The extraordinary evolution of Super Bowl halftime shows

The roster of performers for the first 10 years of halftime shows was filled with marching bands and jazz performers with only sporadic appearances by genuine celebrities. Occasionally there would be some extra dramatic flourishes thrown in, like men flying on jetpacks in 1967 or a brief reenactment in 1970 of the Battle of New Orleans, but the scope of these productions was tiny relative to what halftime would later become.

By the late 1970s, with viewership for the Super Bowl nearly double what it had been 10 years earlier, halftime shows had started to shift away from the marching-band-centric college football model. In their place came a series of variety show-style musical reviews with themes like “A Salute to the 60s and Motown” and “Beat of the Future.” This was the heyday of Up With People, a non-profit organization with an achingly-earnest message of harmony through the power of music.

Producers also began to weave gimmicky features into shows to liven things up. All 105,000 people in attendance at the 1983 Super Bowl were given colorful cards so they could take part in that year’s “KaleidoSUPERscope” theme. Chubby Checker, pictured above, starred in the “Something Grand” review alongside 88 grand piano players in 1988. The next year’s “Be Bop Bamboozled” show, led by a lip-syncing Elvis Presley impersonator, was the first network broadcast in 3D.

This period is frequently considered to be the low point for Super Bowl halftimes — the San Francisco Chronicle described 1989’s 3D extravaganza as an “atrocious stab at entertainment.” That left NFL broadcasters vulnerable to competitors who offered something more engaging than a medley of cheesy hits. Fox, a fledgling competitor to the big three networks at the time, seized on this opportunity in 1992 by airing a live episode of its sketch comedy show “In Living Color” in direct competition with the official halftime show airing on CBS. More than 20 million people tuned in, robbing CBS of about one-fifth of its audience for the main broadcast. Fox’s gambit was a “major wake-up call” for the big networks, who knew they needed to make serious changes to keepp viewers from reaching for the remote.

The Super Bowl halftime show changed forever the moment that Michael Jackson burst onto the stage — literally — to launch his iconic performance at the Rose Bowl in 1993. After spending the previous decade coming up with elaborate tricks to infuse excitement into lackluster spectacles, the NFL had solved its halftime woes by doing something incredibly simple — having the world’s most captivating pop star do what he did best.

Rather than bleeding viewers once the players left the field, the audience actually grew by more than 10 million people at halftime. According to Neilsen, the 1993 halftime show on its own is one of the 20 most-watched U.S. television broadcasts of all time, surpassed only by recent Super Bowls, major news events and the M*A*S*H finale.

The King of Pop’s thrilling performance sent a clear message that stars are a must-have for any halftime show. It took a few years, though, before the league fully shook off its impulse toward campy theatrics. The ensuing years included concerts by the likes of Diana Ross, Christina Aguilera and Stevie Wonder. But they also featured an Indiana Jones-themed adventure designed to promote a new ride at Disneyland and a “Blues Brothers Bash” headlined by Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman.

By the turn of the millennium, the formula for success was well established. The gimmicks were gone and halftime was all about having the biggest stars of the day perform their biggest hits on the nation’s biggest stage. The league might have stuck with this approach indefinitely were it not for Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction in 2004, which set off a nationwide scandal and prompted broadcasters to start booking less risky acts to headline their halftime shows.

After the drama that erupted in response to Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction, Super Bowl halftimes underwent a notable shift to a brand of artist that was less likely to inspire bad press. That meant digging into the past.

Between 2005 and 2010, halftime shows featured tried-and-true rock bands that — despite being well past their peak in popularity — were still huge acts in their own right. This safer era started with Paul McCartney, then moved on to the Rolling Stones the next year before eventually featuring the Who, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen. The notable exception to this trend was Prince, who courted controversy throughout his career and gave what is widely considered to be one of the greatest halftime performances ever in 2007.

The nostalgia rock period only lasted a few years. Before long, the list of older bands that could warrant such a huge spotlight was running out and interest among younger viewers had waned significantly.

In 2011, the Black Eyed Peas were brought to kick off a “generational shift” for Super Bowl halftime. After years of classic rock acts that were more appealing to older Americans, the NFL was back to booking artists that were at the top of the charts. Though the group’s performance mostly received lackluster reviews, they initiated a decade of pop dominance.

Our culture’s engagement with halftime shows also changed dramatically during this period. Thanks to the rise of social media, the show wasn’t just about the performance. It was also fodder for moments and memes that spread far beyond the audience watching on TV. This was the era of Beyonce’s Formation, Katy Perry’s left shark, Lady Gaga’s rooftop plunge, a shirtless Usher and The Weeknd getting lost in a maze of lights.

It’s too early to label the current era, but the trend so far suggests that it may be remembered as the years when hip-hop was in command.

Nostalgia once was again at the center of Super Bowl halftime in 2022. This time, though, it was hip-hop legends Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem on stage rather than classic rock stars. The following two years were headlined by Rihanna and Usher, whose hits straddle the line between hip-hop and pop.

Now it’s Kendrick Lamar’s turn. Just one week after winning five Grammys, rap’s biggest star will put on a show that — whatever happens — will feel like it’s from a different universe than the modest, traditional halftime shows that used to fill time between quarters of America’s premier sporting event.