- the Listies
- Posts
- The Listies do Super Bowl Halftime Shows
The Listies do Super Bowl Halftime Shows
020925_Ranking Every Halftime Show of the 21st Century
the Listies
February 09, 2025
This Week: Weâre talking Halftime Shows!
The big game is finally here đ but if youâre anything like us, youâre probably more excited to see how the Halftime Show will go down with Kendrick Lamar at the helm than the game itself! That excitement got us thinkingâ
đđž Whatâs the best Halftime Show in modern memory?
đ¤ What can we expect from Kendrick Lamarâs performance?
đ¤ Who should headline the Super Bowl in 2026?
Well donât fret dear reader, because weâll be breaking down all of that and more! Itâs the Bridgestone* Super Bowl Halftime Show Edition of The Listies! đď¸
*not a sponsor ;)
đś RANKING EVERY SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW OF THE 21ST CENTURY
The 21st Century has now seen 24 Super Bowl Halftime Shows, so we figured this would be the perfect time to rewatch them all (a few times over, if weâre being honest) and rank them for worst to best đ
Now, we know everyone likes different music and this ranking definitely takes our personal taste into account, but we also tried to remain semi-objective about which shows were particularly well-produced or performed, regardless of our feelings about the headlining artist(s)
BeyoncĂŠ tops our list with her 2013 performance, which featured dynamite renditions of hits like âLove on Topâ, âCrazy In Loveâ and âHaloâ, but the highlight of her set came when Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland appeared for a surprise Destinyâs Child reunion on âBootyliciousâ and âIndependent Women Part Iâ that ended in a Charlieâs Angels pose.
It was a very close race between our #1 and #2 picks, and many fans may be surprised or upset that Prince didnât take our top spot, but we assure you it was a very hard decision. Princeâs 2007 performance was a watershed moment for the Halftime Show and it has only grown in viewersâ estimation since the legendary artistâs passing in 2016. His glorious set ends with the biggest showstopper in Super Bowl historyâa silhouetted Prince shredding on a love symbol-shaped guitar to Purple Rain in the actual rain.
Lady Gagaâs 2017 performance takes our third spot, as it improved on the âpop diva blueprintâ laid out by the likes of Madonna and Katy Perry by offering up an elaborately choreographed smorgasbord of camp that rarely diverged into cringe territory. Gaga also (probably?) holds the rare distinction of being the only person to have said the word âtransgenderâ live on air during a Super Bowl broadcast. Thatâs the kind of shit you can pull when you actually have your mic turned on (weâre looking at you, Madonna).
We covered the best of the best, but how about the worst? Well, there have been plenty of cringe moments/performances throughout Halftime Show historyâNSYNCâs sad incoordination, Madonna Party Rock Anthem-ing, basically everything Katy Perry did in 2015âbut the biggest flop has to be The Black Eyed Peas.
2011 was the Halftime Showâs first foray back into pop music since the infamous Justin Timberlake incident, as they attempted to appeal to a younger demographic and it literally could not have gone worse. The 13-minute performance was wrought with technical mishaps, shaky vocals, and awkward dance moves, all set to a medley of 2000s trash pop that has aged like unpasteurized milk. The only mild relief was a guest appearance from Usher, who gave an underwhelming preview to what his headlining halftime show would look like (hint: itâs a lot of dance moves that were considered sexy in the 2000s).
TOP 5 MEMORABLE HALFTIME SHOW MOMENTS 𤯠đş
We already dedicated some space to Prince in our ranking of the Best Halftime Shows, so can we talk about Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson for a minute?
In case you were living under a rock (or perhaps not born) in 2004, we are referring to the moment in which Justin Timberlake ripped off a section of Jacksonâs costume to reveal her right breast (with nipple cover) for a split second before she quickly covered it with her hand. This infamous âwardrobe malfunctionâ (which quite literally coined the term âwardrobe malfunctionâ) was a shitshow for all involved, but probably most damaging for Jackson unfortunately. In the decades since the show, public opinion has largely boomeranged to absolve Jackson of any culpability and criticize Timberlake for his tone-deaf response to his part in the event. Still, it is inarguably memorable and perhaps even the most consequential moment in all of Halftime Show history, as it influenced the producers to select legacy rock headliners for the next six years in an effort to appeal to a mass audience and avoid any further controversies.
