A look back at halftime shows and anthem singers over the years.
In most assuredly the most bizarre halftime performance to date, pop star Katy Perry put on a trippy performance for the ages. From coming out on some sort of mechanical lion to odd sharks dancing in the background, it was quite the "Fireworks" display, if you will.
Famous for her role in the Broadway hit "Rent," Idina Menzel opened last year's Super Bowl in Arizona with a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem.
The most watched Super Bowl halftime show in history featured singer Bruno Mars, who was joined by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Mars played a string of his own hits, accompanied by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who also performed their 1991 hit “Give It Away.” Because Super Bowl XLVIII was the first to be played outdoors in a cold-weather city, logistics planners worried the show might not go on. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Renee Fleming became the first opera singer to ever sing the National Anthem and was preceded by Queen Latifah and the New Jersey Youth Chorus performing a rendition of “America the Beautiful.”
Beyonce, arguably the world’s foremost pop star, was tapped in October 2012 to head the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show. Despite rumors that her husband Jay Z would potentially perform with her, he wound up not appearing. However, Beyonce would reunite with the members of Destiny’s Child to perform a number of their old hits, though the majority of songs were Beyonce’s solo work. After Beyonce’s electrifying set, the lights at the Superdome famously went out for 34 minutes.
Alicia Keys performed a soulful rendition of the National Anthem, accompanying herself on the piano. Singer Jennifer Hudson performed “America the Beautiful” with a chorus of several students from Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Madonna’s Super Bowl XLVI halftime show was the most-watched before Bruno Mars’ appearance and was notable for an incident involving one of her fellow performers. M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj were both tapped to accompany Madonna, along with LMFAO and Cee-Lo Green. During the performance of “Give Me All Your Luvin,” M.I.A. flipped off the camera and would go on to be sued by the NFL to the tune of $16 million. The singer and the league would later settle, though the terms were not disclosed to the public.
Former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson sang the National Anthem, marking the fourth time an Idol winner would sing the anthem in five years.
The Black Eyed Peas dominated the pop charts in the 2000s, and their Super Bowl XLV appearance came just as their output began to wane. The group performed a medley of its biggest hits, such as “I Gotta Feeling,” “Boom Boom Pow” and “Let’s Get It Started.” Guns 'N Roses guitarist Slash made an appearance, as did Usher, for an all-around star-studded show.
The pregame entertainment at Super Bowl XLV featured a number of stars, including Keith Urban, Maroon 5 and Glee’s Lea Michele. Christina Aguilera sang the National Anthem; infamously, she performed the wrong lyrics, repeating “what so proudly we watched, at the twilight’s last gleaming.” Though she apologized later for the mishap, she was roundly criticized.
Super Bowl XLIV marked the last time a legacy rock act would perform the Super Bowl halftime show. The Who, down to only two founding members (Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend), performed the requisite medley of their hits, including “Pinball Wizard,” “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” The performance also was the first since Super Bowl XXXIV that had no crowd surrounding the halftime show stage.
Carrie Underwood performed the Star-Spangled Banner, the third straight year an American Idol winner performed the National Anthem, with Jordin Sparks and Jennifer Hudson preceding her.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band took the halftime stage for Super Bowl XLIII, accompanied by The Miami Horns and a gospel choir. To keep within the allotted 12 minutes, the Boss and company played only four songs, each with a minute excised to fit the run time. Bob Costas remarked that he felt Springsteen would be too old to have a physical performance; Springsteen would jump on the piano in the opening number to prove him wrong.
Jennifer Hudson performed the Star-Spangled Banner in her first public appearance since the murder of her mother, brother and nephew. Following her rendition of the National Anthem, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds performed a flyover.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers signed on to perform the Super Bowl XLII halftime show, after the selection committee passed over Norah Jones, Bruce Springsteen (who would play the halftime show the following year) and the Eagles (who were said to have turned down the offer). Bon Jovi also expressed interest.
Jordin Sparks was the first of four American Idol winners to sing the National Anthem over the next five Super Bowls. Sparks was part of a star-studded pregame show, featuring performances by Willie Nelson, Alicia Keys and Sara Evans.
Prince’s memorable halftime performance featured covers of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, the Foo Fighters and Queen, along with Prince’s signature songs, “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Baby, I’m a Star” and an appropriate closing with “Purple Rain,” delivered in a Miami downpour. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Prince’s performance — later hailed as one of the best Super Bowl halftimes ever — invited controversy due to an “unfortunately placed” guitar in a silhouette shot. You can guess as to where it was placed.
