The Super Bowl Halftime Show has drastically evolved over the past 60 years — arguably, more than the game of football has.
And that’s saying something.
Super Bowl LX’s Halftime Show at Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 8 features Bad Bunny, the massively popular yet polarizing Puerto Rican singer. His selection has created such a stir that it’s easy to forget that for nearly half of its existence, the halftime performances have served up a collection of university marching bands, veteran comedians and singers, soft-jazz musicians, Elvis impersonators and Up With People.
Boy band New Kids on the Block are credited with being the first mainstream pop music group to play the Halftime Show, in 1991. Two years later, Michael Jackson ushered in the Halftime Show’s modern era, and since then, A-list performers — some more relevant than others — have been the staple of Super Bowl Halftime Shows.
But controversy has not. Although the event may be defined by some for such polarizing moments as Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s “Nipplegate” (2004) or M.I.A.’s middle-finger salute during Madonna’s Halftime Show (2014), most Halftime Shows have featured solid performances from dependable acts such as Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé.
Now comes Bad Bunny, who’s not only bringing the controversy in advance but has introduced politics into the discussion — a rarity for the Super Bowl. President Donald Trump has publicly criticized the NFL’s choice of Bad Bunny — calling the selection a “terrible choice” and declaring himself “anti-them” — while also saying he will skip the game. He also previously described the choice as “absolutely ridiculous” and claimed he didn’t know who Bad Bunny was.
Bad Bunny has made it clear that he is no fan of Trump or his policies.
How much this will factor into the Halftime Show we see Feb. 8 remains to be seen. But regardless, the show will ultimately be judged on whether it’s any good. After all, for every Prince (2007), there’s a Maroon 5 (2019).
All of this matters, because it is the biggest music performance of the year. By far. Consider that the 2025 Halftime Show performance by Kendrick Lamar reportedly pulled in more than 130 million viewers (most of whom were dying to see if he’d diss his nemesis Drake — which he did), compared with just over 15 million who watched the Grammys that same year.
While most televised awards shows have seen declining ratings in recent years, the Super Bowl remains a cultural juggernaut.
Since Bad Bunny‘s Halftime Show at Levi’s is drawing so much attention — and since the game turns 60 this year — we figured the time was right to reflect back on Super Bowl Halftime Shows through the years and list our favorites.
Our criteria was multifold, ranging from sheer quality of the musical performance to the way it resonated with viewers and reflected its times, with any tie-breakers usually going to the ones that still pulse in our hearts and minds the strongest.
Here are our picks for the Top 10 Super Bowl Halftime Shows, ranked from the absolute best to the merely marvelous.
1. Super Bowl XXXVI (2002)
Starring: U2
Location: Louisiana Superdome (New Orleans)
The skinny: U2 was never more magnificent than during this Super Bowl performance that doubled as a memorial, coming mere months after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. It underscored why we come together — by the tens of millions — to embrace these spectacles on the global stage, hoping for a brief moment of transcendence that would stay with us long after the telecast was over.
And, wow, did we ever get one on this night.
Choreographed to perfection, yet not in a way that felt forced in the slightest, Bono and company distilled their brilliant Elevation Tour into a spellbinding three-song set that found the band performing while names of terrorist victims were shown on the big screen.
Simply put: It was one of the most poignant TV spectacles ever produced.
2. Super Bowl XLIX (2015)
Starring: Katy Perry
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
The skinny: Perry’s production was the epitome of the pure, over-the-top Super Bowl Halftime Show fun, defining the era — which continues to this day — of the spectacle most often being paramount to the success or failure of the show.
The multiplatinum-selling “California Gurl” was in top form as she powered through a seven-song set of radio hits that was as accessible to kids and it was to grandparents — well, at least if they didn’t listen to closely to some of the lyrics.
Plus the visuals were so memorable, from the opening segment that found Perry riding onto field aboard a giant golden tiger to the closer, which featured the vocalist crooning “Fireworks” from a shooting star. And, yes, this was the Halftime Show that gave us the famed “Left Shark.”
And the guest appearance by the incomparable Missy Elliott — giving, for the time, an all-too-rare Super Bowl spotlight on hip-hop — helped take the whole shebang to the next level.
3. Super Bowl XLI (2007)
Starring: Prince
Location: Sun Life Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
The skinny: When the spotlight was at its brightest, you could count on Prince being at his very best. And no spotlight is bigger than the Super Bowl, thus it was only fitting that the Purple One delivered a show that is now regarded in nearly mythic fashion. For proof, just watch his awe-inspiring performance — widely considered to be one of the single greatest guitar solos in live music history — during the George Harrison tribute at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
The Purple One’s 2007 halftime show was similarly brilliant, just witness how he absolutely owned the night — turning the Super Bowl stage into his own personal playground as he rocketed through “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Baby I’m a Star” and other favorites on his way to the epic closer of “Purple Rain” that climaxed with tens of thousands singing along, amid shades of purple lighting, under a Miami lit up with fireworks.
