Above Image via Billboard

by Josh McCann

The Super Bowl halftime show has become the biggest gig for any artist. Last year 121 million watched (Billboard). This year, Usher takes the spotlight. As a huge sports fan, I’ve watched the big game since the early 90’s. Here’s a list of amazing performances, and those memories I had during the telecast.

Sports Illustrated

U2 (2002)

America still felt uneasy. The game gave us a chance to have some joy. During “Where The Streets Have No Name,” names of the victims from 9/11 appeared on a huge screen that rose to the top of the stadium. Such an emotional moment. Watching it again this past week, I remembered how incredible that moment was. Still gives me chills. This was so powerful. U2 have always been vocal about their love for America. They were the perfect act for this specific show. The set kicks off with “Beautiful Day.” Bono walks through the crowd, the fans cheering. Then the beginning of “Streets” plays. You get lost in the moment. It’s cathartic. It’s something so special that you can’t really describe what’s happening. I’m lucky enough to have seen them four times. The day after the Super Bowl, I remember driving to my college classes, the performance fresh in mind. It felt like anything was possible. I didn’t want to sit through a lecture. I wanted to watch the performance again and play my guitar. But YouTube didn’t exist, so there was that.

Billboard

Prince (2007)

This was the quintessential Prince performance. He owned the massive stage. I mean, he played “Purple Rain” in the actual rain!! A guitar legend hitting another peak. After the show, my friend called.

“Best halftime show ever,” he said.

“Oh that was amazing,” I said.

“Josh, we just witnessed history,” he said.

I had just released my bands first album. I grabbed a beer from the fridge. How did he play in the rain like that?!

Rolling Stone

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (2009)

To say I was hyped for this was an understatement. Oh, and the Steelers were playing! In typical Bruce fashion, he left it all on the 50 yard line. Steelers linebacker James Harrison had just ran a 90 yard touchdown to end the half. Now Bruce was about to perform. What would he play? How would he condense his career into 12 minutes? That all disappeared when the camera showed Bruce on stage, the band revving up “10th Avenue Freeze Out,” Bruce staring into the camera, saying, “Step back from the Guacamole!” He jumped on the piano and there was no turning back. He even did his famous knee slide into the camera guy. This was followed with “Born to Run.” I mean, wow! Then came “Working on a Dream” and “Glory Days.” It felt like we were at the concert, and I wanted it to keep going. But they had to finish the game. “Stevie I think it’s quitting time,” Bruce said. He swung his guitar around his back multiple times, fireworks going off above the stadium. “I’m going to Disney World!” Bruce said. Amazing. It was hard to process the performance. I was still nervous about the rest of the game!

Rolling Stones (2006)

“We could have played this in Super Bowl I,” Mick Jagger told the crowd, before busting into “Satisfaction.” Mick ran across the giant tongue shaped stage—they were celebrating 40 years together. The Steelers were about to win their fifth Super Bowl. First in my lifetime. It was insane. Was all of this really happening?! I clutched my Terrible Towel while Keith Richards played the famous riff to “Satisfaction.” The crowd went ballistic. The Stones were sounding better than ever. I couldn’t wait to see them live (again). A few weeks prior, I played Hard Rock Cafe with my band to a packed house for a radio contest. Things were flying. We had our own table backstage. We didn’t have our own hotel floor like the Stones in 1972–we had wings and six packs! It was really cool! So many exciting things were happening. This was a time in my life where I was becoming obsessed with the Stones. This performance only showed that you can always rock and roll if you like it.

Bruno Mars (2014)

It was a career defining performance. Bruno proved to everyone that he was the biggest entertainer of today. He opened with “Locked out of heaven.” Then “Treasure.” It got even crazier when the Red Hot Chili Peppers literally jumped out on stage and played “Give it away” like it was their last gig ever. So exciting. I was with my girlfriend at a party. They all kept going on while I tried to listen. Evidently they didn’t care! “He’s ok,” one guy said. “I think he’s really good,” a girl said. I tried to keep focus on the tv. More talking. I took another chug of my beer. Aside from all the noise in the room, it felt like we were watching Bruno go from a star to a mega star before our very eyes.

New Yorker

Katy Perry (2015)

She came out on a huge golden tiger and opened with “Roar.” This set the tone for an epic 12 minutes. Lenny Kravitz played guitar to “I kissed a girl.” Then we had “Teenage Dream.” I watched it back this past week with my assistant, Carson.

“Wait, how did she change so quickly?” Carson said.

