Related video: Hundreds of Taylor Swift fans line up for merch at Raymond James Stadium
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Every year, millions of football fans and families gather around the television to feast their eyes upon the Super Bowl contenders and witness the iconic Super Bowl Halftime Show.
In 2023, Rihanna took center stage and shocked fans with her stunning performance and pregnancy announcement. The year before, Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, and 50 Cent stole the show with their all-star collab.
Aside from the game’s highlights and hilarious Super Bowl commercials, it could be argued that some of the most memorable parts of the game are the halftime show.
In honor of this year’s Super Bowl LVIII performance, WFLA is taking you back to the past and looking at the artists you forgot performed at the halftime show.
1993: Michael Jackson
Starting strong is the King of Pop’s performance. In 1993, Michael Jackson performed “Heal the World,” a song the star had written for his charity organization, which aimed at protecting the rights of children.
Jackson was joined by 3,500 local children for the halftime performance. He also sang his iconic hits “Billie Jean,” “Black or White,” “Jam,” and “We Are the World” with the children’s choir.
2000: Phil Collins, Christiana Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton
The 2000 Super Bowl was inspired and centered around Walt Disney World’s Millennium Celebration, which was held at the Epcot amusement park in Florida. It was a celebration of the “human spirit” around the world.
The show featured an 80-member choir, a duet with stars Christiana Aguilera and Enrique Iglesias.
Phil Collins then performed “Two Worlds” from the Tarzan soundtrack. Singer Toni Braxton also performed before Aguilera, Iglesias, and Collins rejoined her on stage to close out the show.
2001: Aerosmith, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly
In true early 2000s fashion, *NSYNC opened the 2001 Super Bowl with their classic “Bye Bye Bye.” The boy band was followed up by Aerosmith, who sang “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” which transitioned back into *NSYNC performing “It’s Gonna Be Me.”
Aerosmith and *NSYNC had a dance battle to “Walk This Way” before icons Britney Spears and Mary J. Blige and rapper Nelly surprised the crowd, closing out the halftime show.
2003: Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting
“LET’S GO FOOTBALL!” In one of the most mixed-match halftime performances, country singer Shania Twin kicked off the Super Bowl XXXVII Halftime Show with her iconic song “Let’s Go Girls!”
Twain’s energetic persona lit up the stadium, especially when she brought out No Doubt, who performed their hit “Just a Girl.” To top it all off, Sting made an appearance, singing “Message in a Bottle.”
2006: The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones gave an electric performance during the Super Bowl XL Halftime Show. Nearly 90 million people tuned in to watch the spectacle.
The rock group performed just three songs atop a stage shaped like their logo: “Start Me Up,” “Satisfaction,” and ended with “Rough Justice.”
2007: Prince
Prince’s Super Bowl halftime performance is widely considered one of the best halftime shows of all time. He opened the show with a bang (literally), with an explosion as he walked out onto a smoke-filled stage for a cover of Queen’s “We Will Rock You.”
He sang mixes of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” and Foo Fighter’s “Best of You.” The “Little Red Corvette” singer closed the halftime show with his iconic song “Purple Rain” with a jaw-dropping guitar solo in the rain.
2011: The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyes Peas brought the year 3008 to the Super Bowl XLV with a futuristic performance of their hits “I Gotta Feeling” and “Boom Boom Pow” before bringing out Slash for a duet with Fergie.
For another surprise, The Black Eyed Peas brought out Usher, who sang “OMG.” Fans will get to see the “Caught Up” singer perform again, but this time on his own as he’s set to perform at this year’s Super Bowl.
2012: Madonna
Strike a pose! Madonna stunned fans as she entered her halftime performance dressed as a Greek goddess, singing her hit “Vogue” while being pulled by Spartan soldiers.
The singer brought out M.I.A, who sang “Gimme Your Luvin” with Nicki Minaj. Madonna was also joined by LMFAO for a mashup with “Party Rock Anthem.”
2015: Katy Perry
Katy Perry’s performance was actually pretty memorable. Between the giant lion puppet and the infamous left shark meme, the “Roar” singer put on a show-stopping performance.
Aside from Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliot also made cameos throughout the show.
2017: Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga gave an all-time performance at the halftime show. Beginning her performance at the top of the stadium singing “God Bless America,” she then jumped off the stadium and landed into her pop-hit “Just Dance.” Gaga gave it her all, dancing and singing while doing acrobatics.
Super Bowl LVIII
This year’s Super Bowl will be held on Sunday, Feb. 11, at 6:30 p.m. as the San Francisco 49ers and Kanas City Chiefs face off at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