4. Super Bowl XXX (1996)
Starring: Diana Ross
Location: Sun Devil Stadium (Tempe, Arizona)
The skinny: Everything about this show made us love Ms. Ross even more, as the Queen of Motown delivered a show that underscored that NFL had moved on from its days of marching bands to embrace diva-era pop theatricality. First off, the setlist has to rank among the best in Super Bowl history, as the Queen of Motown included so many Supremes gems — “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” “Baby Love,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” etc. — as well as a material from her solo catalog and beyond.
Also, the production elements were so groovy, including how the star was lowered by crane onto the stage while she was belting out “Stop! In the Name of Love.” But the moment that really solidified this halftime show’s high standing came at the finale when a helicopter arrived to take “The Original Diva” away. “Oh my, here comes my ride,” Ross remarked.
5. Super Bowl XXXIX (2005)
Starring: Paul McCartney
Location: EverBank Field (Jacksonville, Florida)
The skinny: Sir Paul was considered the “safe choice” to follow the 2004 Justin Timberlake-Janet Jackson fiasco — aka “Nipplegate” — calming sponsors’ nerves and uniting TV viewers around the globe on the Beatles’ absolutely awesome song catalogue. That “Nipplegate” backlash would shape halftime shows for years to come, ushering in a reliance on classic-rock acts like the The Who and The Rolling Stones.
McCartney, of course, used the forum to utterly charm viewers with a mix of Fab Four favorites and Wings winners, ending his set by leading a packed stadium (plus tens of millions of TV viewers) in the ultimate sing-along number, “Hey Jude.”
6. Super Bowl XXVII (1993)
Starring: Michael Jackson
Location: Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California)
The skinny: This was the first Super Bowl Halftime Show that drew more viewers than the game itself, marking a huge turning point in the event’s history — where nothing short of a spectacle would do for global TV viewers. And it’s no wonder why this show drew such an audience — Jackson was, after all, the undisputed King of Pop and still had the undivided attention of the music world at the time. (Also, to be fair, the game was a blowout snoozer with the Dallas Cowboys crushing the Buffalo Bills, 52-17.)
There is so much that clouds Jackson’s legacy, but go back and watch this short performance — which included a version of “Billie Jean” that simply dazzles — and you’ll witness nothing short of a singular talent.
7. Super Bowl XLVII (2013)
Starring: Beyonce
Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans)
The skinny: Beyonce is enough of a musical treat on her own, which she proved once again by mesmerizing millions with “Crazy in Love” and “End of Time” at the start of this halftime show.
But then she brought out Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams for a long-anticipated Destiny’s Child reunion — running through “Bootylicious,” “Independent Women, Part 1” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” — and the event shot from merely remarkable to straight-up legendary.
8. Super Bowl XLIII (2009)
Starring: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Location: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
The skinny: There had been a lot of rockers/football fans who’d been waiting decades for hear “Born to Run” during a Super Bowl Halftime Show.
In 2009, The Boss finally delivered the goods — in glorious fashion — accompanied by his E Street Band as well as the Miami Horns and a gospel choir
“I want you to step back from the guacamole. I want you to put the chicken fingers down and turn your television all the way up,” Springsteen commanded.
Granted, stepping aside from chicken fingers is never easy. But Springsteen made worthwhile as he led the ensemble through “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” “Working on a Dream,” “Glory Days” and, yes, “Born to Run.”
9. Super Bowl LIX (2025)
Starring: Kendrick Lamar
Location: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans, Louisiana)
The skinny: The Compton rapper came into the gig riding sky high, having just swept through the Grammys one weekend prior with his Drake diss “Not Like Us.”
And the momentum only intensified during the halftime show, as Lamar wowed viewers with intensely satisfying versions of “Squabble Up,” “GNX” and other cuts. And it certainly didn’t hurt matters when the great SZA joined the rapper for “Luther” and “All the Stars.”
It was another fine Super Bowl showing for Lamar, who also performed as part of the huge hip-hop showcase with Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent during the 2022 Halftime Show.
It wasn’t all that long ago that it would have seemed nearly unfathomable for the NFL to embrace Lamar and his hit “Not Like Us” — a highly charged diss track that raises questions of sexual misconduct involving another entertainer.
Mark this one down as a turning point where the NFL no longer appears concerned with playing it safe or trying to please everyone in the room. Bad Bunny — and the controversy that follows him — is further proof of that.
10. Super Bowl XLII (2008)
Starring: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
The skinny: Petty and the Heartbreakers underscored their position as one of the finest American rock bands of all time during a short set of such A-listers as “Free Fallin’” and “American Girl.” The big finale was pure satisfaction, as Heartbreaker lead guitarist Mike Campbell delivered fretboard fireworks on “Runnin’ Down a Dream.”
These 10 shows underscore how the halftime show — which once felt like little more than an afterthought for producers, a way to fill time between gridiron action — has become every bit as important as the game itself. At its best, it’s become the NFL’s cultural mirror, shining back at a global audience of well over 100 million moments that can unite — as well as, sadly, divide — the world.
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