When the first Super Bowl happened in 1967, there wasn’t a lot of thought put into the half-time show. That was a time for people to get up and stretch and maybe grab some food. A marching band typically took to the field and blasted a couple of songs for people’s entertainment.
Much has changed since then. Millions of dollars are pumped into the Super Bowl half-time shows nowadays, and they’ve gotten so good that a percentage of viewers watch the game just for the 13-minute performance between both halves. By incorporating a pop culture icon right in the middle of the football game, the NFL is able to widen their audience—and that has proven successful. Not including news events, the Super Bowl is the most-watched live event on television in the United States.
In this guide, we’re looking back at the halftime performances from the late ‘60s and seeing how they developed into the big budget spectacles they are today. We’re also taking a sneak peek at the 2025 edition featuring American rap icon Kendrick Lamar.
For those eager to get early bets in, Super Bowl odds for the halftime performance will be posted as we get closer to the event. Once we know the matchup, Super Bowl betting opens up and quickly goes through the roof, so be ready.
In the early years, the Super Bowl half-time show was nothing more than a college marching band performing on the field. The first Super Bowl was at the Los Angeles Coliseum and had marching bands from the University of Arizona and Grambling State perform at halftime; Grambling State would go on to perform at the Super Bowl about 100 times until the marching band era ended.
Super Bowl IV and VI
After a few years of marching band entertainment at halftime, the show got their first celebrity headliner. For Super Bowl IV, American Broadway star, Carol Channing was included to support the Southern University marching band in their Mardi Gras tribute. The Hello, Dolly! star, with an unmistakable vocal range, sang “When the Saints Go Marching In”. The atmosphere was electric, it was the year the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings, and Channing was invited to return two years later.
Although this marked the beginning of stars being part of the halftime show, it wasn’t consistent. The majority of halftime shows continued to focus on marching bands with the theme changing yearly.
By the late ‘70s, Super Bowl half-time shows turned into big productions chock-full of choreographed dance routines and smiling lip synch troupes. Similar to current formats, the show was always a mashup of popular songs; however, unlike today’s shows, Disney was pervasive in the annual themes.
This is the era when Up With People got involved and performed at five Super Bowls; these feel-good productions were basically groups of happy-looking people dancing and singing on the field. Crowd participation was big in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, with spectators lifting colour-coordinated placards on cue. Another constant was the helium balloon release; unceasingly popular, sometimes there’d be as many as five in one halftime show.
By the late ‘80s, the shows were improving. Up With People had their last hurrah in 1986, opening the door for a little more creativity with the acts. In 1988, they ditched the massive dance formations and went with 88 pianos set up in the shape of two grand pianos. The Radio City Rockettes were on scene and put on an impressive tap dance, and Chubby Checker sang “The Twist”. It was a nice change from years prior.
The halftime show for Super Bowl XXIII marked a new era; for the first time, the Super Bowl had a sponsor in Coca Cola. The 1989 halftime show was designed to be watched in 3D with 3D glasses. 26 million pairs of glasses went out to viewers for this technological feat.
Themes persisted, and in 1989, it was B-Bop Bamboozle, a tribute to ‘50s music. The show revolved around a lip-synching Elvis who performed in front of backup dancers. This show was notably more elaborate than any previous one. There were several costume changes, and a secondary Elvis who rode a motorcycle around the field, amongst many special effects. The Elvis impersonator attempted magic tricks—one of which involved audience participation. This was a far cry from the Mousketeer troupes and singing Goofies of the ‘70s.
One final marching band halftime snuck in before the slot permanently went to the pop stars. At Super Bowl XXV in 1991, New Kids on the Block performed—with Disney characters as backup dancers. The following year in 1992, a “Winter Magic” theme coincided with the winter Olympics and the Super Bowl host city being in Minnesota. Gloria Estefan, Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill performed in this one.
The 1993 Super Bowl half-time show was another marked step up in the evolution of the performances. Michael Jackson was the star in this “Heal the World” tribute to children, and the special effects were cutting edge at that time.
Wearing a military ensemble, Jackson brought the pop world to the gridiron. No more marching bands, this was more like a rock concert on a big stage. The shift towards high-profile acts would eventually be the new direction for halftime shows. Jackson performed a medley of his greatest hits—complete with a few costume changes—and the audience loved it. The coloured placards made a comeback in this one too, but its days were numbered.
Not long into the 2000s, the Super Bowl halftime show themes became more subtle as focus shifted to the high-profile artists. U2 took the stage in 2002, and the following year saw Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting perform. The year after had a show that no one would forget.
Janet Jackson was the headliner for the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, and MTV was the producer for the performance. She came out and sang “All for You” and before moving on to “Rhythm Nation”. A surprise guest appearance from Justin Timberlake shifted the momentum as he sang “Rock Your Body”. Together, they performed a provocative duet that ended with the line “I’m gonna have you naked by the end of this song” just as Timberlake pulled off a section of Janet’s top to reveal her right breast adorned with a nipple shield.
The incident, which became known as Nipplegate, led to crackdowns on indecency in broadcasting with many fines going towards the channels. MTV was banned from producing future halftime performances.
In 2019, the NFL turned to Jay-Z’s music entertainment company, Roc Nation to take control of the halftime acts. They were having trouble with their fragmented process of securing musicians, and needed a better approach.
Since Jay-Z took over, the shows have mostly been relevant to the host the cities. When the Super Bowl took place in Miami, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez gave a nod to the Latino culture. West Coast hip hop was featured in the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show that took place in LA. This year’s Super Bowl, Jay-Z went with a novel headliner, a solo rap artist who has been winning all the Grammy awards in the last decade.
In September, the 2025 Super Bowl half-time show headliner was announced to be Kendrick Lamar—the 17X time Grammy and Pulitzer Prize winning rapper from Compton, California. Kendrick has been on an upward trajectory since he started releasing mixtapes in high school. The master lyricist and storyteller has gained recognition as being one of the greatest rappers of all time, and will get to be the first solo rapper to grace the Super Bowl stage at half time.
Kendrick has performed at the Super Bowl already. In 2022, he was part of the Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Eminem ensemble that brought some West Coast hip hop vibes to SoFi Stadium when the Rams beat the Bengals. Not long after this year’s Super Bowl, Kendrick will go on tour to promote his newest studio album, GNX, and there’s one stop in Canada.
Over 57 years, the Super Bowl halftime show has gone from an afterthought to a major commercial enterprise. The production, with costs in the millions, needs to meet the sky-high expectations that have grown over the years, with each new edition reaching new heights. We have every reason to believe that the 2025 show will carry on this trajectory and we can’t wait to see what they put together. Bet on Super Bowl halftime props when they hit the board in January and we’ll see you in New Orleans.