This Sunday will mark the 50^th Anniversary of the Super Bowl. The Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos will face off in Santa Clara, California to see who will win the coveted trophy and ring. Millions of Americans will be tuning in to watch the football game and this year’s Halftime Show, which will feature Coldplay, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars. Last year, the Super Bowl was watched by over 114.4 million viewers.

Over the Years, the Super Bowl Halftime Show has featured famous superstars and musicians, including the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson and Madonna. During the first Super Bowl, the halftime show had much humbler beginnings. The marching bands from the University of Michigan and the University of Arizona performed at the first halftime show, which was televised in 1967. This game was played by the Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers. The Packers were the first team to ever win the Super Bowl, beating the Chiefs 35-10.

For the next 10 years, the Super Bowl Halftime Show was a venue where several other college and university marching bands played. The first mainstream musician to have a performance in the halftime show was jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, who appeared in 1972 and was joined by Carol Channing, Al Hirt and the U.S. Marine Corps Drill Team.

After Fitzgerald’s performance in 1972, several other popular musicians showcased their talents at the halftime show during the height of their careers. When boy bands were at the top of the music charts in the 1990s, the New Kids on the Block performed at the halftime show in 1991. This was also the same year Whitney Huston performed her famous rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner.”

Along with showcasing the popular musicians during their specific eras, the halftime performances also give young pop stars the chance to share the stage with music legends. In 2001, Britney Spears and *N’SYNC rocked out next to the band Aerosmith.

One unique aspect of the Super Bowl Halftime Show is how each performance has a specific theme. When the Super Bowl was played in New Orleans in 1981, the halftime show was Mardi Gras themed. In 2002, the theme of the halftime show was a tribute to the people lost during the terrorist attacks on 9/11. This halftime show was performed by U2.

As time passed and technology developed, so did the performances seen during halftime. With the introduction of pyrotechnics, props and LED screens, the halftime shows have become more theatrical and show stopping. In the past, this could be seen during Michael Jackson’s 1993 performance, which utilized the power of pyrotechnics and the jumbo screen. In a more recent performance, extra dramatic flair could be seen in Beyoncé’s 2013 halftime show, when she danced on stage alongside computer generated versions of herself on a screen behind her. Katy Perry’s 2015 performance also showed evidence of this when she made her entrance on a giant metal tiger.

In the future, with new developments in hologram technology, it could be possible to see a Super Bowl Halftime Show performed by a musician who is no longer living. In 2014, the power of this hologram technology was seen during the performance of a hologram of Michael Jackson during the Billboard Music Awards.

Although the popularity of the Super Bowl commercials have been adding more viewers, the Super Bowl Halftime Shows will continue to be a treasured tradition in American sports. No other event has been able to successfully merge the world of athletes and artists, and as long as there is a Super Bowl, there will be a halftime show.