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Best Super Bowl halftime shows ever | Top 5

The Super Bowl is about more than just the game of football, with a whole host of fanfare surrounding the match. One of the most anticipated events is the halftime show with some of the biggest names in showbiz history, with around 150 million people usually tuning in to watch. So what are the best Super Bowl halftime shows ever? Here are the top five.

5 best Super Bowl halftime shows of all time

5) Beyonce (2013)

Despite pulling in an almighty 104m viewers for her show, Beyonce’s appearance during XLVII only ranks fifth in our list of the best Super Bowl halftime shows. You’d be forgiven for thinking that the no-show of Beyonce’s superstar husband Jay-Z, who was linked with a cameo appearance, would have dampened down the reaction of the watching crowd. It did not.

Instead, Queen B went all acappella on the Mercedes-Benz Superdrome whilst pulling out her usual show stopping dance moves. To cap it all off, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams entered the stage to bring about a Destiny’s Child reunion. The capacity crowd and social media erupted.

4) Paul McCartney (2005)

Many of those who are lucky enough to perform during the Super Bowl interval will go big on one moment. It might be a costume, it might be an entrance or possibly something else. Not former Beatle Paul McCartney though. The Liverpool born star had stated that ‘there was nothing bigger’ than a Super Bowl half time show and he, like everyone, had something monumental to offer.

It just happened to be his voice. ‘Drive my car’, ‘Get back’ and ‘Live and Let Die’ were well received as McCartney performed perfectly but hearing 78,125 spectators singing along to ‘Hey Jude’ was something else.

3) Lady Gaga (2017)

McCartney’s set was understated and reliant on pure talent. The same cannot be said for Lady Gaga who performed the entertainment as the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons refuelled ahead of what proved to be one of the most remarkable second half displays in Super Bowl history.

For starters, Gaga grabbed the crowd’s attention as she arrived on stage from the stadium roof. Then came some of her biggest hits including ‘Poker Face’ and ‘Born This Way’. There was also the American flag moment where drones lit up the sky to form the stars and stripes before Gaga finished her set with ‘Bad Romance’, which are two words you won’t hear associated to the Patriots and Bill Belichick any time soon.

2) U2 (2002)

It’s a hard gig when you have to follow a big performance the previous year. What is harder though, is performing in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks. Irish band U2, however, managed to deliver a set that not only paid tribute to those that had tragically lost their lives but managed to inspire everyone watching be it in the stadium or at home.

Organisers reportedly wanted the band to pre-record and mime. Lead man Bono was never going for that though and insisted on performing live. He called it right. He walked through the crowd as they got started with ‘Beautiful Day’, next up was ‘MLK’ and then ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’. It was during the latter two that a drop screen appeared to honour the victims of 9/11. A true goosebumps moment.

1) Prince (2007)

In the build up to Super Bowl XLI, all eyes were rightly on the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears with neither side having appeared in the season finale for over 20 years. The first half was a well contested affair with the Colts coming back from a first quarter deficit to lead 16-14 at the half way mark. Then everyone’s attention turned to Prince.

The legendary singer-songwriter, who sadly passed away nine years after his Bowl appearance, kicked off with a rendition of ‘We Will Rock You’ before churning out a further four songs. What happened next is what puts Prince in first spot. The heavens were open, Dolphin Stadium was soaked and a silhouetted Prince strummed away on his guitar and delivered one of the greatest renditions of his famous ‘Purple Rain’ ever seen. At the close, the 75 thousand strong crowd blew up, just like the fireworks, and even the second half struggled to engage the fans as much as the match ended 29-17 to the Colts. A deserving number one of our list of the best Super Bowl halftime shows in history.