“She’s that good,” I said. “There’s the dancing shark that went viral!”

She closed with “Firework,” soaring above the crowd. Such a solid show. She didn’t mess around, playing her biggest hits. Such an awesome set. I had seen Katy live in 2011 at a college venue. Now she was one of the biggest celebs in the world.

Vogue

Shakira/JLO (2020)

Shakira deserved this moment. She opened with “She Wolf.” I had joked with my friend a couple weeks earlier, saying that it would be incredible if she played it. She shook her hips, crowd surfed, and did the tongue thing that inspired memes. JLO kept the party going with “Jenny from the Block” and “Waiting for Tonight.” It was so much fun to watch. Everyone knew the show would be good, but they took it to another universe. It was a big production, with the stage filled with dancers. The energy during the entire performance is another level. Shakira and Jennifer Lopez showed the world how to turn the halftime show into a party.

Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar & 50 Cent (2022)

It was a historic performance. The genius about it was the stage setup. Each artist singing from a different room. So many fans grew up with these songs. The nostalgia was strong. Especially with my generation. Each song took us to a different room, and took us back to a different moment in our lives. One after the other. The fact that it was in LA made it seem right. By the time Eminem comes out to do “Lose Yourself,” the entire stadium feels like it will erupt, with every fan holding their phones in the air.

Rolling Stone

Paul McCartney (2005)

The halftime show was on a roll with getting rock legends to perform. The entire world was excited for this one. It’s still amazing to watch on YouTube. From “Get Back” to “Hey Jude.” During the telecast I sat in my living room and took it all in. After the show my friend called. His favorite band ever is the Beatles. We talked about how amazing it was, how there will never be another ‘Beatles,’ and how those songs are timeless. I hung up, got back to the game, had more chips.

Youtube

Tom Petty (2008)

The shot of the fans rushing the stage is everything. So pumped! Petty wasted no time, opening with “American girl.” Followed by “Won’t back down” and “Free Falling.” Closing it out with “Running Down a Dream.” What a setlist! My friends and I had seen him live at Star Lake a bunch of times. So many memories in the lawn. Watching this again brought back all those times. Pure rock and roll.

Michael Jackson (1993)

This took the halftime show to another level. All of a sudden the show was a really cool thing. He just stands there at the beginning. He turns his head. Fans go nuts. He breaks into “Billy Jean,” followed by “Black or White.” He closes with “Heal The World.” Everyone loved MJ. Growing up in the early 90’s, he was the biggest star you can imagine. Fans fainted in his presence. My friends and I would talk at school during lunch about how fans would pass out during his shows. There were stretchers. This performance is often considered the best Super Bowl halftime by many fans.

Shania Twain/No Doubt/Sting (2003)

Shania had the crowd in the palm of her hand. This was an excellent halftime show. No Doubt crushed it! Gwen Stefani got the crowd pumped, singing and jumping at the same time. The energy from the crowd is really fun to watch. Sting was awesome too. A very underrated halftime show!

Aerosmith/Britney Spears/NSYNC/Nelly/Mary J. Blige (2001)

While watching it recently, I realized how entertaining it was. When it aired, I was in my early 20’s. Pop music on the radio was all boy bands and rap/rock. I liked WDVE (classic rock). There’s so much going on here. Aerosmith sings “Jaded” and “Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing.” NSYNC does their hits. And then Britney joins in for “Walk This away.” Nelly comes in too! Mary J. Blige as well! It’s such a blast to watch. Everyone on stage is having so much fun. They aren’t messing around. It’s almost like you can feel the fans at home having just as much fun watching it. That’s what matters most.

Beyoncé (2013)

This was highly anticipated. People had been waiting years for Beyoncé to finally do it. She didn’t stop for the entire performance. “Crazy in love” kicked it off. Destiny’s Child reunited for “Bootylicious.” She closed it out with “Single ladies” and “Halo.” My friend called. “That was so good,” he said. “Oh yeah,” I said. “That was really good.” It was hard to go back to watching the game.

Lady Gaga (2017)

We knew she would play it up. She’s not one to be shy. She appeared on top of the stadium, then dropped on a bungee cord. It was a huge list of hits: “Poker Face,” “Born This Way,” “Just Dance.” The candles lit up around the piano. “How you doing tonight?” she said to the crowd. “Million Reasons” was powerful. “Bad Romance” was a great way to end it. She even caught a football after the song. I was in the midst of getting my Creative Writing degree. I had a packed schedule, writing more than ever, and loving it. I was starting to write more about music and kept going.