The Best (and Worst) Super Bowl Halftime Shows Ever

6. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (Super Bowl XLIII, 2009)

It takes a lot more than stardom to mount a great halftime show. You need to rise to the occasion and bring something extra. That’s why you won’t find Paul McCartney or the Rolling Stones’ Super Bowl performances on this list; both coasted on their legacies to a chorus of shrugs. But by the time Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band took the stage in Tampa in 2009, they’d been turning live shows into quasi-religious tent revivals for decades. And on this night, they worked up a sweat electrifying the crowd with a rafters-rattling medley of Jersey Shore anthems including “Born to Run” and “Glory Days” as well as back-catalog gems like “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” Sure, the Pittsburgh Steelers won the game, but the Boss stole the show.

Rihanna performs during Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

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5. Rihanna (Super Bowl LVII, 2023)

Rihanna made millions of new fans during her halftime set at Super Bowl LVII thanks to a surreal, eye-candy extravaganza that could have easily been a new Cirque du Soleil show. Despite not having performed live for five years, the pop star summoned a fearless, shoot-the-works spectacular that kicked off atop a levitating stage very, very high above the field. This was a stunning display of what 21st-century stardom and stagecraft looks like, and it was thrilling. In pure MVP form, she closed her set with a brilliant, fireworks-accompanied rendition of “Diamonds."

4. Michael Jackson (Super Bowl XXVII, 1993)

This probably seems like a no-brainer. There aren’t many pop icons with the same smooth-criminal charisma and optical-illusion dance moves as the King of Pop. But you have to remember, this wasn’t the Michael Jackson of Thriller. This was a Michael Jackson in need of a big comeback moment. And he made good on it with a medley of some of his biggest hits, including “Billie Jean” and “Black or White.” It was fitting that Jackson delivered such a triumphant performance at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl, just a stone’s throw from Pasadena Civic Auditorium, where he introduced the moonwalk to a slack-jawed world a decade earlier.

3. Beyoncé (Super Bowl XLVII, 2013)

One year after Madonna’s top-this halftime performance, Beyoncé stepped up as a challenger for the title. The first half of her set was a flawlessly choreographed workout. But Beyoncé was saving an even bigger surprise for her rabid BeyHive of fans: a Destiny’s Child reunion! As her former bandmates, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, were slowly (and dramatically) elevated from beneath the stage, the crowd at New Orleans’ Louisiana Superdome erupted. And that sense of collective bedlam didn’t flag for a second as the legendary girl group made their way through “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” as if no time had passed since they were last singing harmonies together. Beyoncé didn’t just put on a show; she staged a capital-E Event. 

Bono, lead singer of U2, displays American flag lining in his jacket after singing "Where The Streets Have No Name" during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVI in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

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2. U2 (Super Bowl XXXVI, 2002)

Less than five months after 9/11, the nation still needed to come together and heal. Who would have guessed that it would take four guys from Dublin to provide that balm? Bono and company can sometimes come across as self-important and overly anthemic. But on this night, they understood the assignment. Instead of prowling the stage like arena-rock gods, they delivered a stirring, poignant set alongside a video display of the names of the unthinkable tragedy’s victims. Near the show's end, Bono even peeled back his black leather jacket to reveal a bold lining featuring the American flag. U2’s set was brief, but it was emotional and transporting, opening with the inspirational “Beautiful Day” and closing with a powerhouse rendition of “Where the Streets Have No Name” — arguably their most American song from their most American album, The Joshua Tree.

1. Prince (Super Bowl XLI, 2007)

As the heavens parted and a hard rain started to pour down on Miami’s Dolphin Stadium, Prince took the stage and proceeded to put on a master class in what rock stardom looks like. Prince understood the breadth of his audience, and he rightly served up the hits, including “Let’s Go Crazy” and “1999.” But he also let loose with a flurry of guitar-hero solos and Prince-ly swagger. It was hypnotic and sexy and theatrical and very, very wet. And the thunderstorm just seemed to push him to greater and greater heights of ecstasy until he fittingly closed his live-wire set with “Purple Rain.” This wasn’t just a great halftime show; it was a great concert, period. Oh, and if you still cared after all of that, the Colts ended up beating the Bears 29–17.

It was the worst of Super Bowl Halftimes...

Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson before the famed "wardrobe malfunction" at Super Bowl XXXVIII.

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5. Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake (Super Bowl XXXVIII, 2004)

Sadly, there’s no shortage of contenders for the actual worst list. Gloria Estefan performed at Super Bowl XXVI with figure skaters Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill. A tribute to Snoopy and Peanuts failed to wow viewers during Super Bowl XXIV. And the less said about Maroon 5 at Super Bowl LIII, the better. But Janet Jackson’s purported wardrobe malfunction unfortunately eclipsed anything the pop star had done during the rest of the show.

4. New Kids on the Block (Super Bowl XXV, 1991)

Did this really happen, or was it just a collective fever dream? Nope, I reviewed the tape and it actually happened. Yikes. 

The Blues Brothers (John Goodman, Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd) perform at the Louisiana Superdome during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXI in New Orleans.

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3. The Blues Brothers (Super Bowl XXXI, 1997)

With a game but slightly embarrassing Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman and Jim Belushi filling in for his late brother, this “Blues Brothers Bash” was a Motown car crash from start to finish. Even cameos from James Brown and ZZ Top couldn’t save this one.

Dancers perform in the Elvis Presto show at halftime during Super Bowl XXIII at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami.

Al Messerschmidt via AP

2. Elvis Presto (Super Bowl XXIII, 1989)

Seriously, how many people had to say no before the game’s producers made it all the way down to “Elvis impersonator magician” on their list? Maybe Tiny Tim and Dr. Joyce Brothers were busy.

1. The Black Eyed Peas (Super Bowl XLV, 2011)

Were the Black Eyed Peas really responsible for the worst halftime show ever? Hear me out. No one ever expected a reheated version of the Blues Brothers or a hokey Elvis impersonator to be good (other than in a guilty-pleasure sort of way). But with Fergie and company, the gap between sky-high expectations and subterranean deliverables was too massive to laugh off. At the time, the Peas were one of the biggest pop acts in the world. Being great was part of their job description. Instead, they blew the biggest assignment of their careers with uneven energy levels and nonexistent choreography. Light-up robot suits and guest appearances by Slash and Usher didn’t help; they just made the whole thing weirder. What should have been a classic ended up as tepid camp.