Are you looking forward to the Super Bowl Halftime show more than the actual game? You are not alone! Through ups and downs, the famous (and sometimes infamous) big show at the big game has become a cultural icon in its own right. While the halftime show is now known for its spectacle – from Lady Gaga jumping down to the field, to our favorite performer, Left Shark – it hasn’t always been this way.
What were the shows like before they became huge, televised events? They were made up of marching bands, alongside stars like The Three Stooges and Ella Fitzgerald. In those early days, the Super Bowl halftime was designed to entertain the audience in attendance, not those watching at home. The halftime show music featured university marching bands, instead of spotlighting popular music artists.
In 1980, the vocal troupe Up with People performed at the Super Bowl as the first popular group. They went on to perform at several games. By the late 80’s, the halftime show started to transform into what we know today – helped along by an Elvis Presley impersonator performing card tricks! Starting in ’91, pop music acts such as New Kids on the Block and Gloria Estefan became common. In 2017, the spectacular halftime show featuring six-time Grammy-winner Lady Gaga had more viewers than the game itself.
The Super Bowl itself is typically the most-watched event on television in the United States annually! Wondering whose performed throughout the years? Check out the run down below!
A breakdown of Super Bowl Halftime Shows:
1960s–70s: Marching Bands, Classic Acts & Themes
- 1967: The Three Stooges, University of Arizona Symphonic Marching Band & Grambling State University Marching Band, Al Hirt, Anaheim High School Drill Team and Flag Girls
- 1968: Grambling State University Marching Band
- 1969: “America Thanks” -Florida A&M University band and Miami area High School Bands
- 1970: Marguerite Piazza, Doc Severinsen, Al Hirt, Lionel Hampton Southern University Marching Band
- 1971: Southeast Missouri State Marching Band
- 1972: “Salute to Louis Armstrong” – Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Channing, Al Hirt, USAFA Cadet Chorale, & U.S. Marine Corps Drill Team
- 1973: “Happiness Is.” – University of Michigan Marching Band & Woody Herman & Andy Williams
- 1974: “A Musical America” – University of Texas Longhorn Band and Judy Mallett (Miss Texas 1973) on fiddle
- 1975: “Tribute to Duke Ellington” – Mercer Ellington & Grambling State University Marching Bands
- 1976: “200 Years and Just a Baby” Tribute to America’s Bicentennial with Up with People
- 1977: “It’s a Small World” – Los Angeles Unified All-City Band including spectators waving colored placards on cue
- 1978: “From Paris to the Paris of America” – Tyler Apache Belles Drill Team, and Apache Band Pete Fountain & Al Hirt
- 1979: “Super Bowl XIII Carnival” Salute to Caribbean – Ken Hamilton, various Caribbean bands including Grammacks out of Dominica
1980s–90s: Performance Ensembles & Up with People
- 1980: “A Salute to the Big Band Era” – Up with People, Grambling State University Marching Bands
- 1981: “A Mardi Gras Festival” with Southern University Marching Band, Helen O’Connell
- 1982: “A Salute to the 60s and Motown” with Up with People
- 1983: “KaleidoSUPERscope” – Los Angeles Super Drill Team
- 1984: “Super Bowl XVIII’s Salute to the Superstars of the Silver Screen” – University of Florida and Florida State University Marching Bands
- 1985: “A World of Children’s Dreams” – Up with People
- 1986: “Beat of the Future” – Up with People
- 1987: “Salute to Hollywood’s 100th Anniversary” – George Burns, Mickey Rooney, Grambling State University and USC Marching Bands
- 1988: “Something Grand” featuring 88 grand pianos, the Rockettes and Chubby Checker
- 1989: “Be Bop Bamboozled” featuring 3-D effects with Elvis Presto, South Florida-area dancers
- 1990: “Salute to New Orleans” and 40th Anniversary of Peanuts’ characters, featuring trumpeter Pete Fountain, Doug Kershaw & Irma Thomas
- 1991: “A Small World Salute to 25 Years of the Super Bowl” – New Kids on the Block
- 1992: “Winter Magic” including a salute to the winter Olympics featuring Gloria Estefan, Brian Boitano, and Dorothy Hamill
- 1993: “Heal the World” finale included audience card stunt.
- 1994: “Rockin’ Country Sunday” – Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna & Naomi Judd.
- 1995: “Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye” – Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, Arturo Sandoval, the Miami Sound Machine, and stunts including fire and skydivers.
- 1996: Diana Ross celebrating 30 years of the Super Bowl with special effects, pyrotechnics and stadium card stunt.
- 1997: “Blues Brothers Bash” – Dan Akroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi (also featuring “The Godfather of Soul” James Brown and ZZ Top)
- 1998: “A Tribute to Motown’s 40th Anniversary” – Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves, and The Temptations
- 1999: “Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing” – Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and tap dancer Savion Glover
2000s-Today: Big Stars, Classic Rock & Halftime Show Sponsors
- 2000: “A Tapestry of Nations” – Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton and an 80-person choir
- 2001: “The Kings of Rock and Pop” – Aerosmith, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, and Nelly
- 2002: U2
- 2003: Shania Twain, No Doubt, and Sting
- 2004: Janet Jackson, Kid Rock, P. Diddy, Nelly, and Justin Timberlake
- 2005: Paul McCartney
- 2006: The Rolling Stones
- 2007: Prince and the Florida A&M Marching Band
- 2008: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
- 2009: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
- 2010: The Who
- 2011: The Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Slash
- 2012: Madonna
- 2013: Beyoncé
- 2014: Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers
- 2015: Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott
- 2016: Coldplay, Beyoncé, and Bruno Mars
- 2017: Lady Gaga
- 2018: Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Kids, University of Minnesota Marching Band
- 2019: Maroon 5, Travis Scott, and Big Boi
- 2020: Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Bad Bunny, and J. Balvin
- 2021: The Weeknd
- 2022: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, and Anderson .Paak
- 2023: Rihanna
- 2024: Usher
- 2025: Kendrick Lamar as the headliner, with SZA
If you want to experience the excitement of performing in a big halftime show, check out our Bowl game opportunities!