Billy Joel performed the National Anthem, accompanying himself on piano and becoming the second performer to ever sing the Star-Spangled Banner twice for a Super Bowl, Aaron Neville being the first.
The Rolling Stones, in their 44th year as a band, performed three songs at Super Bowl XL, including “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” “Here’s one we could have done at Super Bowl I,” Mick Jagger would quip at the song’s introduction. As a result of Janet Jackson’s infamous Super Bowl XXXVIII performance, ABC and the NFL imposed a five-second delay on the broadcast and had the Stones agree to the delay and censoring of the band’s lyrics.
Soul legends Aretha Franklin and Aaron Neville, along with pianist Dr. John and a 150-person choir, performed the Star-Spangled Banner, part of a pregame tribute to the city of New Orleans and its efforts to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. Neville became the first singer to perform the National Anthem after previously doing so at Super Bowl XXIV.
Super Bowl halftime show producers searched for a safe choice to headline after the Janet Jackson “Nipplegate” debacle the year prior. Paul McCartney was tapped and performed a medley of Beatles songs, including “Hey Jude,” as well as Wings’ “Live and Let Die.”
The combined services academies for the Army (West Point), Navy (Naval Academy), Air Force (Air Force Academy) and the Coast Guard (Coast Guard Academy) performed the National Anthem. This marked the second time all four service academies sang together, with the first being the 1973 second inauguration of President Richard Nixon.
Never before or since has a Super Bowl halftime show been so widely discussed. Janet Jackson headlined the Super Bowl XXXVIII show and was joined by Justin Timberlake for a duet. Already fairly risqué for the Super Bowl, the performance closed with the final line of the song “Rock Your Body,” which went “I’m gonna have you naked by the end of this song." Timberlake then tore off a part of Jackson’s costume, exposing her right breast and a piece of nipple jewelry. Despite CBS’ efforts to cut away from the shot, the damage was done. The FCC and CBS received numerous complaints, Jackson’s career was derailed (though Timberlake emerged relatively unscathed and became more popular than ever shortly after), and the American public made the moment the most rewatched moment in TiVo history.
As Super Bowl XXXVIII (held in Houston, home to Ground Control) was held on the one-year anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, the National Anthem was preceded by a tribute to the crew performed by Josh Groban. Beyonce, a Houston native, performed the Star-Spangled Banner.
This halftime show was headlined by Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting, all of whom performed a medley of their own hits, including, respectively, “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” “Just a Girl” and “Message in a Bottle.”
Celine Dion performed “God Bless America,” while the Dixie Chicks, still under heavy criticism for their comments about then-President George W. Bush after 9/11, performed the National Anthem. The U.S. Navy’s F/A 18 Super Hornets would perform the post-Anthem flyover.
In the first Super Bowl since the 9/11 attacks, U2 performed three songs for the Super Bowl XXXVI halftime show. The band altered lyrics in their song “Where the Streets Have No Name” to avoid any potential controversy, as the names of the 9/11 victims were projected on a screen behind them during the performance. To close, Bono opened his jacket, revealing an American flag printed on the lining. The performance would be widely acclaimed as one of, if not the, best ever.
Mariah Carey, accompanied by the Boston Pops Orchestra, performed the post-9/11 Super Bowl Anthem after a patriotic pregame show that featured a reading by NFL players past and present of the Declaration of Independence, an appearance by all living former U.S. presidents (except Ronald Reagan, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s), and a rendition of “America the Beautiful” by Mary J. Blige and Marc Anthony.
Aerosmith was tapped to perform this year, joined on stage by a pastiche of early-2000s stars, including ‘N Sync, Britney Spears and Nelly. The sight of Aerosmith joining a boy band in a medley of ‘N Sync songs was probably dismaying to the dads watching.
Ray Charles performed a stirring rendition of “America the Beautiful,” but the Anthem went to the Backstreet Boys, hammering home the early-2000s feel of the game.
Produced by Disney and themed on Epcot, this year’s halftime show was notable for its multigenerational and genre-busting lineup, featuring Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Tina Turner and Toni Braxton.
After a pregame show dedicated to “Great American Music of the 20th Century,” country singer Faith Hill performed the Star-Spangled Banner.
