1967: Super Bowl I Begins With a Tradition
The first Super Bowl wasn’t exactly a must-see event for a nation in the throes of social upheaval. “The best shot of Al Hirt, the trumpeter, was from an angle that showed rows on rows of empty seats in the background,” a columnist for The New York Times griped the next day. Still, the debut halftime show set the precedent for the next two decades, featuring enthusiastic marching bands from Grambling State University and the University of Arizona playing pop hits directly on the field. (The Grambling band holds the record for most halftime shows played, with six, and most recently took the field in 1998.)
1972: Stars Arrive to Honor Satchmo
Unless you count Mr. Hirt (and you probably won’t), the halftime show’s first taste of celebrity came in its sixth year, when Carol Channing and Ella Fitzgerald were brought on to honor Louis Armstrong, who had died the year before. The relatively star-studded affair, which included a rendition of “Mack the Knife,” nonetheless failed to bring on a sea change — The Boston Globe called Ms. Channing’s performance “stupendously forgettable” the next day — and marching bands continued to dominate.
1976: Up With People Celebrate the Bicentennial
Brass instruments gave way to turtlenecks and awkward dancing for a performance saluting the nation’s bicentennial, delivered by the educational group Up With People, who preached unity and progress. The bland, wholesome group would perform three times in seven years, helping usher in the Reagan era.
991: New Kids on the Block Help Change Halftime’s Tune
The halftime shows of the ’80s were stuck in the past: There were tributes to the big band era, Hollywood’s Golden Age and Elvis Presley. These nostalgic doldrums were upended by the appropriately named New Kids on the Block. Members of the boy band, who were the highest-paid entertainers that year, pulled out all the stops for a show that proved to be the beginning of the halftime show’s modern era: there were lavish set pieces, fireworks, ridiculous costumes and a torch ballad (to tie in with a Disney theme, “It’s a Small World”). The following year, Gloria Estefan helped complete the halftime transition to the realm of radio pop.
1993: Michael Jackson Pioneers the Super Bowl Spectacle
Was this the greatest concert entrance ever? The King of Pop seemingly materialized on the top of Jumbotrons on opposite ends of the stadium before popping up onstage at midfield; he then held a fierce pose for nearly two minutes before busting a move into “Jam.” It was the first time, perhaps, that both the nation and the performer realized this was the biggest stage of them all, and Mr. Jackson wholly captured the format’s potential. After he performed a medley that also included “Billie Jean,” “Black or White,” “We Are the World” and “Heal the World,” the audience did not stop screaming until the Bills and the Cowboys retook the field.
1996: Diana Ross Starts a Soul Cycle
The previous year’s train wreck — an 11-minute advertisement for a Disney ride, in which Patti LaBelle, Tony Bennett and someone outfitted as Indiana Jones scurried about aimlessly — perhaps made the N.F.L. realize that adults watched the Super Bowl, too. The corrective was a joyous, if fairly rote, journey through many of Ms. Ross’s megahits. Her success on the Super Bowl stage led to a mini-soul-resurgence: The next three years featured James Brown, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder and the Temptations
2001: Aerosmith, ’N Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly Bring It All On
Motown was nice, but then again, why choose one when you can have it all? The halftime show’s maximalism hit its peak in 2001, a week before the bloated XFL began, and unfolded like one of Stefon’s “Saturday Night Live”-sketch nightclubs: a mustachioed Ben Stiller, a jazz-hands-ing Adam Sandler, a dance-off between Justin Timberlake and Steven Tyler, Britney preening, Mary belting and Nelly rapping. Somehow, a year after the turn of the millennium, it made perfect sense.
2002: U2 Soothes a Mourning Nation
U2 may be bad at technology, but they’ve always excelled at responding poignantly to tragedy, whether it be the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, Bloody Sunday or in this instance, the Sept. 11 attacks. The band churned out a no-frills three-song set, with the names of victims scrolling behind them, providing much-needed calm, uplift and optimism for a healing nation. “I’ll show you a place where there’s no sorrow or pain,” Bono sang, and for a moment, it was true.
2004: Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake Shock the World
It was a banner year for hip-hop pop. Nelly returned for “Hot in Herre,” Justin Timberlake sang “Rock Your Body,” and Kid Rock and Diddy also performed. You probably remember the rest.
2005: Paul McCartney Reclaims the Stage for Rock
After the wardrobe malfunction heard round the world, the N.F.L. needed a safe, traditional choice to soothe viewers who had been offended by Ms. Jackson and Mr. Timberlake’s salacious performance. Halftime producers delivered that and more with Mr. McCartney, the consummate showman, who dutifully trotted out Beatles cuts and a (literally) explosive sprint through “Live and Let Die,” a bruising anthem practically made for the gridiron. His solid performance set the tone for the next decade of rock ’n’ roll at the halftime show, from Tom Petty to the Who to Bruce Springsteen.
2012: Madonna Puts Ladies First
Given the N.F.L.’s heavily male viewership, it was quite a surprise to watch the Material Girl strut onto the field to “Vogue,” flanked by glittery, trumpet-wielding gladiators, and issue a proclamation: “Ladies, let’s get to it.” Madonna tossed aside the demographics challenge and dived into her act with aplomb, playing both cheerleader and conqueror with poise. She shuffled with LMFAO and held her ground when two attention-grabbing of-the-moment stars — M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj — shared the stage. M.I.A. walked away with most of the headlines after making an obscene hand gesture on the air, but Madonna deserves credit for bringing pop back to the Super Bowl.
2013: Beyoncé Sets a Fierce New Standard
For the first time since Michael Jackson’s performance, the N.F.L. handed the entire halftime show to an extraordinary generational talent at her peak. That the performance was expectedly flawlessdidn’t make it any less thrilling: Beyoncé delivered a Busby Berkeley tour de force of ascending key changes, leg kicks, hair tosses, harmonized bluesy riffs and overdubbed motivational speeches. Her bold rearrangements, creative use of video screens and eclectic song selection not only cemented her status as the standard-bearer for live music but turned the halftime show into an art project. Coldplay is very likely hoping she brings more of the same this year.
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