Halftime history

It’s Super Bowl season once again. The Cincinnati Bengals will face off against the Los Angeles Rams for the Lombardi Trophy. One of the most indispensable aspects of the Super Bowl is the halftime show. Depending on the viewer, the halftime show can make or break the whole Super Bowl. This year’s halftime show will be headlined by iconic artists Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar. In this article, I’ll be recapping some of the most iconic performances we’ve seen in the past.

2021 – The Weeknd

Last year, Canadian R&B singer Abel Tesfaye, more popularly known as The Weeknd, performed some of his greatest hits, such as “Starboy,” “Save Your Tears,” “The Hills,” and “Blinding Lights.” The Weeknd notably spent $7 million of his own money to make his performance what he wanted it to be. The performance was very well received, besides the part that polarized some fans and became a meme when Abel hijacked a camera while performing “Can’t Feel My Face.”

2014 – Bruno Mars

Back in 2014, the Hawaiian native headlined the show along with his band, The Hooligans. The show featured a guest appearance from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His performance of “Just the Way You Are” was met with the largest firework display in NFL history. This performance was met with mostly positive reviews, even though the involvement of the Red Hot Chili Peppers was met with controversy. Many thought their performance was unnecessary, and there were even accusations of them faking their performance.

1993 – Michael Jackson

The King of Pop was the first star to perform the halftime show, bringing the marching band era to an end. He performed some of his most iconic tracks, such as “Billie Jean” and “Black or White.” This performance received critical acclaim and has since been hailed as the greatest halftime performance of all time.

By Evan Majors