Friday, January 31, 2014
Best/worst Super Bowl halftime shows
Bruno Mars has a high bar to clear with his Super Bowl XLVIII performance on February 2. We have faith that the Grammy-winning crooner will shut down the halftime show -- although we do hope he doesn't knock out the lights like Beyonce did in 2013. How do you think his performance at Super Bowl XLVIII will rank on this list? Let's look back at some of the most memorable halftime shows through the years:
Thanks to Michael Jackson's game-changing 1993 performance, during which he sang hits including "Black or White" and "Billie Jean," Super Bowl halftime shows became as significant a draw for viewers as the football game itself.
In 1997, Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman and Jim Belushi performed as The Blues Brothers. The men looked like they were having a blast, but it was still one of the weakest halftime shows to date.
Britney Spears, Aerosmith, 'N Sync, Mary J. Blige and Nelly put on an entertaining show in 2001, performing hits like "Bye Bye Bye" and "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," but it was the big finale where the entire group sang "Walk This Way" that puts this performance into the halftime hall of fame.
At the first Super Bowl after 9/11, U2 performed a tribute to those lost in the attacks. As the band played "MLK," the names of victims appeared on a screen. The show ended with a stirring version of "Where the Streets Have No Name," and Bono revealing the American flag in the lining of his jacket.
After Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" the year before, Paul McCartney's 2005 performance was a show everyone could get behind. McCartney took the stage to play fan favorites such as "Live and Let Die," "Drive My Car" and "Hey Jude."
In addition to his own hits "Let's Go Crazy," "1999" and "Purple Rain" (in the rain), Prince used the 2007 halftime show to masterfully weave in other artists' classics such as Queen's "We Will Rock You," Tina Turner's "Proud Mary" and Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower."
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band took the stage in 2009, the same year he released his 16th studio album, "Working on a Dream." He urged viewers to "put your chicken fingers down and turn the television set all the way up," before launching into hard-rocking hits such as "Born to Run" and "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out."
Beyonce's performance at the 2013 Super Bowl was of epic proportions. The superstar blew through her greatest hits and landed each dance move, even bringing out her old Destiny's Child groupmates, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, for a quickie reunion. We are not exaggerating -- or speaking on behalf of Kanye West -- when we say this was one of the best Super Bowl halftime performances of all time.
In 1989, Elvis Presley impersonator Elvis Presto took to the Super Bowl stage in head-to-toe gold lamé to perform "the world's largest card trick" among a bevy of Solid Gold dancers.
Talk about a family-friendly halftime show. Mickey Mouse and a bunch of children opened for New Kids on the Block in 1991. NKOTB, who performed "Step by Step" and "This One's for the Children," can't be held accountable for landing on this list. They did the best they could, considering the large number of actual kids on their block.
In 2000, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Phil Collins and Toni Braxton performed in another Disney-themed halftime show. The concept was "Tapestry of Nations" and included a song called "Reflections of Earth" and narration by actor Edward James Olmos. Need we say more?
The 2011 halftime show showed promise. The crowd was pumped as the Black Eyed Peas entered from the ceiling, but once they hit the stage, things fell apart. Not even hundreds of dancers clad in glowing green lights could save this performance.
Source : http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_entertainment/~3/9kQVVi2KJgs/index.html