When people watch the Super Bowl, they have certain expectations. They want to see a great football game between two of the best teams in the NFL. They want to see the best commercials, and it’s a bonus if they’re funny as well.

Football fans—but especially their non-football fan friends and family—also want to see great musical performances at halftime by the biggest musical acts in the world.

Sometimes it is a massive disappointment, with The Black Eyed Peas widely considered the worst of all time and the New Kids on the Block failing to entertain fans during their heyday. However, the best Super Bowl halftime shows had almost everyone talking.

Here is our ranking of the top-10 best halftime performances in Super Bowl history.

10

Lady Gaga – Super Bowl LI (2016)

For many years, Lady Gaga was an acquired taste for many fans, but she has since become as much of a musical icon as anyone. She came out to perform at the Super Bowl LI halftime show, and many NFL fans at the time weren’t sure what to expect. At the time, she was as much known for her meat suits as she was for her music. Thankfully, fans had nothing to worry about.

Lady Gaga performed the National Anthem the year before at the Super Bowl, and she ended up turning in a masterful performance at her Super Bowl halftime show too.

She opened with a patriotic song, mixing “God Bless America” with “This Land Is Your Land,” possibly to win over the NFL hardcore fans, and then she launched into her own hits, including “Poker Face,” “Born This Way,” “Million Reasons,” and then “Bad Romance.” There were also drones forming American flags in the sky to add to the patriotic spirit.

9

Paul McCartney – Super Bowl XXXIX (2004)

Paul McCartney performing at the Super Bowl was almost an answer to the fans who ended up offended at the previous year’s performance. That was when Justin Timberlake accidentally exposed Janet Jackson on national TV. What better way to combat that than by bringing out one of the Beatles to perform a stripped-down rock show at halftime?

McCartney didn’t disappoint either. He came out and sang “Drive My Car” to open the show, proving he was there to have some fun. He also sang “Get Back,” his Wings hit “Live and Let Die,” and then finished off with a crowd-pleasing “Hey Jude,” which became a sing-a-long with the entire world.

8

Madonna – Super Bowl XLVI (2011)

Madonna was at the height of her popularity in the 1980s and early 1990s. She had a chance to do her Super Bowl halftime show in 2012, two decades after her peak, right before she released some new music. She proved that it was never too late to deliver an inspired show, as she strode out carried by Gladiators, and then launched into a performance of some of her most popular songs.

Madonna wasn’t alone ether, as M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj joined her for a rendition of her newest song at the time, “Give Me All Your Luvin.” LMFAO, Cee Lo Green, Jamie King, and Cirque du Soleil performers were also on hand. Madonna ended up singing “Vogue,” “Music,” “Open Your Heart,” “Express Yourself,” and “Like a Prayer” to finish things off.

7

Bruce Springsteen – Super Bowl XLIII (2008)

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band finally agreed to accept an invitation to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show following the 2008 season. Four years after Paul McCartney and three years after the Rolling Stones, the Super Bowl kept the classic rock acts coming and, once again, the veterans delivered on the big stage of the Super Bowl in front of a nationwide audience.

Springsteen was at his peak in the 1980s, thanks to his hit “Born in the USA,” but he chose not to sing that song at the Super Bowl. Instead, he turned in a set of four songs that included “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” “Born to Run,” “Working on a Dream,” and “Glory Days.” The Boss even changed the lyrics of that last song to feature lines about football.

6

Beyoncé – Super Bowl XLVII (2012)

Beyoncé was a special guest at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2016 with Coldplay and Bruno Mars. However, her true time to shine came at Super Bowl XLVII three years prior when she performed as the headlining act and delivered an amazingly inspired performance. She came out and sang “Crazy in Love,” “Baby Boy,” and “End of Time.”

However, on top of her own incredible live act, this was also a chance for Destiny’s Child to enjoy a reunion with Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams joining Bey on the stage. This show also included a lot more songs than usual. Destiny’s Child sang “Bootylicious,” “Independent Women,” and “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).” It all ended with Beyoncé singing “Halo” to finish a monster performance.

