Ranked – Best Super Bowl Halftime Shows of All Time

The Super Bowl remains the greatest sporting show on earth, with this borne out once again when the Philadelphia Eagles stunned the Kansas City Chiefs in the recent showpiece. As well as the action on the field, the half-time show also creates significant anticipation and adds further glitz to an already incredible occasion.

You can even access betting lines pertaining to the half-time show at the best DFS sites like DraftKings and FanDuel. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at the best Super Bowl halftime shows of all time, while asking how this event has evolved through the years.

• From Origins to the Best Super Bowl halftime Show Ever
• Best Super Bowl Halftime Shows Ranked – Most Impressive One So Far
• Aerosmith, NSYNC and a Cast of Stars in 2001
• How Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog Stole the Show in 2022
• A Female-Only Halftime Show That Broke New Ground
• Madonna and Friends Produce a Blockbusting Show
• How Prince Headlined the Best Ever Super Bowl Halftime Show

From Humble Origins to the Best Super Bowl halftime Show Ever

At the inaugural Super Bowl in 1967, fans were treated to the University of Arizona and Grambling State University marching bands. They were accompanied by trumpeter Al Hirt. Intriguingly, marching bands were a cultural mainstay during the half-time shows in the 1970s and 80s, which were characterized by poor music, cringeworthy dancing and unconvincing magic tricks.

This remained the case for 24 Super Bowls, before a now infamous staff meeting at Fox Sports changed everything. This saw executives, led by president Jamie Kellner, to counterprogram against the Super Bowl half-time show, in a bid to steal viewers en masse from rivals CBS (who had exclusive rights to America’s premier sporting event at the time). This was a risky move that would have been largely unthinkable at the time.

During the 1992 Super Bowl, Fox put their bold plan into action and aired a live episode of Living Color during the half-time show. Undeterred, CBS produced a bland “Winter Magic” show featuring figure skaters Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill, which turned Super Bowl viewers away in their droves.

Incredibly, an estimated 29 million viewers (or 11% of the total Super Bowl audience) tuned into Fox’s live show, forcing CBS to take notice (even though they didn’t publicly acknowledge their rival’s marketing stunt). In fact, Michael Jackson was booked to perform at half-time at Super Bowl XXVII in 1993, and the now iconic half-time show was subsequently born.

Best Super Bowl Halftime Shows Ranked – Most Impressive One So Far

In the 32 years since 1993, there have been a number of explosive events and numerous contenders to be the best Super Bowl halftime show ever. So, here’s our expert take on the best Super Bowl halftime shows ranked, including a sneak peek at what sets each one apart when compared to its rivals!

Aerosmith, NSYNC and a Cast of Stars in 2001

Fifth on our list of the best Super Bowl halftime shows of all time is the 2001 showpiece. This was considered to be quite a ground-breaking half-time show when it aired, from NSYNC’s superb performance of “Bye, Bye, Bye” to Steven Tyler’s heart-warming rendition “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” with Aerosmith.

Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly also appeared on stage, while metallic outfits and stunning pyrotechnics brought the whole event to life. Interestingly, this was also the first year in which fans were allowed to congregate on the field around the halftime stage, creating significant levels of fan interaction that have become commonplace in 2025.

The show closed with a superb collaboration, as Spears, Blige and Nelly all joined Aerosmith on stage to deliver a bombastic rendition of “Walk This Way”. This seemed to resonate among both older and younger viewers in the crowd, and appeared to set a new a standard for Super Bowl halftime shows. Undoubtedly, this was one of the most innovative and best Super Bowl halftime shows of all time and worthy of a place on our list.

How Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog Stole the Show in 2022

2001 was the beginning of a trend that saw the half-time show evolve from a showcase for a single artist to a collaboration of the finest minds in music and popular culture. Although this has reversed once again in the last couple of years, the trend arguably reached a peak in 2022, when Dr. Dre and and entire cast of hip-hop legends took to the stage at the So-Fi Stadium in California.

Dr. Dre initially stole the show, of course, before him and Snoop warmed up the LA crowd further with snippets of both ‘California Love’ and ‘The Next Episode’. This was just the beginning, however, as other marquee names including 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige soon followed. The former performed “In Da Club” while being suspended upside down, while the latter sang fan favourites ‘Family Affair’ and ‘No More Drama’.

Then came Eminem, who wowed with his rendition of crowd favorite and mega-hit ‘Lose Yourself’. Even Kendrick Lemar, who starred during this year’s halftime show at Super Bowl LIX, made a brief appearance, participating in some highly choreographed dance routines while performing “m.A.A.d City” and “Alright”.

