The 2024 Super Bowl is almost upon us but as music fans, what we really care about is the halftime show. For Super Bowl LVIII, Usher will perform. Taylor Swift will likely be in the stadium rooting on her boyfriend, tight end Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, but Swift won't join Usher on stage (we do not think).
Usher has a lot to bring if he wants to end up on any list of best halftime shows ever. Obviously, sponsor Apple Music wants Usher to do well (and then have people go to iTunes and buy a lot of songs and Usher albums), and they likely have high expectations. Usher is a fantastic performer after all.
But who are the ten best halftimes performers ever? And how much better in number one on the list than number two? Here are my guesses.
The best Super Bowl halftime shows from No. 10 to the greatest
No. 10 - Paul McCartney (2005 - Super Bowl XXXIX)
Perfect Paul. He did not try to overdo anything because, well...he never does. He simply came out and played a bunch of hits with the highlight being "Live and Let Die." As great as a musician as McCartney always has been (incredibly underrated as a bassist) as well as knowing how to write a catchy tune, McCartney also has perfected the role of an understated performer. He was terrific.
No. 9 - Rolling Stones (2006 - Super Bowl XL)
The Rolling Stones were quite the opposite of the McCartney and Beatles in many ways, of course. The Beatles borrowed from pop and the Stones stole from R&B. But on stage, Mick Jagger turned into one of the best - if not the best - frontmen in rock history. Jagger and his pals did not let the crowd stop dancing.
"Start Me Up" was a perfect opener. When Jagger said before "Satisfaction" that he could have performed the song at halftime of Super Bowl I he was both speaking the truth and being funny. Plus, he danced as well in 2006 as he would have in 1965. The Stones have always been one of the best live bands in rock and they did not disappoint at the Super Bowl.
Best Super Bowl halftimes - 8 through 6
No. 8 - Rihanna (2023 - Super Bowl LVII)
Rihanna decided to make her concert comeback at the Super Bowl halftime and it was a wise choice. She had not performed anywhere in five years, but one would not have known it. She was in complete control of her performance and the crowd. Her best song might have been "Diamonds" which was highlighted by fireworks. Magical.
No. 7 - Lady Gaga (2017 - Super Bowl LI)
Lady Gaga in all her perfect spaciness landed at Super Bowl halftime and was a non-stop go-go. There is one thing that is inarguably true about the performing and that is that she knows how to entertain. She went full solo on stage as well, except for her acolytes, of course. No Beyonce on "Telephone" but Queen Bee was not needed; Gaga pulled the song off all by herself. Perhaps Gaga's best moment was "Born This Way" which sounded aggressively radical and overly positive. Magnificent.
No. 6 - Beyonce (2013 - Super Bowl XLVII)
Speaking of Queen Bee, the Superdome just seemed to be the perfect place for her to perform. She has the right vibe for New Orleans but knows how to get all the suit and ties who got tickets from their corporations up and moving. "Crazy in Love," "Independent Women," "Baby Boy"? All winners. But "Halo" was the highlight as it would be for most human beings.
Best Super Bowl halftimes - 5 though 3
No. 5 - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (2009 - Super Bowl XLIII)
Is there really any way Bruce Springsteen could have gone wrong? Even on his worst nights, he is probably better than 99 percent of other artists could ever hope to be. Straight-forward, electric performances are what the Boss is known for and he did not disappoint. "Born to Run" seemed made for a football game. Springsteen even slightly changed up the lyrics to "Glory Days" from a baseball reference to a football one. Each song in his 14-minute set was a banger.
No. 4 - Shakira and Jennifer Lopez (2020 - Super Bowl LIV)
The game was not awful as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the first meeting of the teams in the Super Bowl. 2024 will be the rematch. But the game did not match the energy of these two ultra-fit ladies who rocked through 17-plus tracks in less than 15 minutes. The charisma of either Shakira or Lopez is enough to light up one stadium but together? I am surprised the power did not go out at Hard Rock Stadium.
No. 3 - Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, and Kendrick Lamar (2022 - Super Bowl LVI)
I will be honest. When I first heard this would be the halftime show I had little hope that this could come together cohesively. But I underestimated not the producers of the halftime show but the performers themselves. I should not have doubted such greatness. Each artist took their turn of brilliance but Anderson .Paak might have stolen the show with his drumming. That is how great he was.
Best Super Bowl halftimes - the top two
No. 2 - U2 (2002 - Super Bowl XXXVI)
U2's performance was more important than just a Super Bowl halftime. This came just a few months after 9/11 and many artists did not want to do the gig. Janet Jackson was originally scheduled to perform but decided to drop out after 9/11. That was selfish. U2 turned the moment into what it should have been, something Jackson was likely incapable of. Instead, U2 found the right tone to honor those who had passed during 9/11 but also find a way to look positively into the future.
They start with "Beautiful Day" and then turned to "MLK" with a curtain showing the names of the dead while the song played. The moment was emotionally cathartic and extremely well-done. But going smoothly from "MLK" to "Where the Streets Have No Name" and ending the show with Bono opening his jacket to reveal and American flag sown in showed that the Irish band had a better feel on what America needed than American artists did.
No. 1 - Prince (2007 - Super Bowl XLI)
There is Prince's halftime performance and then there is everyone else that has ever performed. There is a chasm between the quality of Prince's performance and U2's and U2 is still the second-best Super Bowl halftime show ever. Prince not only turned in one of the best halftime performances ever but one of the best gigs ever recorded. He put on a masterclass of what entertainment is supposed to be.
And he did it all in a thunderstorm while wearing boots on a slick surface. He did not just do a greatest hits sets, either. He covered the Foo Fighters' "The Best of You," and Jim Hendrix' (via Bob Dylan) "All Along the Watchtower." No one else - and I mean no one else - could have completed a turn of Queens' "We Will Rock You" into "Let's Go Crazy" more seamlessly. This was not just a great halftime show; this was literally the best humanity can do.