Reviewing Iconic Super Bowl Halftime Shows From the Past Decade

1) Super Bowl 2013 (Beyoncé w/ Destiny’s Child)

I’m not sure if this would even be in the last ten  years anymore, but I couldn’t write this article without mentioning it. I haven’t seen all of the Super Bowl halftime shows, but Beyoncé’s is, without a doubt, one of the best ever. The energy was electrifying the entire time, the set design was the perfect mix between incredible and not distracting, and Beyoncé was able to sustain sensational vocals while performing complex choreography.  That was another thing -- oftentimes backup dancers are doing really impressive choreography that pulls focus from the singer, who is usually doing a toned-down version of the same routine. This was not the case for Beyoncé, who was executing the same choreo as her dancers, and just as well; plus, she was singing the whole time. I can’t imagine how exhausted she must have been, but she didn’t let it show at all. Then, to top it all off, fellow Destiny’s Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams quite literally popped up from nowhere and performed alongside Beyoncé. An almost perfect performance, my only critique being that Rowland and Williams were very difficult to hear. However, the audience was going crazy in that already massive stadium, so I’ll give them a pass. 

2) Super Bowl 2016 (Coldplay w/ Bruno Mars & Beyoncé)

Super Bowl 50’s halftime show was certainly something special. The astonishing performance started with lead singer of Coldplay, Chris Martin, singing the opening chorus of “Yellow.” Afterwards, his bandmates joined him for “Viva la Vida,” “Paradise,” and “Adventure of a Lifetime.” It was quite uplifting, especially during “Viva la Vida,” but Chris Martin wasted a lot of his energy jumping around on stage, which made him sound out of breath when he was singing. Since he wasn’t doing any choreography, I think it might have been better if he’d just stayed still and focused on the vocals. Then, Bruno Mars and a squad of backup dancers came on the scene to sing “Uptown Funk.” Their performance was energetic and lively, and the choreography was excellent. This, unfortunately, made Coldplay’s act look lackluster by comparison (no shade to Coldplay, as they were still incredible, but Mars’ had a much flashier and more exciting performance). Then, Beyoncé strode out onto the field and just stole the show. Her vocals were phenomenal, though slightly less impressive than in 2013, but her choreography was even better. Again, the energy of her and Bruno’s performances sadly had the effect of making Coldplay seem underwhelming. They all joined each other on stage for a few more Coldplay songs while a montage paying tribute to past Super Bowl halftime shows played. The exhilarating show ended with the three performers and the band singing “Up & Up.” All in all, this show was incredible and inspiring, despite the fact that the headliners were upstaged by their guest stars. 

3) Super Bowl 2017 (Lady Gaga)

In my opinion, this is one of the best halftime shows in the history of the Super Bowl. Lady Gaga has always been an electrifying performer, and Super Bowl 2017 was no exception. She stayed true to her brand while still finding ways to surprise the audience. Opening on the roof of the stadium, Gaga delivered ridiculously incredible vocals on some patriotic numbers while a drone display of the American flag billowed behind her. She then jumped off the roof and spidered her way to a pillar, where she sang a line from “The Edge of Glory” and then “Poker Face.” She proceeded down to the main stage to sing several other hits, moving around to various set pieces and switching into two different outfits between songs. Her choreography was great and her vocals were better, though you could tell how tired she was during certain parts. Everything about this performance was just amazing -- the set pieces, the choreo, the singing, the light displays -- Gaga did it all. It was also one of the first halftime shows in years to not include guest acts, which really highlighted the talent of the main event. Often when a performer does really well, people will say that the Super Bowl itself was just an interruption of the halftime show. Lady Gaga is one of the few cases where I believe that to be true. 

4) Super Bowl 2022 (Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and  Kendrick Lamar w/ 50 Cent)

This astounding performance was the first ever Super Bowl halftime show to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live), and no one can question whether it deserved that award. Every single one of the acts killed it, and it truly seemed like each one was there to have a good time and celebrate Dr. Dre. Also, the show didn’t feel over-rehearsed, which helped make it seem like everyone wanted to be there. The set was rather understated considering some of the stuff we’ve seen in the past, but I think it actually helped by placing more emphasis on the performers. Since Lady Gaga in 2017, we hadn’t really had any standout halftime shows, and after two years of lockdown I don’t think anyone anticipated a smash hit, but the 2022 performance defied all expectations. Many halftime shows start off strong but struggle to keep their energy up, but this one maintained a liveliness that only continued to grow throughout the 15 minute act. This halftime show will go down in history, and I doubt it can be topped anytime soon.

5) Super Bowl 2023 (Rihanna)

This year’s halftime show was both amazing and underwhelming. Let me start by saying I love Rihanna and I know she’s an incredible entertainer, and I think she did a great job during the show. Although her choreography was pretty tame due to her pregnancy, she had the energy and the attitude, so even though her moves weren’t anything to write home about, she delivered them well. The set in this show, a long stage with floating platforms, was to die for. And of course the backup dancers were amazing as well. The biggest problem for me was that it seemed like she was lip syncing the entire thing. This isn’t inherently bad -- pretty much every single halftime show has some measure of backing track so that the artists can fall back on it when they need to do intense choreography. There have even been instances where singers have lip synced almost the whole way through their performance. The difference is that those singers were relying on lip syncing because of how much dancing they were doing. Rihanna was standing still for a good portion of her set, and most of her movements were just walking up and down the stage. You would think that, to make up for her lack of movement, she would be pulling out all the stops for her vocals, but she was doing virtually nothing. Now, no official statement has been made as to whether or not she was actually singing, but it definitely looked and sounded like she wasn’t. I really liked the performance otherwise though, and if she wasn’t lip syncing then I would say it definitely earned the spot of being one of the best in the past five years.