Dre and Snoop returned to close the show, with this arguably the best of the collaborative halftime Super Bowl events. It can also lay claim to being the best Super Bowl halftime show ever, although it’s only able to earn fourth place on our own particular list!

A Female-Only Halftime Show That Broke New Ground

Next on this list of the best Super Bowl halftime shows ranked is the 2013 edition. A show that combined excellent music and stunning extravagance with female empowerment, it starred the ultimate ‘independent lady’ in Beyonce and a small support cast of female-only performers.

Queen Bey was the undoubted star of the show, however, as she wowed fans with incredibly powerful renditions of “Crazy in Love”, “Baby Boy” and “Halo”. Not even a single costume change was required, while the only guests invited to collaborate at any point were Beyonce’s former bandmates Destiny’s Child.

When on-stage together, the trio sung the iconic “Single Ladies,” which ironically wasn’t one of the songs that they penned as a group. It was one of these rare occasions where the star power on show was able to command the attention of fans, rather than novelty attire, explosive fireworks or dazzling lights.

While this may not be the greatest Super Bowl halftime show, it’s one of the more memorable. By only featuring female performers, it also provided a stark contrast with what had gone before, while this sent a strong message and blazed a trail for subsequent shows at the Super Bowl!

Madonna and Friends Produce a Blockbusting Show

Beyonce’s performance came just one year after another female pop icon headlined a blockbusting show in 2012. It was Madonna who first took to the stage at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, dressed imperiously as a Greek goddess and carried by an entire legion of Spartan soldiers.

Madonna’s dramatic arrival set the scene for one of the best Super Bowl performances, which was bathed in LED light and welcomed a subsequent stream of stars. These included Nicky Minaj and Cee Lo Green, who collaborated with Madonna when performing “Give Me All Your Luvin” and a unique mash-up of “Music” with “Party Rock Anthem” respectively.

It was Madonna who was the star of the show, however, offering up new arrangements of old classics like “Open Your Heart” and showcasing her fully array of singing styles. The way in which she moved through the gears was both impressive and seemingly effortless, while her individual performances produced a number of highlights.

This was a show that also earned full marks for its incredible production. From the LED lighting to the costume changes and backdrop, the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show was befitting of the single most watched sporting event in the world. It also highlighted the importance of star power during such shows!

How Prince Headlined the Best Ever Super Bowl Halftime Show

Interestingly, our pick as the best Super Bowl halftime show ever wasn’t the most extravagant from a production perspective. Nor did it feature a seemingly endless line of collaborators, as pop legend Prince produced a simply incredible solo show that continues to thrill and excite to this day.

Standing tall in the middle of a stage shaped like the “Artist Formerly Known As Prince” symbol, the so-called “Purple One” opened with a bombastic cover of Queen’s “We Will Rock You”. He then performed the hard rock classic “Let’s Go Crazy”, as Prince continued to effortlessly switch gears and change up the tempo throughout.

Prince even gave a nod to past Super Bowl halftime shows, by inviting the Florida A&M University marching band to join in a brand-new musical arrangement of “Baby I’m a Star”. Prince continued to reel off a list of hits, including spectacular covers of “All Along the Watchtower” and “Proud Mary”.

Prince closed out the show with the stunning guitar solo from Purple Rain, in front of an enthralled and completely engaged audience. To make this show even more memorable, almost the whole of the set was played out in the pouring rain, while it’s interesting to note that the NBC broadcast of the match broke the then-record for the most watched program in American TV history!

Conclusion – Super Bowl Is About More Than Football

Of course, there have been similarly spectacular halftime extravaganzas down the years. Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott all took part in the superb 2015 show, which set a new standard for technical production values. 2020 and Super Bowl LIV also saw a stunning collaboration between Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, two of the most powerful female performers in pop.

The most recent 2025 halftime show saw a typically individualistic performance from Kendrick Lamar, who eschewed costume changes and excessive collaborations while managing to create snippets of controversy. Lamar ran through a number of his hits (including the infamous diss-track “Not Like Us”), while Samuel L. Jackson also appeared on stage dressed as Uncle Sam.

The fact that none of these shows made our top five underlines the quality of halftime performances that the Super Bowl has produced down the years. They also highlight just how far the event has evolved since its humble and unwatchable beginnings, with this now almost as talked about as the big match itself!