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The Super Bowl halftime show has always been an exciting and coveted spot for musicians.
Before Bad Bunny takes center stage at the 2026 Super Bowl this weekend, we must remember our history.
From iconic reunions to infamous wardrobe malfunctions, to “Left Shark” and calling Drake a pedophile in front of millions of people in Kendrick Lamar‘s performance of “Not Like Us,” the halftime show is basically where anything and everything can happen.
Watch With Us is looking back at the best Super Bowl halftime show performances of all time.
10. Katy Perry — 2015
Considered one of the campiest Super Bowl performances ever, Katy Perry‘s Super Bowl show became an instant meme with the virality of “Left Shark,” but that wasn’t the only thing worthwhile about her memorable presentation. The eye-popping, colorful visuals replete with dancing palm trees, robot lions and beach balls with teeth made Perry’s show a true standout. Plus, we love a Missy Elliott cameo.
9. Rihanna — 2023
Rihanna‘s 2022 Super Bowl show marked a truly groundbreaking moment: the singer performed the entire show while pregnant and revealed her pregnancy live during the show. It was the first-ever Super Bowl pregnancy announcement, but in addition to making sure her performance went down in history, it was also a truly fantastic halftime show, in which Rihanna performed twelve hit songs with an impressively bare-bones production.
8. Paul McCartney — 2005
It’s hard to go wrong with a concert from a living legend doing some of his greatest hits, and that’s what Paul McCartney delivered at the halftime show back in 2005. The Beatle solo-performed songs like “Drive My Car,” “Live and Let Die” and “Get Back,” armed with his guitar in a very stripped-down performance.
Of course, McCartney doesn’t really need any showy glitz and glamor, and the image of tens of thousands of people singing along to “Hey Jude” was about as incredible as Lady Gaga jumping from the stadium roof.
7. Bruce Springsteen — 2009
Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band took the halftime show stage in 2009 and brought just the right amount of energy that night, for a Super Bowl that would end in a photo finish for the winning Pittsburgh Steelers. Springsteen managed a full-stage, knee-first slide into the camera that brought the house down, before he belted out classics like “Glory Days” and “Born to Run.”
6. Lady Gaga — 2017
Lady Gaga‘s unforgettable 2017 halftime show performance began with a dive from the roof of NRG Stadium, and the acrobatics and high-wire acts didn’t let up from there.
Gaga had no special guests, just her and her incredible vocals, dance movies, multiple costume changes, an electronic keyboard and piano — plus, her positively immaculate vibes as one of our best pop star performers. Fittingly, Gaga ended her set with a well-deserved mic drop.
5. Madonna — 2012
The Queen of Pop really set the stage for the halftime show when her grand entrance imagined her as something akin to an Egyptian pharaoh, complete with an army of warriors pulling her to the stage while she sat atop a golden throne. From there, Madonna‘s performance was a bold, beautiful and boundary-pushing show that included guest star M.I.A. flipping off the camera. Other appearances included Nicki Minaj, LMFAO and Cee-Lo Green, the latter of whom helped Madge close with a riveting rendition of “Like a Prayer.”
4. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar — 2022
At the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the best of 1990s hip-hop got together for the Super Bowl in 2022, on an ambitious stage that could accommodate multiple sets. The show had a record number of headliners, and if Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar weren’t enough, the show also featured Anderson .Paak and 50 Cent.
It was a legendary performance that had hits like Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” to Lamar’s “Alright,” and ultimately ended up taking home three Emmy Awards — including the first Super Bowl halftime show win for Outstanding Live Variety Special.
3. Michael Jackson — 1993
Michael Jackson‘s halftime show performance in 1993 laid the groundwork for all future halftime performances, a show-stopping production of spectacle that had Jackson “appearing” on two scoreboards at the Rose Bowl before emerging from beneath the stage.
Then, Jackson did something truly crazy: he stood silent and still for over a full minute before finally beginning his set. The gasps that can be heard from the audience indicate that even in the moment, everyone understood they were witnessing history in the making.
2. Beyoncé — 2013
Beyoncé made her Super Bowl halftime show iconic from the mere fact that she reunited Destiny’s Child on stage, but the performance was undeniable even without that ingenious gimmick. Queen B’s complex choreography and powerhouse vocals demonstrated what everyone already knew, but is always worth reminding: how utterly consummate a performer she is.
Making eye contact with the camera and thus millions of people the whole time, Beyoncé seemed to be channeling something otherworldly during her set — or maybe just excess electricity, as the Superdome lost power for 34 minutes shortly after she closed her show with “Halo.”
1. Prince — 2007
It’s likely that there will never be a Super Bowl performance as goosebump-inducing as Prince ending his set with “Purple Rain” during an actual rainstorm. It is possibly the absolute apex of Prince’s career, but the entire show was just as incredible as that one defining moment.
Prince belted out several fantastic covers like “Proud Mary,” “All Along the Watchtower” and the Foo Fighters’ “Best of You,” highlighting the pop icon’s vocals and guitar skills. While other musicians might have viewed a rainstorm as a major derailment, Prince leveraged it for a finish that lives on in history.