Related

Ranking the 10 Biggest NFL Player Rivalries of All Time

Iconic NFL player rivalries include historic QB battles, physical showdowns, intense faceoffs, and more.

5

The Rolling Stones – Super Bowl XL (2005)

Sometimes, what a Super Bowl needs is some good old-fashioned rock and roll. This happened at the Super Bowl XL halftime show when The Rolling Stones came out and performed some of their classics for fans. This was one year after Paul McCartney performed, giving the big game classic rock acts for back-to-back years. The Stones didn’t disappoint.

There was even a funny moment during the show where Mick Jagger joked they could have performed their next song at Super Bowl I, before launching into “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” The rest of their set included “Start Me Up” and “Rough Justice.” If there was one downfall to the show, it was the NFL using a five-second delay to censor any song lyrics considered explicit.

4

Dr. Dre & Friends – Super Bowl LVI (2021)

No one knew what to expect when Dr. Dre got the Super Bowl halftime show at Super Bowl LVI. Dre was bringing his friends, and this seemed like a show that the censors would need to keep a close eye on. While there was one controversial moment, the show itself ended up as a tremendous success with some of the best stars in rap and hip-hop history showing why they were the best in the game.

Snoop Dogg came out and rapped “California Love” with Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige sang “Family Affair,” Kendrick Lamar rapped “Alright,” and Eminem rapped “Lose Yourself.” It was here that Eminem dropped to a knee in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, angering some and delighting others around the NFL. 50 Cent also made an appearance, recreating an iconic shot from his megahit “In Da Club.” For anyone who loves rap, this was possibly the best Super Bowl halftime show ever.

3

Michael Jackson – Super Bowl XXVII (1992)

For years, there wasn’t anything special about the Super Bowl halftime show. That all changed after the 1992 season when the biggest musical star in the modern era made his way to the field to knock it out of the park. Michael Jackson performed at Super Bowl XXVII and blew everyone away. If there was any indication of how popular Michael was, it was shown when he came out to start and then stood completely still and quiet for 90 seconds as the fans serenaded him.

Then, MJ sang “Billie Jean” and “Black and White” before he went on to sing “Heal the World,” which was his message song at the time. This was the show that proved that if the Super Bowl brought in a mega-entertainer, they could keep everyone watching TV during the halftime show.

2

U2 – Super Bowl XXXVI (2001)

There was more to U2’s performance at the Super Bowl XXXVI halftime show than just a great performance. This was the Super Bowl four months after 9/11 and the nation was not only at its most patriotic, but also on high alert. However, what U2—a band that isn’t even from the United States—did was incredible. They put on a show that unified fans across the country.

U2 made their performance a tribute to the victims of 9/11 and did it by starting with the song “Beautiful Day.” When they sang “MLK,” they scrolled the names of the fallen at 9/11 on the giant screen. They sang “Where The Streets Have No Name” and Bono revealed the inside of his jacket had the American flag on it. U2 understood the assignment and knocked it out of the park.

1

Prince – Super Bowl XLI (2006)

The best Super Bowl halftime show of all time came after the 2006 season at Super Bowl XLI. This was the year that Prince took over the stage and owned it like only he could. However, what really made Prince’s performance so amazing was that, of the songs he performed, only half were his own songs and the rest were covers of beloved classic rock songs in Prince’s own unique style.

He also did his thing with the Florida A&M University marching band on the field, performing along with him. The set list was amazing. The songs he performed included “Let’s Go Crazy” and “Purple Rain,” the latter of which served as his finale and was performed as rain poured down on him.

The other songs he sang were Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary,” Bob Dylan’s “All Among The Watchtower,” and Foo Fighter’s “Best of You.” It was proof that Prince was still one of the best live performers of his era.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference and all contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless stated otherwise.

Related

NFL Teams With the Most Super Bowl Wins

Only four NFL franchises own five or more Super Bowl victories.