How Kendrick Lamar Ranks Alongside The 10 Best Super Bowl Halftime Shows

Hot on the heels of one of the most talked about Super Bowl performances of all time, Kendrick Lemar has tongues wagging about the quality of his 2025 halftime show all over the world. From the idea that Lil Wayne was dissed for not being selected in New Orleans, to the “will he/won’t he?” of “Not Like Us’s” inevitable airing, the cat has been frantic amongst the pigeons since the announcement of the Los Angeles rapper’s appearance at this year’s event. Now that the dust has settled on the performance itself, the chatter shifts to a wider conversation.

It’s often forgotten that the Super Bowl halftime show becoming a global event is a relevantly recent concept. Much of the NFL’s signature game’s entertainment between 1967-1990 was orchestral moments or tributes to cities, movies, and events. Taking in all of the various singers, bands, rappers, songwriters, and how bad that one Maroon 5 performance was, this is how Kendrick stacks up against all of the previous Super Bowl halftime shows.

10

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

Super Bowl XLIII (2009)

One of the greatest Americans to have ever walked the earth is a pretty good choice for the biggest day in the NFL’s calendar. Getting straight to the heart of the American tradition of Super Bowl Sunday, Bruce tells the folks at home to drop the guacamole and chicken tenders and give your heart and soul to rock n’ roll, all to the sound of “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out’s” almighty intro. It would be cheesy from mere mortals, but Springsteen’s unshakable charm and magnetism make every second of this set sparkle.

The appeal of The Boss and his troops is that they are the world’s greatest bar band let loose in stadiums all over the world. Their loosey-goosey approach couldn’t be more different to the military precision of the average choreographed Super Bowl set, but that’s its appeal. It’s soulful and untamed, much like Bruce himself, and Springsteen’s knee slide into the camera is the perfect blend of sports and entertainment. He then kicks into “Born to Run” and finishes with a phenomenal “Glory Days”, as a referee kicks them off the stage in hammed-up fashion — it’s just showing off, but damn it feels good.

9

Jennifer Lopez & Shakira

Super Bowl LIV (2020)

This 2020 celebration of Latin culture came in the aftermath of Maroon 5’s bloated snoozefest the year prior, and proved to be the perfect antidote. Enhanced by Miami’s enthusiasm for every second of it, this was booked at the height of the J-Lo revival, and had Shakira busting out a Greatest Hits collection, and stomping around to Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” felt monolithic. Throw in an epic cameo from Bad Bunny, live horns, and crowd surfing, all before Lopez hit the stage, and this was a party for the ages.

As for Lopez, it is easy to forget what a hit machine she was. This was a potent reminder of her one-of-a-kind talent and cultural significance, singing live and backed by a band that punched through the likes of “Get Right”, “Jenny from the Block”, and “On the Floor”. Shakira rejoining for a riotous final medley of “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)” and “Let’s Get Loud” followed by a “muchos gracias” is a spectacular way to climax too.

8

Bruno Mars

Super Bowl XLVIII (2014)

Speaking to multiple generations is one of the most difficult parts of a job like headlining the Super Bowl halftime show. Bruno Mars channeling the power of James Brown and Prince helped folks who’d never seen him understand his immense talent. Dressed contemporary but like he could be the lead act on The Ed Sullivan Show, this set did wonders for the public perception of Bruno Mars.

Opening the performance by playing drums was a masterstroke from the artist. The audience was forced to understand Bruno Mars is a musician, songwriter and performer, and to a percentage of the folks watching, that really matters. Mars was instantly seen as more than just a pop star, so when he then dazzles with a masterclass in pop songwriting, feelgood dancing and showmanship, it is one of the best nights of Mars’ whole career. Pick your own highlight, but the slap bass on “Treasure” leading into a surf-rock funk explosion on “Runaway Baby” is mmm mmm mmm.

7

U2

Super Bowl XXXVI (2002)

It’s easy to tell jokes about U2 forcing their way onto the public’s phones and then doing the same to their sporting events, but Bono and co. delivered one of the most poignant messages in Super Bowl history in 2002. This was a performance that was about America, more than art or sport. In the aftermath of 9/11, it simply had to be as Bono’s gospel tones on “MLK” cling to the skin and will not wash away.

As the band strikes up the intro to “Where the Streets Have No Name”, The Edge, Clayton, and Mullen build the momentum and tension, as Bono lets out an impassioned cry and the song lifts off. Much like their career-defining set at Live Aid, this moment of political and social confusion needed the right artist, and U2 is the perfect band to inspire the public in a moment of crisis. The names of victims of the New York tragedy is a timeless statement that will live in the memory for as long as the Super Bowl exists.

6

Lady Gaga

Super Bowl LI (2017)

There are all manner of cultural factors that go into making a Super Bowl halftime performance, but sometimes it’s allowed to just be about a superb collection of generational hits being played incredibly by a superhuman talent who understands the assignment attached. That largely sums up the 2017 performance from Lady Gaga. There are flashes of political statements in everything she does, but this is a performance where Gaga just kicks out the jams and delivers spectacle in immense fashion.

