The NFL is undoubtedly the most popular American sport. Even bigger is the Super Bowl, which is the annual ultimate NFL faceoff. This year’s Super Bowl was one of a kind as we saw the Los Angeles Rams defeat the Cincinnati Bengals with a 23-20 win. They became the year’s champions with their first Super Bowl win since 1999.
Most people want to see who the next NFL Champion team or MVP like Kurt Warner will be. However, the Super Bowl halftime show has become one of the most anticipated NFL events globally. The world’s biggest celebrities and entertainers take the stage for a 15-minute thriller performance.
The 2022 Super Bowl show was graced by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar. We all agree it was a stunning performance. We’ve prepared a run-through of the best acts to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime show in the past years. Let’s get on with it.
Shakira and J-Lo at the 2020 Super Bowl LIV Show
The Super Bowl LIV halftime show made history for Latin culture. Shakira and Jennifer Lopez were the performing artists at the show, while Jay-Z was the main producer alongside the duo. The artists earned five Emmy Awards nominations and won one of the Primetime awards after the event.
J-Lo and Shakira shook things up at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, driving the 103 million fans into a musical trance. Some of the featured hit songs include ‘’Waka Waka”, Hips Don’t Lie”, “She Wolf”, and “On The Floor”. Lopez, alongside her daughter Emme Muniz, gave a special rendition of the song “Let’s Get Loud” and it was a banger.
The Weeknd’s Performance in the 2021 Super Bowl
Abel Makkonen, whose stage name is The Weeknd, did justice to last year’s Super Bowl LV halftime show with an unforgettable performance. He had over 100 male stage dancers who thrilled fans with a performance set on a stage that looked like a horror house of mirrors.
Fans at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, went berserk when The Weeknd performed hits like “Blinding Lights”, “Can’t Feel My Face”, and “Earned it”. There have been several reports that the musician invested over $7 million from his pockets to make the show a success.
Bruno Mars Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime Show 2014
The 2014 Super Bowl was among the most viewed shows in NFL history, with 114 million viewers. It’s easy to see why Bruno Mars would be a great choice for the Super Bowl halftime show: He’s used to performing in front of huge crowds, he doesn’t offend anyone, and his songs are huge hits. Despite the lousy weather, Bruno Mars and the mighty Red Hot Chilli Peppers rocked the show at East Rutherford, NJ.
He rocked the show with his legendary R&B moves in a Jackie Wilson quiff and a James Brown suit. Fans relived the 1998 Motown show as Mars performed his hit songs “Just The Way You Are,” “Billionaire,” and “Locked Out of Heaven.” The song drove the crowds crazy as he paid a special tribute to the US Army. That Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks went on to win their first NFL Championship Title. It was as though Bruno Mars paved the way to their victory soon after halftime.
Michael Jackson’s 1993 Super Bowl Epic Performance
We all agree Michael Jackson is the King of Pop. The Legend was the first pop star to do a Super Bowl halftime show. MJ took the stage and took his usual 90 seconds of silence before throwing the 90 million viewers into a wild stupor with a string of medley hits.
He sang his major hit songs, including “Black and White”, “Billie Jean”, and “Heal the World”. MJ’s show went down as one of the most viewed halftime shows in NFL history till then. The 1993 Super Bowl XXVII halftime show became the most discussed and referenced. All subsequent shows started featuring Pop and celebrity artists to this day.
Wrap Up
The Super Bowl Halftime show remains the must-see performance of our lifetime. We all want to bet on the best NFL team and feel the energy and craze that pop artists bring to the stage as we wait for the next NFL champion. The show almost acts as a curtain-raiser for the incoming NFL winner. Recently, the NFL Head of Music released a statement hinting that Rihanna would rock the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show. I don’t know about you, but that’s an event to look forward to. Let’s see who else will entertain us.
