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Ranking of Greatest Super Bowl Halftime Shows (2025 Update)

After getting in a Facebook debate a few years back regarding just how wretched the Justin Timberlake Super Bowl halftime show, I reviewed all 59 of the Super Bowl halftime shows and ranked them from best to worst.  I have now updated that list to include all Super Bowl halftime shows, including Kendrick Lamar’s performance on Sunday.   The best I can tell is that there is not another list this comprehensive on the web anywhere.  Several websites rank the modern concert-type shows (post 1991), but I couldn’t find any that rank all of them.  Feel free to comment or debate and come back to the blog tomorrow to see my updated ranking of the greatest Super Bowl games of all-time.

1Super Bowl XXVII- Michael Jackson (1993)

One of MJ’s greatest concerts ever

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2Super Bowl XLII- Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (2008)

So good from start to finish. Petty brought nostalgia without seeming date.

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3Super Bowl XLIX- Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz, Missy Elliott (2015)

Fun from start to finish with great visual effects and collaborative work between the artists.

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4Super Bowl XXXVI- U2 (9/11 Tribute) (2002)

Really good and poignant; wish they had done a 3rd song though

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5Super Bowl LI- Lady Gaga (2017)

Gaga is the queen of being “over the top” but that is exactly Super Bowl halftime shows call for. This show had it all, from a spectacular entrance to four outfit changes, and was extremely entertaining from start to finish.

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6Super Bowl LVI- Dr Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dog, Mary J Blige, Kendrick Lamar (2022)

A lot of fun but staging was weird

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7Super Bowl LIV- Jennifer Lopez and Shakira (2020)

The “old ladies” proved they can still rock it

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8Super Bowl XXXIX- Paul McCartney (2005)

“Hey Jude” was awesome, as this should go down as one of McCartney’s greatest performances in his post-Beatles run.

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9Super Bowl XXXVIII- Jessica Simpson, Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Kid Rock (2004)

The legendary wardrobe malfunction shocked the world

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10Super Bowl XLVI- Madonna. LMFAO, Nicky Minaj, Cee Lo Green (2012)

“Like a Dream” at the end was awesome and Cee Lo Green and Madonna collaborated surprisingly well.

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11Super Bowl 50- Coldplay, Beyonce, Bruno Mars (2016)

Coldplay was really good and tribute montage at the end was awesome. Beyonce and Bruno were just okay.

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12Super Bowl XLIII- Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (2009)

Bad first song (“Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”) but good the rest of the way

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13Super Bowl XLI- Prince, FAMU Marching Band (2007)

“Purple rain” performance was good but everything else was just ok

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14Super Bowl XXXIV- Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton (2000)

A good mix of music

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15Super Bowl LVII- Rihanna (2023)

Rihanna was limited in movement due to her post partum status, but she still had a plethora of good hits mixed with good effects. This show really could have used a secondary act to change it up a bit though.

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16Super Bowl XLIV- The Who (2010)

The show starts off well and then tapers off

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17Super Bowl XL- The Rolling Stones (2006)

Another halftime show that starts off well and then tapers off.

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18Super Bowl LVIII- Usher (2024)

Good dancing, okay singing, and the numerous secondary acts were hit or miss.

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19Super Bowl XXII- Chubby Checker, The Rockettes (Something Grand) (1988)

Not too bad, as Checker puts on a nice performance

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20Super Bowl XXIV- Pete Fountain, Doug Kershaw (Salute to New Orleans) (1990)

Good musical performance but the addition of “The Peanuts” cast made it a little cheesy.

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21Super Bowl XVI- Up With People (Salute to the 1960s and Motown) (1982)

Lacked the spectacle of the more modern halftime shows but still a solid musical performance

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22Super Bowl XXXVII- Shania Twain, No Doubt, Sting (2003)

Bad start with Shania but then gets better after that

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23Super Bowl XXXI- Blues Brothers, James Brown, and ZZ Top (1997)

Pretty good overall

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24Super Bowl I- University of Arizona and Grambling Marching Bands (1967)

The Liberty Bell march was good but the country-western stunts were not. Overall, it was a solid effort considering how most modest of a spectacle the first few super bowls were.

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25Super Bowl VI- Ella Fitzgerald “Mack the Knife” (Salute to Louis Armstrong) (1972)

A fitting and poignant tribute to Louis Armstrong who died the year prior

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26Super Bowl XVII- LA Drill Team (Kaleido superscope) (1983)

The playing of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” at the end saved this from being much lower on this list.