Titled “A Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing,” this year's halftime show featured Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan and '90s swing-revival band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
Cher would perform the National Anthem, a contrast from the pregame show put on by KISS.
As a tribute to Motown’s 40th anniversary, this year’s halftime show — appropriately titled “A Tribute to Motown’s 40th Anniversary” — featured Boyz II Men, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah and Martha Reeves.
Singer-songwriter Jewel performed the National Anthem this year, though without accompanying herself on the guitar.
The Super Bowl XXXI halftime show was titled “Blues Brothers’ Bash” and featured Blues Brothers (and Blues Brothers 2000) actors Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman and Jim Belushi, who were also joined by ZZ Top and the Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown.
Luther Vandross performed the Anthem at Super Bowl XXXI as part of the game’s pregame festivities, which featured 1990s one-hit wonders Los del Rio, the group that gave the world the "Macarena."
Diana Ross performed the Super Bowl XXX “Take Me Higher: A Celebration of 30 Years of the Super Bowl” show, notably being taken from a helicopter at the end of the show.
After a celebration of Native Americans as the pregame show, actress and singer Vanessa Williams performed the Star-Spangled Banner.
LaBelle was joined onstage by Tony Bennett, Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine at the 1995 Super Bowl.
Kathie Lee Gifford performed this year’s Anthem, with her husband Frank calling the game for ABC along with Al Michaels. This marked the first time a married couple performed the Anthem and had someone in the broadcast booth (probably).
The last halftime show for some time to feature country music at its center (the most recent being Shania Twain in Super Bowl XXXVII), this year featured the Judds, Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, and Brooks & Dunn.
Natalie Cole delivered this year’s National Anthem performance, accompanied by the Atlanta University Center Chorus.
The King of Pop was one of the few performers ever to perform solo in the Super Bowl halftime show, memorably being catapulted on stage for his opener and performing some of his biggest hits, including “Billie Jean” and ”Black or White.” For his finale, Jackson featured an audience card stunt, a video montage of his humanitarian efforts around the world, and a 3,500 choir of local kids singing “We Are The World.” Notably, this was the only halftime show in Super Bowl history where audience numbers grew during the show rather than the game.
Garth Brooks performed this year’s Anthem but very nearly did not due to a contract dispute with NBC. Producers nearly asked Jon Bon Jovi to fill in after spotting him in the crowd but were able to convince Brooks to return.
Dedicated to the upcoming 1992 Winter Olympics, this show featured figure skaters Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill and was capped off by a performance by Gloria Estefan.
Local Minneapolis youth provided much of the pregame entertainment, while singer Harry Connick Jr. took Anthem duties.
Disney packed this year’s halftime show with over 3,000 children in its “A Small World Salute to 25 Years of the Super Bowl,” with New Kids on the Block serving as the headliner.
Whitney Houston performed a rousing rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, delivered to the patriotic fervor of a crowd energized by America’s involvement in the Gulf War. Houston’s immortal Anthem performance even reached the top 20 of the Billboard charts, the only time the Anthem reached that magnitude in history.
Super Bowl XXIV’s New Orleans location made for an all-Louisiana halftime show cast, featuring clarinetist Pete Fountain, fiddler Doug Kershaw and singer Irma Thomas.
Soul singer Aaron Neville, a New Orleans native, delivered his first Anthem performance at Super Bowl XXIV.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that Elvis Presto (a Presley impersonator) would have performed songs by the King for this year's halftime show (he didn't). At this time, halftime shows didn't feature big mainstream pop acts and wouldn't really feature them until Michael Jackson's famous 1993 performance. Beyond this point, most halftime acts featured actual shows versus musical performances, marching bands or Up With People.
Billy Joel performed the first of his Super Bowl Anthem appearances this year.
Chubby Checker and the Rockettes performed this year's Super Bowl halftime festivities, produced by Radio City Music Hall.
Trumpeter Herb Alpert performed the last non-vocal anthem performance to date at Super Bowl XXII.
Held at the Rose Bowl, Super Bowl XXI's entertainment centered largely on salutes to California and Hollywood, with local high school drill teams and dancers performing at halftime. Neil Diamond performed the National Anthem.
This performance is one of four by Up With People, who first performed in Super Bowl X and last in Super Bowl XX (though they also did a pregame show for Super Bowl XXV in 1991). Do yourself a favor and catch one on YouTube; it's pretty safe to say that the Super Bowl halftime show has evolved past these.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!