SUPER BOWL SHOWTIME!
IT’S BEEN 14 YEARS SINCE JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE EXPOSED JANET JACKSON’S BREAST AT SUPER BOWL XXXVIII, A ‘WARDROBE MALFUNCTION’ ON PAR WITH POLITICAL CRISIS, APPARENTLY, AND THUS DUBBED NIPPLEGATE. MELISSA HANK TAKES A LOOK BACK AT THE FLASHY HALFTIME PERFORMAN
2005:
What better way to make sure nipples stay neatly tucked away than hire a 60-something British guy for the gig ? Safety followed scandal, as Paul McCartney let rip with a tried-and-true set including Drive My Car, Get Back, Live and Let Die, and Hey Jude. But hey, there was an LED stage!
2010:
Some critics claimed The Who mailed in their performance, but at least the stage was cool — the band was perched on a platter that looked like a pulsing speaker, and there were lasers. Lasers! Plus, if you got bored, you could just imagine watching a show from the CSI franchise: theme songs Baba O’Riley, Who Are You and Won’t Get Fooled Again all made the set list.
2014:
Ever the entertainer, Bruno Mars lit up the night with Locked Out of Heaven, Treasure, Runaway Baby and Just the Way You Are. Red Hot Chili Peppers jumped out — enthusiastically shirtless, despite the cold — for a version of Give it Away. Minor controversy swirled when viewers realized the Peppers weren’t playing their instruments.
2007:
You couldn’t have scripted it better if you tried. Prince, pint-sized yet powerful, belted out Purple Rain in a downpour. Throw in a marching band and a guitar many likened unto a giant phallic symbol (so much for a scandal-free show) and it was a spectacle to remember.
2011:
Poor Black Eyed Peas. For all the hate the group got for its performance, you’d think critics delivered those black eyes themselves. The cover of I’ve Had the Time of My Life was lame — right hook! The light-up suits were gimmicky — left hook! Slash and Fergie butchered Sweet Child o’ Mine — KO! Down for the count.
2015:
This is the Super Bowl halftime show that gave us Left Shark, the Katy Perry backup dancer wearing a shark costume who went rogue with the choreography during Teenage Dream. Instantly meme-worthy, Left Shark became a symbol of independence, an imperfect underdog in a world that demands perfection. Or something like that. Oh, and Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott showed up.
2008:
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers offered up a four-pack of greatest hits: American Girl, I Won’t Back Down, Free Fallin’ and Runnin’ Down a Dream. Straight-ahead and solid.
2012:
You want spectacle? You got spectacle. Madonna did her best Cleopatra homage, along with LMFAO, Cirque du Soleil, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., CeeLo Green, cheerleaders and a gospel choir. But for all that, the moment that made headlines was when M.I.A. flipped the bird in front of a TV camera. Cue the US$1.5-million lawsuit from the NFL.
2016:
Sure, Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson were there, but this was Beyoncé’s moment — again. Bey gave viewers a taste of Lemonade, her second visual album. The song Formation was a bold Black Lives Matter anthem, one reminiscent of the Black Panthers, which instantly begat controversy. Police unions across the states called for protests, and some even tried to picket the NFL.
2009:
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band cranked out 10th Avenue Freeze Out, Born to Run and Glory Days. But when The Boss gives orders, you best obey: “I want you to step away from the guacamole dip!” he yelled. “I want you to put the chicken fingers down and turn your television all the way up!” Yes, sir!
2013:
Nobody remembers that Beyoncé was fresh off a scandal involving her lip-synching the U.S. national anthem at Barack Obama’s second presidential inauguration. Everybody remembers this was the year she reunited with Destiny’s Child and delivered a performance that was pure fire. Literally. There were flames shooting up from the stage.
2017:
Lady Gaga flew down from the top of the NRG Stadium and onto the field. There were four outfit changes. A crystal star phone. Flying drones. A strong yet measured message of inclusion. Plus a set list with Edge of Glory, Born This Way, Telephone, Just Dance, Million Reasons and Bad Romance. Lady Gaga simply outGaga-ed herself.