Some other truly memorable moments include BeyoncĂŠâs surprise debut of Formation during Coldplayâs headlining spot, Lady Gagaâs wired descent into the stadium from on high, and the carefree Left Shark dancer whose out-of-sync movements became such a viral meme that it eclipsed the rest of Katy Perryâs regrettable performance
âď¸ TOP 5 THINGS TO EXPECT FROM KENDRICK âď¸
1. Yet another âNot Like Usâ victory lap
Kendrick Lamarâs âNot Like Usâ was already one of the biggest songs of 2024, and that was before it won five Grammy Awards, including Record and Song of the year. The Super Bowl was always going to be a victory lap for Kendrick, but now that his Drake diss has earned as many Grammy awards as Drake himself, I think weâll be hearing yet another crowd singing âA MINORRRRRRâ at full blast.
2. An âall-starâ collaboration from Kendrick and SZA
Kendrick has already confirmed that SZA will be performing alongside him at the Super Bowl, perhaps giving a sneak peak into what we can expect from their co-headlining tour later this year. These two longtime friends, collaborators, and former label-mates have released over a half dozen songs together, so who knows which one(s) weâll hear on Sunday nightâour money is on the global hit âAll the Starsâ or the newly released âlutherâ from Kendrickâs album GNX.
3. A sonic homage to the host city of New Orleans
Considering the fact that New Orleans will play host to this yearâs Super Bowl, we wouldnât be surprised to see some sort of homage to the city in Kendrickâs musical arrangements. We could see the rap superstar delving back into the world of jazz, as he did on To Pimp A Butterfly, or getting the saints marching in with some horns and drum lines. The latter option would lend itself well to the Mustard-produced tracks âNot Like Usâ and âtv offâ, and could even open the door for Kendrick to spotlight another West Coast rapper who has been playing with the marching band aesthetic as of lateâŚ
4. Some eye-popping guest appearances
While only SZA has been confirmed to be making an appearance during the show, we wouldnât be surprised to see a few other artists pop their heads up. Here are the most likely surprise guestsâ
Tyler, the Creator - The West Coast rapper just released a freestyle over Kendrickâs âhey nowâ beat, and his own 2024 album, CHROMAKOPIA, made prominent use of marching percussion and horn sections on tracks like the viral âStickyâ featuring GloRilla, Sexxy Red, and our next potential guestâŚ
Lil Wayne - Kendrick name-dropped the rapper on the opening track of âwacced out muralsâ, but it was more an acknowledgement than a diss. Lil Wayne previously felt like he should have received the opportunity to headline the Super Bowl in his home city and has publicly claimed he will not attend, but a Wayne guest appearance is still within the realm of possibilities.
Future and/or Metro Boomin - Considering the Drake beef kicked off with Kendrickâs feature on Future and Metro Boominâs song âLike Thatâ, we wouldnât be surprised to see one or both of these artists join Kendrick to perform the track on game day.
The West Coast Underground - Kendrick gave a lot of space and visibility to the West Coast on GNX, including features from a slew of lesser-known artists like Dody6, Lefty Gunplay, Wallie the Sensei, and AzChike. Perhaps we will see one or several of them make an appearance during the big show.
Halftime Show Returnees - Kendrick has collaborated with a number of artists who have previously headlined the Super Bowl, leaving the door open for a truly surprising appearance from the likes of The Weeknd, BeyoncĂŠ, Rihanna, and even U2.
5. âMUSTARDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!â
Donât let yourself get caught off-guard when 60,000 people yell the word âmustardâ during Kendrickâs set. If you donât know what this means, just listen to âtv offâ and youâll get the picture.
đ˛ WHO SHOULD HEADLINE THE SUPER BOWL IN 2026âAND WHY IS IT BRUNO MARS?
Reply