Super Bowl halftime show countdown

Here are my picks for the top five Super Bowl halftime performances to-date:

5.Katy Perry (2015)

At Super Bowl XLIX, Katy Perry rode in on a golden lion to open with her hits “Roar” and “Dark Horse.” She was joined by not only Lenny Kravitz but also Missy Elliot who delivered three of her own hit songs. Perry also performed “Teenage Dream,” “California Gurls,” and closed her performance with “Firework” as she soared the stadium on a shooting star.

4.Rihanna (2023)

Coming out of approximately five years of performance retirement, Rhianna performed the recent Super Bowl LVII halftime show. Surrounded by 280 backup dancers, Rihanna stood out in the contrast of her red attire.  

Rhianna took the stage on floating platforms and performed shortened bits to many of her hit songs including “We Found Love,” “Work,” “Rude Boy,” “Where Have You Been” and more. She closed her performance with “Umbrella” and “Diamonds.” With the audience’s expectation of a surprise guest, she instead surprised fans by revealing she is pregnant with her second child with rapper A$AP Rocky. 

3. Beyonce (2013)

The Super Bowl XLVII halftime show was headlined by Beyonce. The performance opened with her song “Countdown.”  She performed “Crazy in Love,” “End of Time” and “Baby Boy.” Beyonce welcomed special guests from Destiny’s Child to join her on stage for a few songs. Beyonce closed this show with an emotional performance of “Halo,” engaging the whole audience.  

2. Michael Jackson (1993)

In an effort to gain viewership for the halftime show, Michael Jackson delivered the headlining performance for Super Bowl XXVII. Jackson performed various hit songs in a medley including “Jam,” “Billie Jean” and “Black or White.”  

Jackson was then joined by a children’s choir to sing “We Are the World” and ended the performance with “Heal the World.” This performance is now credited for establishing pop star performances during halftime. 

1.Prince (2007) 

The top Super Bowl halftime show undoubtedly goes to Prince in Super Bowl XLI. Prince took the stage opening with his hit “Let’s Go Crazy” flowing into a medley of “Baby I’m A Star,” “1999” and a cover of “Proud Mary” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. He also performed covers of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” and the Foo Fighter’s “Best of You.”  

Prince was accompanied by not only his backing band but also the Florida A&M University Marching 100 Band.  

However, the real showstopper was the performance of his biggest hit, “Purple Rain.” Due to the weather, this song seemed to be performed quite literally in the rain. With his vocals, incredible guitar solo and phenomenal stage presence, Prince had everyone in the stadium and those watching from home astonished by his performance.