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27Super Bowl VII- Michigan Marching Band “This Land Is Your Land” (1973)

The Michigan marching band was good. Andy Williams was bad. As a result, this show ends up near the middle of these rankings.

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28Super Bowl IV- Southern Marching Band “When Saints Go Marching In” (Mardi Gras) and Carol Channing (1970)

The first New Orleans Super Bowl had a nice local flavor to it with Carol Channing becoming the first celebrity to participate in a Super Bowl halftime show.

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29Super Bowl III- Florida A & M Marching Band (America Thanks) (1969)

The FAMU band did a nice job in what was the first Super Bowl halftime show to have a theme attached to it.

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30Super Bowl V- Southeast Missouri St. Marching Band with Anita Bryant (1971)

Anita Bryant’s singing of “Battle Hymn” of the republic was special but the SEMO marching band was not nearly as good as the HBCU bands that performed in the four Super Bowls preceding this one.

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31Super Bowl XXI- Walt Disney (Salute to Hollywood’s 100th Anniversary) (1987)

A decent mix of pop hits and Disney classics despite the cheesiness

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32Super Bowl XV- Southern Marching Band (Mardi Gras Festival) (1981)

Love the costumes but the musical performance was mediocre

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33Super Bowl XXVI- Gloria Estefan (Salute to the 1992 Winter Olympics) (1992)

This one was just mediocre as it seemed like too much of a CBS advertisement for the upcoming olympics.

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34Super Bowl XVIII- Walt Disney (Salute to Superstars of Silver Screen) (1984)

All of the Disney produced halftime shows are decently cheesy, but this one at least had a good mix of 80’s music

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35Super Bowl XXX- Diana Ross (1996)

This was better than most of the early to mid 1990’s halftime shows, as Ross’ four wardrobe changes during her 13 minute performance were impressive. However, the singing was just alright and the staging was bad.

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36Super Bowl LIII- Maroon 5 and Outkast (2019)

Outkast brought their “A” game but the rest of the show was fairly mediocre, as there was no need for Adam Levine to parade around shirtless for an extended period of time.

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37Super Bowl XXXII- Boyz II Men, The Temptations, Queen Latifah (1998)

One of the first halftime shows to feature a large medley of performers and the first-ever show to feature a rapper in Queen Latifah. However, the 60’s R & B aspects of this show seemed overdone after Diana Ross and James Brown performed in the two preceding Super Bowl halftime shows.

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38Super Bowl XXXV- Aerosmith, N’Sync, Brittany Spears, Mary J. Blige, Nelly (2001)

Not surprisingly, N’Sync’s performance but a damper on this otherwise good halftime show featuring a wide array of performances.

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39Super Bowl XLV- The Black Eyed Peas, Usher (2011)

“I got a feeling” at the end saved what was otherwise a lackluster halftime show.

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40Super Bowl II- Local Miami High Schools (1968)

This one was ranked lower than the other late 60’s super bowls because unlike what you will see across the internet, the Grambling Marching Band did not play at the halftime of this super bowl. They instead performed in the pregame show. As reported by the Washington Post, local high school marching bands performed at halftime of this game, making it the only super bowl that didn’t have professional or collegiate level halftime performance.

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41Super Bowl VIII- Texas Marching Band (A Musical America) (1974)

It was fitting that the first Super Bowl in the state of Texas featured the Longhorn marching band. However, the collegiate marching band halftime shows had grown tired by the mid 1970’s, as this was the second to last halftime show that was headlined by a marching bands wearing its traditional uniforms.

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42Super Bowl LV- The Weeknd (2021)

Covid-19 obviously limited what could be done in this show, but the staging was still very weird and the vocal performance was just okay.

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43Super Bowl XII- Apache Band with Pete Fountain and Al Hirt (From Paris to Paris of America) (1978)

New Orleans has traditionally done a good job of bringing a local flavor to their halftime shows and 1978 was no exception with the use of local jazz musicians Pete Fountain and Al Hirt. However, using a junior college band (Tyler Junior College’s Apache Band) to accompany them, was a little too “bush league” for the Super Bowl.

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44Super Bowl XXXIII- Gloria Estefan and Stevie Wonder (1999)

A nostalgia-driven show that epitomized the weirdness of the 90’s. Estefan was good but Wonder missed the mark.

