Super Bowl Halftime Shows: A 60-Year Snapshot of Culture, Change, and Global Sound - Super Bowl Halftime Show History
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I was born in 1960. The first Super Bowl was played on January 15, 1967—and for as long as the game has been “the big stage,” the halftime show has been a mirror of American pop culture (and, more often than people remember, world culture).
This year’s halftime show sparked a lot of noise online—especially around Bad Bunny headlining. So I pulled together a full, year-by-year list to see the bigger picture. And when you look at the timeline, one thing becomes obvious:
The NFL’s halftime stage has always been about more than football.It’s been marching bands, Broadway, jazz, Motown, country, pop, rock, hip-hop, Caribbean sounds, Latin music, and global stars—decade after decade and is part of Super Bowl Halftime Show History.
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX set was also widely watched—and the conversation around it (positive and negative) is part of what halftime has become: a cultural lightning rod.
From marching bands to megastars: the halftime show has always evolved
If you grew up with the early Super Bowls, you remember when halftime was built around marching bands and themed productions—often tied to regional culture and American musical history. In fact, Super Bowl I (1967) featured the University of Arizona and Grambling State marching bands along with Al Hirt.
By the 1970s and 1980s, themes regularly leaned into American heritage and regional traditions—including a “Tribute to Mardi Gras” as early as Super Bowl IV (1970) (a reminder that cultural celebration has been in the DNA of halftime for a long time).
Then, in the modern era, halftime became what we know today: a global entertainment event—one that regularly features artists with roots far beyond the continental U.S., and music that reflects the audience watching worldwide.
The full list (1967–2026) — in date order - Super Bowl Halftime Show History
(Compiled list of halftime performers / themes)
1967 I University of Arizona & Grambling State University marching bands; Al Hirt
1968 II Grambling State University marching band
1969 III Florida A&M University marching band
1970 IV “Tribute to Mardi Gras” (Marguerite Piazza, Doc Severinsen, Al Hirt, Lionel Hampton, Carol Channing; Southern Univ. Marching Band)
1971 V Southeast Missouri State marching band; Anita Bryant
1972 VI “Salute to Louis Armstrong” (Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Channing, Al Hirt; U.S. Marine Corps Drill Team)
1973 VII “Happiness Is” (Univ. of Michigan marching band; Woody Herman)
1974 VIII “A Musical America” (Univ. of Texas band)
1975 IX “Tribute to Duke Ellington” (Mercer Ellington; Grambling State band)
1976 X “200 Years and Just a Baby” (Up with People)
1977 XI “It’s a Small World” (LA Unified All-City Band; the New Mouseketeers)
1978 XII “From Paris to the Paris of America” (Tyler Apache Belles; Pete Fountain; Al Hirt)
1979 XIII “Super Bowl XIII Carnival” (Ken Hamilton; various Caribbean bands)
1980 XIV “A Salute to the Big Band Era” (Up with People; Grambling State Univ. marching bands)
1981 XV “A Mardi Gras Festival” (Southern Univ. marching band)
1982 XVI “A Salute to the 60s and Motown” (Up with People)
1983 XVII “KaleidoSUPERscope” (Los Angeles Super Drill Team)
1984 XVIII “Salute to the Superstars of the Silver Screen” (Univ. of Florida & Florida State Univ. marching bands)
1985 XIX “A World of Children’s Dreams” (Tops in Blue)
1986 XX “Beat of the Future” (Up with People)
1987 XXI “Salute to Hollywood’s 100th Anniversary” (George Burns, Mickey Rooney; Grambling State Univ. & USC Marching Bands)
1988 XXII “Something Grand” (The Rockettes; Chubby Checker)
1989 XXIII “Be Bop Bamboozled in 3-D” (Elvis Presto)
1990 XXIV “Salute to New Orleans” (+ Peanuts 40th) (Pete Fountain, Doug Kershaw, Irma Thomas)
1991 XXV “A Small World Salute…” (New Kids on the Block)
1992 XXVI “Winter Magic…” (Gloria Estefan; Brian Boitano; Dorothy Hamill)
1993 XXVII “Heal the World” (Michael Jackson; 3,500 local children)
1994 XXVIII “Rockin’ Country Sunday” (Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna & Naomi Judd)
1995 XXIX “Indiana Jones…” (Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, Arturo Sandoval, Miami Sound Machine)
1996 XXX “Take Me Higher…” (Diana Ross)
1997 XXXI “Blues Brothers Bash” (Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman, Jim Belushi; James Brown; ZZ Top)
1998 XXXII “Motown’s 40th…” (Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves, The Temptations)
1999 XXXIII “Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing” (Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Savion Glover)
2000 XXXIV “A Tapestry of Nations” (Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton; 80-person choir)
2001 XXXV “Kings of Rock and Pop” (Aerosmith, ’N Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Nelly)
2002 XXXVI “Tribute to those killed in the September 11 attacks” (U2)
2003 XXXVII Shania Twain; No Doubt; Sting
2004 XXXVIII Janet Jackson; Kid Rock; P. Diddy; Nelly; Justin Timberlake
2005 XXXIX Paul McCartney
2006 XL The Rolling Stones
2007 XLI Prince (feat. Florida A&M marching band)
2008 XLII Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
2009 XLIII Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
2010 XLIV The Who
2011 XLV The Black Eyed Peas (feat. Usher, Slash)
2012 XLVI Madonna (feat. LMFAO, Cirque du Soleil, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., CeeLo Green)
2013 XLVII Beyoncé (feat. Destiny’s Child)
2014 XLVIII Bruno Mars (feat. Red Hot Chili Peppers)
2015 XLIX Katy Perry (feat. Lenny Kravitz, Missy Elliott)
2016 50 Coldplay (feat. Beyoncé, Bruno Mars)
2017 LI Lady Gaga
2018 LII Justin Timberlake (feat. The Tennessee Kids)
2019 LIII Maroon 5; Travis Scott; Big Boi
2020 LIV Shakira & Jennifer Lopez (feat. Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Emme Muñiz)
2021 LV The Weeknd
2022 LVI Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar (feat. 50 Cent, Anderson .Paak)
2023 LVII Rihanna
2024 LVIII Usher
2025 LIX Kendrick Lamar (feat. SZA)
2026 LX Bad Bunny (feat. Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin)
Why this matters (and why it belongs on BBL)
At BBL (BidBuyLive) we’re all about the stories behind pop culture—music, memorabilia, magazines, vinyl, and the moments people argue about today… and collect tomorrow.
Halftime shows are exactly that: culture you can timestamp and part of Super Bowl Halftime Show History!
Your turn
What was your favorite Super Bowl halftime performance—and why?
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