Best and worst Super Bowl halftime shows
By Stephanie Goldberg, CNN
updated 9:34 AM EST, Fri February 1, 2013
While Beyonce may have caused some controversy after lip syncing the national anthem at President Obama's inauguration on January 21, there's no question the 31-year-old is a consummate entertainer. The question is, how will her performance at Super Bowl XLVII rank on this list? Let's look back at the most memorable halftime shows through the years.
Thanks to Michael Jackson's game-changing 1993 performance, during which he sang hits including "Black or White" and "Billie Jean," Super Bowl halftime shows became as significant a draw for viewers as the football game itself.
Britney Spears, Aerosmith, 'N Sync, Mary J. Blige and Nelly put on an entertaining show in 2001, performing hits like "Bye Bye Bye" and "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," but it was the big finale where the entire group sang "Walk This Way" that puts this performance into the halftime hall of fame.
At the first Super Bowl after 9/11, U2 performed a tribute to those lost in the attacks. As the band played "MLK," the names of victims appeared on a screen. The show ended with a stirring version of "Where the Streets Have No Name," and Bono revealing the American flag in the lining of his jacket.
After Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" the year before, Paul McCartney's 2005 performance was a show everyone could get behind. McCartney took the stage to play fan favorites like "Live and Let Die," "Drive My Car," "Hey Jude" and other Beatles classics.
In addition to his own hits "Let's Go Crazy," "1999" and "Purple Rain" (in the rain), Prince used the 2007 halftime show to masterfully weave in other artists' classics like Queen's "We Will Rock You," Tina Turner's "Proud Mary" and Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower."
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band took the stage in 2009, the same year he released his 16th studio album, "Working on a Dream." He urged viewers to "put your chicken fingers down and turn the television set all the way up," before launching into hard-rocking hits such as "Born to Run" and "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out."
In 1989, Elvis Presley impersonator Elvis Presto took to the Super Bowl stage in head-to-toe gold lamé to perform "the world's largest card trick" among a bevy of Solid Gold dancers.
Talk about a family-friendly halftime show. Mickey Mouse and a bunch of children opened for New Kids on the Block in 1991. NKOTB, who performed "Step by Step" and "This One's for the Children," can't be held accountable for landing on this list. They did the best they could, considering the large number of actual kids on their block.
In 1997, Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman and Jim Belushi performed as The Blues Brothers. The men looked like they were having a blast, but it was still one of the weakest halftime shows to date.
In 2000, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Phil Collins and Toni Braxton performed in another Disney-themed halftime show. The concept was "Tapestry of Nations" and included a song called "Reflections of Earth" and narration by actor Edward James Olmos. Need we say more?
The 2011 halftime show showed promise. The crowd was pumped as the Black Eyed Peas entered from the ceiling, but once they hit the stage, things fell apart. Not even hundreds of dancers clad in glowing green lights could save this performance.
In 2004, Janet Jackson, Diddy, Nelly, Kid Rock and Justin Timberlake put on quite a performance for viewers - although it doesn't much matter what they sang since the show will be forever remembered for Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction."
Best (and worst) halftime shows
King of halftime
Rock this way
Beautiful day
Beatlemania
Purple reign
Glory days
Gridiron groans
The kids are (just) all right
Feeling blue
Deadly serious
Where is the love?
Boob tube
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