In honor of the 50th Super Bowl, which aired live on Sunday, Feb. 7, I made a list of five of the most iconic Super Bowl Halftime Shows that I personally watched! This year, seven time GRAMMY winners Coldplay headlined alongside Beyoncé and Bruno Mars. How did you think they measured up to these five unforgettable performances?
5. Aerosmith, N*SYNC, Britney Spears (2001)
Before Aerosmith started their performance, as they were the first to be chosen to headline the 2001 Super Bowl Halftime Show, the most famous and successful boy band of the time commanded the stage with their infamous song “Bye, Bye, Bye.” Their opening was the perfect transition to Aerosmith’s iconic “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” which gave the audience what they were initially craving. As the performance took center stage, they closed with an unlikely collaboration of N*SYNC, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, and Nelly of “Walk This Way.”
4. Janet Jackson & Justin Timberlake (2004)
At quite possibly the peak of Justin Timberlake’s R&B/Pop solo career; he joined forces with the iconic Janet Jackson for the Super Bowl in 2004. This was the performance that ultimately proved to America that everything being filmed was, in fact, live. The iconic performance of Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” took a left turn when Timberlake “accidentally” uncovered Janet Jackson’s breast in the last two seconds. This performance definitely will be remembered forever.
3. Katy Perry (2015)
From the moment we heard the familiar beat of Katy Perry’s “Roar,” we knew she was going to put on one of the most colorful and theatrical performances the Super Bowl had yet to see. Perry had one of the biggest years in music in 2014 with her number one album, PRISM, and her slew of number one hits spanning from 2013 to 2014. It was no surprise that she was asked to headline the Super Bowl in 2015. Aside from her performances of “Roar,” “Dark Horse,” and the surprise collaboration of “Kissed a Girl” featuring Lenny Kravitz, we also saw a surprise performance by Missy Elliot. This performance was 12 minutes that proved Katy Perry was much more than the bubblegum-pop persona we had initially thought.
2. Bruno Mars (2014)
This iconic show was 13 minutes of some of the best and most rhythmically genius songs by Bruno Mars. At the beginning, we got to see Mars’ talent as he played an introduction to his song “Locked out of Heaven” solely on drums. Throughout the show, Mars played the elusive “Treasure,” “Runaway Baby,” and a cover of Red Hot Chili Pepper’s “Give It Away,” to name a few. The ending of the 2014 Super Bowl Performance by Bruno Mars was one I do not think should go unnoticed. Mars chose to end with the extremely famous “Just the Way You Are” as he sang into the microphone and showed America why they call him a performer. His voice resonated the entire stadium and ended with an eye-catching show of fireworks.
1. Beyoncé (2013)
Possibly the most iconic and most entertaining Halftime Show we have ever seen. From the start of the red-lighted silhouette to the ending movie-like trailer, the entire 15 minute set featured some of Beyoncé's most famous hits, including “Love on Top,” “Crazy in Love,” and “Single Ladies.” This was the moment that brought Beyoncé from a singer to a performer in many's eyes. Of course, there was never a doubt that Beyonce would smash the Super Bowl, but it happened when Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland joined her for a Destiny’s Child reunion. From then on until the end of the set, we were sent through Beyoncé's entire repertoire of hits.
Who do you think was the most iconic performer to hit the Super Bowl?