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45Super Bowl XX- Up with People (Beat of the Future) (1986)

The tackiness of the 80’s is personified in this show- everything from the music to the dancing to the attire. Thank goodness this was the last Super Bowl halftime show that Up with People headlined as you will see that they are a consistent staple on the bottom portion of these rankings. This one is best of their halftime performances though because it featured some nice 80’s jams.

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46Super Bowl XLVII- Beyonce, Destiny’s Child (2013)

You know when you go see a movie that everyone else loves and you’re just not impressed with it? That describes my thoughts on this 2013 performance, as I believe it is the most overrated of all halftime shows. Beyonce doesn’t even attempt to lip sync most of it, as the chorus of her tracks play in the background through her over the top dance routines.

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47Super Bowl X- Up With People (Bicentennial) (1976)

This is another Up with People dud of a halftime show. However, the performances of “Country Roads” and “American the Beautiful” at the end made this one better than most of their other performances.

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48Super Bowl IX- Grambling State Marching Band (Tribute to Duke Ellington) (1975)

This was intended to be a great tribute to the jazz legend Duke Ellington, but it lacked creativity, originality, and energy. Collegiate marching bands had worn out their welcome at Super Bowl halftime shows by 1975, and this was the last halftime show in which a college band wearing its school uniforms headlined at the Super Bowl.

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49Super Bowl XIX- Tops In Blue (World of Children’s Dreams) (1985)

Overall it was really bad, packed with 1980’s cheesiness, excess, and cringe, but the “We are the Champions” performance saved it from being one of the all-time worst.

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50Super Bowl XLVIII- Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers (2014)

A bad mix of acts that was disappointing except for the military tribute at the end.

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51Super Bowl XIV- Up With People, Grambling Marching Band (Big Band Era) (1980)

Nothing says goodbye to the 1970’s and welcome to the 1980’s like a good ol’ fashion Conga line! This was Up with People’s worst Super Bowl performance that was only partially saved by a decent rendition of “Johnny B. Goode”.

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52Super Bowl LIX- Kendrick Lamar and SZA (2025)

Kendrick Lamar kicks off the section of the list which I consider to be really bad shows. This was one of the only Super Bowl halftime shows ever where I was not familiar with a single song that was performed. Maybe its a sign of the times that I am getting old, but this one just didn’t appeal to me. Also, this was the fifth halftime show in a row headlined by a modern R & B or rap act, so this style of show has grown a little tired.

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53Super Bowl XXVIII- Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt (1994)

90’s honky tonky country at its worst

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54Super Bowl LII- Justin Timberlake (2018)

It lacked the visual effects we expect to see in a modern halftime show, and Timberlake was surprisingly underwhelming in both his vocals and dance moves.

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55Super Bowl XIII- Ken Hamilton (Salute to Caribbean) (1979)

It starts with a horrible blend of Caribbean beats and ends with a singer who sounded like he belonged at a Mexican restaurant. When you mix in the cheesy staging that you would expect from a producer who has Disney roots, you get an all-time bad halftime show.

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56Super Bowl XI- Walt Disney “It’s a Small World” (1977)

Mickey Mouse Club from Hell

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57Super Bowl XXIII- Elvis Presto (1950’s Rock and Roll) (1989)

Who ever came up with the idea of having an Elvis impersonator both sing and perform bad magic tricks for the Super Bowl halftime show, should be fired.

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58Super Bowl XXV- New Kids on the Block (Small World Tribute) (1991)

What could be worse than an “It’s a Small World” themed halftime show like we say in 1977? A reboot of the “It’s a Small World” themed halftime that came in 1991. Add in a bad New Kids on the Block performance and you have an all-time bad Super Bowl halftime show. The cringe on this kid’s face really sums up the entire show. In fact, this one would probably rank as the worst all-time but for the patriotic tenor that was inserted into it because of the Gulf War.

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59Super Bowl XXIX- Patti Labelle, Tony Bennett (Indiana Jones) (1995)

Words can’t adequately describe how terrible this show was. You just kind have to watch it and wonder who thought this would be a good idea. And yes this photograph does depict a fake Indiana Jones standing with a fake Marion holding a fake Lombardi trophy next to the real Patti Labelle after a really bad re-enactment of the climactic scene of the then 11 year old Temple of Doom film. Again, who thought this work?

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