The stage is all set for the biggest game night in the United States of America. The Super Bowl has become a celebratory occasion when friends, family, and community gather to relish the showdown between the best in football. For the 57th Super Bowl game, Eagles and Chiefs will compete together at the Farm Stadium, Arizona. But, all eyes are on Rihanna as she returns to the stage for the Super Bowl Halftime event.
Since Michael Jackson stepped on that stage to entertain in 1993, the 13 minutes halftime has become a cultural milestone. More and more people started following the games for the musical treat. However, over the years the games became grander, the Halftime became a prominent part of the games. The advertisers started their own “cottage industry” for the slots advertising their products. Let’s take a trip back memory lane to some of the enchanting performances at Halftime.
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10) Maroon 5
In 2019, the crooning boy band headed by Adam Levine appeared during the 53rd NFL Super Bowl Halftime show. The NFL was marred with controversy when they ousted Colin Kaepernick, who kneeled during the national anthem in protest of police brutality. Nevertheless, the show went on with them singing their singles from the 2002 album ‘Songs About Jane’. The band also invited Travis Scott and the hip-hop group Outkast’s Big Boi, who sang ‘The Way You Move’.
9) Katy Perry
Amidst the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks game, Katy arrived with pyrotechnics pizzaz at the 2015 Halftime game. It was literally a “roaring” performance with Perry arriving on a Lion with a red, blazing pair of eyes. The setlist consisted of some of her smashing hits like ‘Dark Horse’, ‘I Kissed A Girl”, “California Gurls”, and others. She performed ‘Teenage Dream’ with a pair of sharks. One of the sharks became a meme due to the off-choreography. She brought Missy Elliot on stage where they performed her ‘Lose Control’ and ‘Work It’.
8) Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dog, Mary J. Blige, And Kendrick Lamar
The 2022 Super Bowl Halftime was one of the iconic performances that happened. It was long overdue to pay tribute to the hip-hop maestros. It was the legacy that the pioneers like Dr. Dre, 2Pac, and others built, it was the celebration of all of that. Dre and Snoop performed on ‘California Love’ and ‘The Next Episode’.
Eminem sang the chart-busting ‘Lose Yourself’ and knelt to show solidarity against police brutality. Mary J. Blige performed her retro hits ‘Family Affair’ and ‘No More Drama’. Lamar also brought his troop to perform ‘Alright’, ‘M.A.A.D City’, and the rap maverick performed ‘Forgot About Dre’ with Eminem.
7) Madonna
A woman dressed as a gladiator performing Vogue. Bizzare? For Madonna, it is the order of the day and avante garde. During the 2012 NFL Super Bowl game between the New England Patriots and New York Giants, Madonna graced the Halftime. In those 13 minutes, she meshed the old roaring stardom with the thumping, young energy. Along with the Pop Queen, LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, and M.I.A performed during the night.
6) Beyoncé
Madonna set the benchmark higher with the 2012 performance amping up the theatrics and ratings. There was a lot of excitement that Beyoncé brought before the performance. She also presented a rendition of the national anthem which created quite a stir. There was growing inquisitiveness amongst the Beyhives for the reunion of the ‘Destiny’s Child’ or a Jay-Z cameo. As usual, Queen Bey did not disappoint with her set, her performance, and her strenuous routine. Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams did come to the stage and the trio performed ‘Bootylicious’, ‘Independent Women’, and the stellar ‘Single Ladies’.
5) Janet Jackson
Unfortunately, the 2004 NFL Super Bowl Halftime Performance was not talked about the finesse of it, but the alleged malice behind it. The game and the show were memorable for the wardrobe malfunction that happened during the performance. She performed ‘All For You’, ‘Rhythm Nation’, and the Timberlake duet of his ‘Rock Your Body’. Accidentally, her right breast got exposed during her performance. It affected her career in the worst way possible.
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4) Shakira And Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez thought it was the “worst idea” to perform at the 2020 Super Bowl Halftime. Regardless of what she thinks, it was one of the iconic nights. Two Latinas headlining the event was historic, and getting another Latin performer J Balvin was progressive. From the costumes to the setlist, everything was amazing. Shakira performed ‘She Wolf’, ‘Empire’, and ‘Whenever, Wherever’. Along with Balvin, she performed her rendition of the Cardi B hit ‘I Like It’. JLo performed her hits like ‘Jenny From the Block’, ‘On the Floor’, and ‘Ain’t It Funny’.
3) Lady Gaga
During the press conference before the 2017 NFL Super Bowl Halftime, Lady Gaga said that her set will be based on tolerance and equality. The conjecture was that Gaga will go political with her performances. When the performance happened, she was harnessed to a wire wearing a custom Atelier Versace.
She got on the stage and quashed all the rumors and did the most Gaga thing—being herself! Her performance itself was political. She gave her all to the night performing ‘Born This Way’ in front of Mike Pence. We speculated that Beyoncé might crop up during ‘Telephone’, but she did not! Nevertheless, it was so refreshing for Little Monsters that their Mother was having a ball on the stage.
2) Michael Jackson
The man who changed the face of the NFL and its Halftime, Michael Jackson gave a performance that set the stage for other artists. In 1993, the Halftime at the NFL changed forever. There were no boring Disney characters, marching bands, or Carol Channing. He performed his greatest hits like ‘We Are the World’ and ‘Billie Jean’.
1) Prince
Prince never allowed his Half time performance to be released anywhere after it was televised in 2007. When people were speculating about what artists would present, Prince gave the audience the most thrilling and edge-of-the-seat experience. He performed the most unexpected medlies right from ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ to the Foo Fighters’ ‘Best of You’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘All Along the Watchtower’, the most enthralling mismatch!
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