Flying in from the roof of Houston’s NRG, Lady Gaga stomping her way through “Born This Way” like a woman on a mission is special. It is detonated like a bomb, the anti-toxic BS anthem being blasted loudly and proudly in the setting it was birthed to be heard. This statement is followed up by the future-funk strut of “Telephone”, rocking a keytar for “Just Dance”, and setting a billion tear ducts off with “Million Reasons”, orchestrating to the world what a one-off Lady Gaga is.

5

Dr. Dre & Friends

Super Bowl LVI (2022)

The Super Bowl has always paid homage to the heritage artists who have spoken loudest to football fans. With more hit songs per minute than any Super Bowl performance has ever provided, Dr Dre and his all-stars finally saw hip-hop given the classic rock treatment. SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles bouncing like a lowrider to “California Love” and “The Next Episode” while Snoop and Dre grin like two men that know where they’ve come from and what they’ve achieved, is very much a moment.

Of all of the sets that have been about special guests, this set is Godzilla when it comes to big-name appearances. 50 Cent replicating the “In Da Club” video by hanging upside down in a makeshift lab, Mary J. Blige cranking out “Family Affair” (and “No More Drama” because why not?), Eminem, and Kendrick getting the Super Bowl bug on a show-stealing “Alright”. This is a blitz of talent and bangers that had the whole world paying homage to hip-hop-owning music in the 21st century.

4

Michael Jackson

Super Bowl XXVII (1993)

The Super Bowl halftime show had been a part of the NFL tradition since it took place, but these were very different times. From 1967-1990, the intermission for the sporting event was often based around a theme, as opposed to a musical artist. With tributes paid as Salutes to The 100th Anniversary of Hollywood, The ’60s and Motown, and The Big Band era, everything changed with Michael Jackson’s Super Bowl performance in 1993.

Dressed in the outfit that had led his Dangerous tour throughout the early 90’s, so many of the hallmarks of a Super Bowl show first happened here. MJ delivered a message to everyone with a heartfelt “Heal the World”, his creative entrance had fans guessing where he would emerge from, and his band and musicality were on full display. It helps when you can play “Billie Jean” and “Black or White” too.

3

Beyoncé

Super Bowl XLVII (2013)

Some artists come into the Super Bowl halftime slot with something to prove, but that could not be further from the case with Beyoncé. A master of her craft, it can be argued that nobody has shown this prestigious slot who is boss like Beyoncé. When that lineup contains a man whose nickname is The Boss, that’s quite impressive. A show of this magnitude is never “just another day at the office”, but damn, she really made it look like it.

Her live band was on fire throughout, and her dancers and choreography were spectacular, but every moment of this gargantuan production was commanded by Beyoncé. Showcasing an aggressive ragga tinge for a ferocious “Baby Boy”, leading into the guitar lick from Stevie Nicks’s “Edge of Seventeen” and Destiny’s Child getting back together for “Bootylicious” was fantasy booking the WWE could only dream of. What’s amazing is that Beyoncé could do this all over again with a completely different setlist and it could be as good if not better. Has anyone ever rocked the Super Bowl twice?

2

Kendrick Lamar

Super Bowl LIX (2025)

Scan every halftime performance and answer this question: how many times has the Super Bowl caught the best artist in the world at the peak of their powers? How many of the best halftime shows felt artistically viable and culturally significant (bordering on vital), while also giving the gossip and fashion columns plenty to talk about? Taste is subjective, but Kendrick’s performance ticked every box it is possible to tick in just over 12 mins.

It’s laughable to consider that hits were a problem, as Lemar made an artistic statement for the ages, blasting out the lead song from the billion-dollar-grossing Black Panther franchise, the neck-snapping beat to “Humble”, and the biggest song of 2024. The narrative of the whole performance was delivered with surgical precision, and employing the greatest tennis player of her generation in Serena Williams alongside one of Hollywood’s best actors ever in Samuel L. Jackson to carry out that vision is flexing on a biblical scale. And as for looking directly into the camera for “Not Like Us””? The evidence speaks for itself. Kendrick wins.

1

Prince

Super Bowl XLI (2007)

To those who appreciate musicians, the late Prince is something of a sacred entity. His work as a performer and showman are in the conversation with Freddie Mercury and Beyonce, his vocal range is as wide as the Atlantic ocean, he can play guitar as well as Hendrix, and the ivories like Rachmaninov or Little Richard depending on his mood that day. All that and a list a mile long more, and all of Prince’s brilliance can be found in this once-in-a-lifetime performance.

Even in a slew of legendary moments, this feels like Prince’s apex and the performance for which he will best be known. As the rain lashed down from the Miami sky, Prince put on a clinic that included covering Queen, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and the Foo Fighters, before the Florida A&M University Marching 100 Band accompanied the legendary artist on an earth-shattering “Purple Rain”. Its crescendo comes at the end of a unique moment in time, when Prince was so good that people could unanimously agree on one of these performances for once.