The Super Bowl halftime show is basically a national holiday at this point. Honestly, for a huge chunk of the 120 million people watching, the football is just the opening act for the concert. But it wasn’t always this massive, glittery production with flying stages and pregnancy reveals. If you go back far enough, the list of super bowl halftime performances looks less like a Coachella lineup and more like a high school pep rally.
In the beginning? It was marching bands. Lots of them.
The first-ever Super Bowl in 1967 featured the University of Arizona and Grambling State University marching bands. No Beyoncé. No lasers. Just brass instruments and 300 pigeons released into the Los Angeles sky. Oh, and two guys on jetpacks. People tend to forget that part.
Why the Halftime Show Changed Forever in 1993
For decades, the NFL stuck to a "family-friendly" variety show vibe. They had groups like Up with People (who appeared four different times!) and themed tributes to things like Motown or "Winter Magic." It was safe. It was, frankly, a bit boring.
Then came 1993.
Fox had aired a live episode of In Living Color during the halftime of Super Bowl XXVI the year before, and it absolutely gutted the NFL's ratings. The league realized they couldn't just put on a parade and expect people to stay tuned. They needed a titan. They got Michael Jackson.
Jackson’s performance at the Rose Bowl changed everything. He stood motionless for nearly two minutes while the crowd lost their minds. He didn't even sing a note, and the ratings stayed higher than the game itself. That was the blueprint. Since then, the list of super bowl halftime performances became a "who’s who" of global icons.
The Mid-90s to Early 2000s Chaos
After MJ, the floodgates opened. We saw Diana Ross leave the stadium in a helicopter (1996) and the chaotic, TRL-fueled 2001 mashup where Aerosmith, 'N Sync, and Britney Spears all shared a stage. Looking back, that 2001 show was peak fever-dream energy. You had Mary J. Blige and Nelly just... there. It shouldn't have worked. Somehow, it’s now a cult favorite.
👉 See also: Chief One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: The Giant Who Fooled Everyone
That One Moment in 2004 (and the Rock Era)
You can't talk about the history of these shows without mentioning "Nipplegate." When Justin Timberlake accidentally (or not, depending on who you ask) exposed Janet Jackson during the 2004 finale, the NFL panicked. Hard.
The league went into a total "dad rock" phase for the next six years. They were terrified of another scandal. So, they booked the safest, most legendary rock acts they could find:
- Paul McCartney (2005) - Very safe.
- The Rolling Stones (2006) - Even they were censored.
- Prince (2007) - Widely considered the greatest of all time.
- Tom Petty (2008)
- Bruce Springsteen (2009)
- The Who (2010)
Prince's 2007 show is the gold standard. He played "Purple Rain" in a literal tropical downpour in Miami. When the producers asked him if he was okay with the rain, he reportedly asked, "Can you make it rain harder?" Legend.
The Modern Era: Roc Nation and Kendrick Lamar
Lately, the show has shifted again. Ever since Jay-Z’s Roc Nation took over the music strategy in 2019, the focus has moved toward cultural relevance and hip-hop.
The 2022 Los Angeles show with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar was a massive turning point. It was the first time hip-hop was the main course, not just a guest verse.
Most recently, the list of super bowl halftime performances added a heavy hitter in 2025: Kendrick Lamar. Performing in New Orleans, Kendrick delivered a set that was as much a theatrical statement as it was a concert. He opened with "Squabble Up" on top of a car and brought out SZA for "All the Stars."
There was a lot of noise online about Lil Wayne not getting the slot in his hometown, but Kendrick’s performance ended up being the most-viewed halftime show on record, pulling in 133.5 million viewers. That’s more than the actual game (which was a blowout win for the Eagles over the Chiefs).
📖 Related: Denzel Washington in The Hurricane: What Most People Get Wrong
Every Modern Halftime Headliner (2011–2025)
If you’re trying to keep track of the most recent era, here is how the lineup has looked since the NFL returned to pop and hip-hop:
- 2011: The Black Eyed Peas (with Slash and Usher)
- 2012: Madonna (with Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., and CeeLo Green)
- 2013: Beyoncé (and the Destiny’s Child reunion)
- 2014: Bruno Mars (with Red Hot Chili Peppers)
- 2015: Katy Perry (the Left Shark year)
- 2016: Coldplay (though Beyoncé and Bruno Mars kinda stole the show)
- 2017: Lady Gaga (the one where she jumped off the roof)
- 2018: Justin Timberlake
- 2019: Maroon 5 (with Travis Scott and Big Boi)
- 2020: Shakira & Jennifer Lopez (the Latin excellence year)
- 2021: The Weeknd
- 2022: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent
- 2023: Rihanna (the pregnancy reveal)
- 2024: Usher (the Vegas roller skating show)
- 2025: Kendrick Lamar (with SZA)
Common Misconceptions
One thing people always get wrong: the artists don't get paid.
Seriously. The NFL covers production costs—which can run into the tens of millions—but the headliner gets a paycheck of zero dollars. They do it for the "Super Bowl Bounce." After Rihanna performed in 2023, her streaming numbers spiked by over 600%. It’s a 13-minute commercial for their entire career.
Another weird fact? The grass. The stage for the list of super bowl halftime performances has to be wheeled on and off the field in about 8 minutes. If the stage is too heavy or the wheels are wrong, it can ruin the turf for the second half of the game. Groundskeepers are usually the most stressed-out people in the building during the music.
What to watch for next
If you're looking to dive deeper into these performances, don't just watch the highlights. Look for the "making of" documentaries, specifically the ones for Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. The sheer logistics of moving 500 dancers and a giant mechanical lion onto a field in the time it takes to grab a beer is more impressive than the singing.
To truly understand the evolution of the list of super bowl halftime performances, start by comparing Michael Jackson’s 1993 set with Prince’s 2007 show. Those are the two pillars that every modern artist is trying to live up to. From there, check out the 2022 Hip-Hop tribute to see how the NFL finally embraced the most popular genre in the world.