can’t get their free album off my apple music library. But after the most profound, inspiring and uniting performances of all time, maybe they earned it. Iconic and worth revisiting. | |
vult
02.04.24 | 2 is 1 for sure | SomeCallMeTim
02.04.24 | yeah 2 is 1 and 1 is maybe a step above Maroon 5 | EoinCofa
02.04.24 | tmagistrelli got it right. U2 had GOAT performance. It will probably never be topped. | SomeCallMeTim
02.04.24 | YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH | vult
02.04.24 | get ready for Usher this year to wow us with such great musical hits such as OMG and Love In This Club | SomeCallMeTim
02.04.24 | I remember signing an online petition to get GWAR to perform. The petition ultimately did not succeed | tmagistrelli
02.04.24 | Gwar would have topped the list tbh | pizzamachine
02.04.24 | But Janet Jackson’s performance was the tits! | Trebor.
02.04.24 | None of them are ever good cuz they just do like 15 minutes of 30 second snippets of songs | Sevengill
02.04.24 | Left Shark lives on in all of us
too bad that was the top of the mountain for KP | chemicalmarriage
02.04.24 | Gwar lmao | goodsitebaduserbase
02.04.24 | now do worst
rihanna was unbelievably bad | SomeCallMeTim
02.04.24 | oh lord.. forgot about her performance. Still not as bad as Maroon 5 but yeah, horrible. | vult
02.04.24 | Nah The Who was the worst, why the hell were they booked for fucking 2010?? | Feather
02.04.24 | Worst one by FAR was the one the Black Eyed Peas did in 2011... the only feature I believe was Slash... which would be cool had he not simply played the sweet child o mine riff lol
| vult
02.04.24 | Slash been living off that riff for decades at this point lol
Yuck I forgot about the BEP one - how society even let that group exist let along become as huge as they did is a disappointment. A bunch of talentless hacks, really. | Feather
02.05.24 | Slash has stated in at least one interview that the sweet child o mine riff is “the most annoying riff in history”. Huge bummer he has to rip it all the time. | twlight
02.05.24 | how the hell did JT get another performance after the Janet Jackson moment? | tmagistrelli
02.12.24 | FYI Usher would fall at 10 or HM on here. | Hawks
02.13.24 | Usher was fucking awesome tbh. | Sevengill
02.13.24 | I was like lolwut when I read Usher was doing it
But then he just kept bringing songs 14 y/o me jammed hard and by the end I was into it |
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