Take a look at 11 of the most unforgettably good—and bad—performances in the show’s history.
While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs will be the main event this Sunday at the Super Bowl, many people will be tuning in just for The Weeknd’s halftime performance. Here we rank the 11 most memorable halftime shows in Super Bowl history. Some made the list due to top-notch musicianship or spectacle, while others made the cut due to being notoriously ill-conceived, badly performed, or downright controversial. One of the first things readers may notice is that there aren’t any halftime acts mentioned on this list from the early years of the Super Bowl, or even the first few decades, for that matter. During the 1960s and 1970s, halftime was no different from what you might see at a normal college game. In other words, marching bands trotting out some intricate choreography while playing patriotic or popular songs. By the 1980’s, the show’s producer, Disney, took more control of the entertainment, which upped the production values while also promoting the company’s parks and films.1992 changed everything, and not in any way that Disney or anyone else could have predicted. That year, rival network Fox counter-programmed against the Super Bowl with a live episode of its popular variety show In Living Color,which drew 22 million viewers away from a halftime performance by Gloria Estefan, Olympic figure skaters, and, yes, a college marching band. The next year, the NFL decided they needed star power to prevent a ratings steal. This brings us to the first name on this list, which is arranged chronologically.11. Michael Jackson (1993) Granted, child abuse allegations have diminished much of Jackson’s star power, but in 1993, he was still very much the King of Pop. The Cowboys defeated the Bills by the score of 52–17 in Super Bowl XXVII, but it was Jackson in the first modern halftime show that was the story of the day. He packed his set with the hits «Jam,» Billie Jean,» «Black or White,» «We Are the World,» and «Heal the World.» Bringing in the megastar proved a success, as more people tuned in for his 12-minute set than the entire first half of the game.10. Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye (1995) While having pop stars drew huge numbers for halftime, ABC decided to revert back to its Disney-promoting ways only two years after Jackson. To promote Disneyland’s opening of an Indiana Jones Adventure attraction, halftime that year featured a bizarre sketch of the adventurer trying to gain possession of the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Chalk this one up to being memorable for the wrong reasons, including having a Harrison Ford lookalike as Indiana and further shameless Disney-promoting with a finale of The Lion King’s theme «Can You Feel the Love Tonight» performed by Tony Bennett and Patti LaBelle.9. Diana Ross (1996) The halftime show recovered the fumble of the previous year’s Indiana Jones debacle by booking Diana Ross for Super Bowl XXX.
