The Super Bowl battle between the 49ers and the Chiefs is days away, so that can only mean one thing: The Super Bowl halftime show is upon us. Usher is set to take the stage for the big event, gearing up to sing some of his biggest hits such as “Yeah!” and “DJ got us fallin’ in love.”
Over the years there have been many different artists who have performed at this prestigious event, from Michael Jackson to The Rolling Stones. This is one of the most anticipated concerts each year and there is no telling how good it will be. Luckily, there have been some absolute grand slams over the years. Today, we will be looking at the top three of all time.
#3: Dr. Dre and Friends (2022)
Dr. Dre was rushed to the hospital for a life-threatening brain aneurysm on Jan. 4, 2021. He performed for the Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 13, 2022. A little over a year after confronting death’s door, Dre performed one of the most electric shows of all time with some of his closest friends. This was also a celebration of an entire genre of groundbreaking music. Dre and Snoop Dogg performed “The Next Episode” and “California Love” before passing it off to 50 Cent, who was unannounced for the performance, so he could sing “In Da Club.” Mary J. Blige was next, as she added some R&B flavor to the show. She performed “Family Affair” and “No More Drama” while Kendrick Lamar was on the lower field getting ready. Lamar performed “m.A.A.D City” and “Alright” with help from talented background dancers showcasing his rapping ability. Eminem performed his biggest hit “Lose Yourself” before bringing the attention right back to the man of the hour. Dre and the gang sent the audience home happy with a huge performance of “Still D.R.E.” Everything about this performance was perfect and demands a rewatch nearly every month.
#2: U2 (2002)
In February of 2002, the United States was still in disarray after the events of 9/11. The citizens of the country were more united than ever and that was truly evidenced during U2’s halftime show. Who knew the most patriotic show about the United States would be by an Irish band? The halftime show was relatively short with the band only performing three songs, but those three songs were powerful choices. They began with “Beautiful Day,” an anthem about seeing the beauty in ordinary things despite the pain we might be feeling. The next song was “MLK,” a song taken word-for-word from a speech by Martin Luther King Jr. The song is about fighting for dreams despite the world trying to bring you down, an exceptional allegory for how the American people were feeling at the time. They closed with “Where the Streets Have No Name” while the names of all of the American victims of 9/11 were showcased on a screen behind the band. The show concluded with U2 front man Bono lifting up his jacket to reveal the inside lining was of the American flag. It was a powerful and emotional performance that led to many people at home and in the audience weeping for the remainder of the game.
#1: Prince (2007)
There are a lot of things that could have gone wrong with this show. The weather was dreary and downpouring. Prince only performed half original songs, the others were covers. Prince’s unpredictable nature made people in production uneasy about what might happen. All of this could have hindered the performance, but it didn’t. It made it 1000% better. The show started with the intro to “We Will Rock You” by Queen filling the stadium before Prince appeared on the stage designed as his signature symbol to perform “Let’s Go Crazy.” If you thought that Springsteen had energy in performance, you had not seen anything yet. Prince brought an energy that could only be described as otherworldly, leading the crowd in a call and response that shook the rafters. Suddenly, the Florida State University Marching Band made their way to the stadium as Prince performed a medley of his songs “1999” and “Baby I’m a Star,” before covering “Proud Mary.” He then covered the song “All Along the Watchtower,” made famous by both Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, showcasing his severely underrated guitar abilities.
He then performed the Foo Fighters classic “Best of You” which was only about a year old at the time. He closed the show with his signature song “Purple Rain.” The weather had stayed pretty calm throughout the show but started to rain down during the finale, showcasing one of the finest performers to grace the Earth in all of his glory. The performance of “Purple Rain” in the pouring rain is one of the single coolest things that anybody has ever done and is just a minor reason that this show is so great. Everything about this show is phenomenal and that is why this takes the #1 spot. This will forever be regarded as the time they played a football game before and after a Prince concert.
