#11: 2019: Maroon 5, Big Boi, Travis Scott (Super Bowl LIII — 53) – LINK
Overall, this halftime show felt a bit messy. I don’t think the three artists really flowed well together. I also feel like this show could have been bigger and better with more props and more choreography. It just felt a bit dry. However, I did love the transition from Maroon 5’s opening to Travis Scott, the SpongeBob band performance is pretty awesome and a nice taste of nostalgia. However, Scott having to get bleeped out every five seconds made his parts of the performance less enjoyable. My favorite aspect of the show was the lanterns that were in the air during Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved,” they spelled out “One Love” which I thought was cute.
#10: 2021: The Weeknd (Super Bowl LV — 55) – LINK
This halftime show had a really unique use of lighting and set design that I liked. I thought it was cool how a lot of his performance was in the stands with a Las Vegas skyline background situation. However, I didn’t love how The Weeknd didn’t get onto the field until the last five minutes of the show. Another thing I didn’t love were his dancers’ consumes, the white masks over their faces were super creepy to me. According to Business Insider, “The Character’s bandages are a reflection ‘on the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrity.’” It’s nice to know it was done with intention, but I still didn’t like it. Considering this was the “pandemic performance” I think The Weeknd did a pretty solid job on his own.
#9: 2018: Justin Timberlake, The Tennessee Kids (Super Bowl LII — 52) – LINK
This show was pretty good! I’m not a huge fan of Timberlake but I love how he was able to add a lot of song and vibe variety to the performance. At the beginning, I didn’t love the vibe, it felt very concert-like, and not in a good way. It didn’t really feel like I was watching the hype Super Bowl halftime show, and one-artist Super Bowl shows are not my favorite. However, I really like how Timberlake was able to seamlessly switch vibes, going from throwback-Timberlake to commemorating Prince which was very sweet, then to the fabulous song from “Trolls,” “Can’t Stop The Feeling,” which ended off the show in a wholesome, happy way.
#8: 2017: Lady Gaga (Super Bowl LI — 51) – LINK
I remember watching this for the first time and being one, scared, because of Gaga’s entrance from the sky, she was moving around like a spider?! And two, I was a bit disappointed because the Super Bowl went from having three phenomenal artists in 2016, to just one in 2017. I think the key to any successful Super Bowl performance is featuring multiple artists, but if there was an artist able to pull off a one woman show, it’s Lady Gaga. I loved all the lighting in the show, like the fake torches the crowd had, however, I feel like Gaga could’ve ended off the show with more of a “bang” it felt like she was just tired by the end of it. I liked how she performed all her iconic songs (“Poker Face,” “Bad Romance,” “Born This Way,”) and kept the crowd entertained.
#7: 2015: Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz, Missy Elliot (Super Bowl XLIX — 49) – LINK
This halftime show was so fun! Now this rating may be slightly inflated due to my intense Katy Perry obsession as a kid, but it was awesome. Perry starts out on a GIANT golden lion. Like HELLO? Then ends up on a chessboard to perform “Dark Horse,” then a beach? The changes in costume and lighting are crazy. Not to mention Lenny Kravitz made an appearance doing a FIRE job (literally there was fire) and Missy Elliot for an iconic hip hop moment. Ending the performance with Perry flying and fireworks going off for her song “Firework” was perfection (although I don’t love the air pollution that produced). This performance really shows the spectacular elements that I feel have gotten lost over the years. Why did we stop with all the big lights and props? However, this is not higher on the list because these next performances had a lot of meaning and made me want to listen to the artists again and again. Perry had her moment, but I can safely say I’ve outgrown her and am no longer “obsessed.”
#6: 2025: Kendrick Lamar, SZA (Super Bowl LIX — 59) – LINK
I’m gonna be honest, when I first watched this performance I didn’t love it. I don’t really listen to Lamar and I didn’t understand all of the “Great American Game” and Samuel L. Jackson as “Uncle Sam” stuff. However, after seeing posts about this performance across Instagram, it made me appreciate it more. Lamar and his team were very intentional about everything in this performance and made a powerful statement on that stage. Lamar used the performance in an influential way to get his ideals across which is not an easy thing to do. I applaud him for being able to use such a large platform in a powerful and intentional way, even if his style of performance isn’t my cup of tea.
#5: 2023: Rihanna (Super Bowl LVII — 57) – LINK
I’m pretty sure that after this performance, everyone got obsessed or re-obsessed with Rihanna. I know I was reminded of how good her songs are because of this performance. In fact, according to Forbes, her music had a “390% increase in digital song sales overall” following this performance. She absolutely owned the Super Bowl stage, and although I prefer to have multiple artists at the halftime show, Rihanna did a great job on her own, and I found myself singing along with her. “Diamonds” as her last song was such a great choice, with her flying up on the platform, fireworks in the background and all!
#4: 2022: Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent (Super Bowl LVI — 56) – LINK
Wow. What a lineup of artists. They all work so well together and the transitions from each artist’s “moment” we’re seamless. They brought a powerful presence to the Super Bowl field, with music that even if you don’t happen to be a fan, you would still recognize and can’t help but bop your head to. I also really like the set of their performances. I think it worked perfectly with each of the songs and with having so many artists highlighted. I remember not being crazy about this performance at the time, but looking back it is really good and to have all of these artists on the same stage at once is a gift to watch.
#3: 2020: Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Emme Muñiz (Super Bowl LIV — 54) – LINK
Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. Name a better duo. I’ll wait.
These two artists along with the rest flowed so well together. They all have the same vibe and I love how they not only brought a PARTY to the Super Bowl field but also celebrated their cultures and ethnicities in the process. Shakira gave nods to her Colombian and Lebanese heritage through singing in Spanish and dancing in a Lebanese fashion, and Lopez did the same by wearing a flag that had both Puerto Rico’s and the U.S.’s flag on it. I love how Lopez’s daughter and a bunch of young girls even entered the stage to sing and proudly represented the female and Latino aspects of their identities. These two women really brought an amazing presence to the Super Bowl that night, and I can tell they both had the time of their lives while doing it.
#2: 2024: Usher, Alicia Keys, Jermaine Dupri, H.E.R., will.i.am, Lil Jon, Ludacris (Super Bowl LVIII — 58) LINK
THE ENERGY IS INSANE! This was a PERFORMANCE. Usher did a fantastic job, and he is an amazing performer, dancer, singer and brings all the hype vibes to the stage. I mean the man was on roller skates at one point! This halftime show felt like it included every element, great dancing, singing, good featuring artists and a band? Like somehow they made it all work so well together without it looking messy at all. This is one of the most impressive performances in my opinion on this list, and I can see myself wanting to watch this over and over again.
#1: 2016: Coldplay, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, University of California Marching Band, Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (Super Bowl L — 50) – LINK
I have not stopped thinking about this Super Bowl halftime show since it happened in 2016. (I was eight years old. I’m 17 now). This is the perfect mix of hype, talent and commemoration. The performance starts with Coldplay singing amazing songs like “Viva La Vida” with help from the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, how wholesome. Coldplay really set the stage by giving the whole performance a very united and concert-like feel, which I love. Then Bruno and his squad marched on in, THEN, the SEAMLESS transition to Beyoncé’s “Formation” was SO ICONIC. Not to mention Mars and Beyoncé had an ENTIRE DANCE BATTLE, like THAT, THAT IS WHAT I NEEDED. The whole show ended on such a beautiful note with the three artists singing Coldplay’s “Fix You” and videos of past halftime show performances like Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson’s playing on the stage. It honestly made me want to tear up. I could go on for hours about this performance, but I’ll end it here, it wins, everytime.
