Power Outages, Epic Outrage and Outbreaks of War: The Wildest Tales in Super Bowl Halftime History

Mar. 15, 2025

Janet Jackson, Mick Jagger and Lady Gaga in their Super Bowl performances.Photo:Frank Micelotta/Getty; Michael Zagaris/Getty; Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty

Singer Janet Jackson performs during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXVIII between the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers at Reliant Stadium on February 1, 2004 in Houston, Texas; Musician Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones perform during the “Sprint Super Bowl XL Halftime Show” at Super Bowl XL between the Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field on February 5, 2006 in Detroit, Michigan.; Lady Gaga performs during the Super Bowl 51 halftime show against the Atlanta Falcons in Houston on Sunday, February 05, 2017 Staff photo by Matt Stone

Frank Micelotta/Getty; Michael Zagaris/Getty; Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty

By the turn of the millennium, playing the halftime show had become arguably the most prestigious honor in American show business, bestowed upon only the absolute top tier of artists. But with more excitement and attention comes more drama, which always yields unforgettable moments. Some were planned, and others were not. Some pushed the boundaries of performance, while others pushed people’s buttons.

In anticipation ofKendrick Lamar’s headlining set at Super Bowl LIX, read on for some little-known facts and truly wild tales from the 50-yard line.

The New Kids on the Block’s Super Bowl halftime show was bumped due to the outbreak of the Persian Gulf War.

For the first two decades of Super Bowl history, halftime entertainment consisted of family-friendly acts like marching bands, dancing troupes, and easy-listening crooners like Andy Williams, Carol Channing or Ella Fitzgerald. The NFL began drifting away from the middle of the road in 1991 when they booked New Kids on the Block as the first bonafide pop performers for Super Bowl XXV in Tampa. The Boston-based boy band had recently notched the No. 1 album in the country withStep By Step,and the league was hoping their presence would attract a younger demographic to the big game.

New Kids on the Block performing during Super Bowl XXV.Gin Ellis/Getty

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 27: New Kids On The Block perform prior to the New York Giants taking on the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium on January 27, 1991 in Tampa, Florida. The Giants defeated the Bills 20-19.

Gin Ellis/Getty

Unfortunately, the surreal display was poorly timed. Super Bowl XXV occurred on Jan. 27, just 10 days after aerial and naval bombardment in the Persian Gulf began.As a result, ABC declined to broadcast the halftime show live, instead airing a special news report on Operation Desert Storm and the escalating Gulf War. NKOTB fans had to wait until after the game (around 10:40 p.m. ET) for their chance to see a delayed airing of the performance on tape — and some didn’t even get that. Many ABC affiliates decided to skip the halftime show altogether, opting to air the debut episode of theRandy Quaid sitcomDavis Rules.

Janet Jackson’s halftime show directly led to the creation of YouTube.

Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake performing during Super Bowl XXXVIII.Michael Seamans/getty

Super Bowl XXXVIII. New England Patriots.Justin Timberlake grabs Janet Jackson

Michael Seamans/getty

Artists are not paid to perform at the Super Bowl.

Mary J. Blige, who sang at the halftime show in 2022, opened up about the financial realities of the Super Bowl gigduring an appearance onThe Cruz Show. “Listen, you’re gonna be paid for the rest of your life off of this,” she said days before the performance. “People are gonna be knocking at your doors. They don’t have to pay me, but if they were paying, it would be a lot of money.”

Michael Jackson performing at Super Bowl XXVII.Steve Granitz/WireImage

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 31: Michael Jackson performs at the Super Bowl XXVII Halftime show at the Rose Bowl on January 31, 1993 in Pasadena, California

Steve Granitz/WireImage

One of the only acts to extract something extra from the NFL was Michael Jackson. The league was anxious to add some star wattage to 1993’s Super Bowl XXVII following a relatively lackluster production the year beforestarring Gloria Estefan and Olympic figure skaters Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill, which caused nearly a quarter of the game’s viewers to switch over to Foxfor a special episode ofIn Living Color. Negotiations with Jackson’s management stagnated, and then NFL producer Don Mischer pointed out that the game would be broadcast in more than 120 countries. This got Jackson’s attention. “So you’re telling me that this show is going live to all those places where I’ll never do a concert?” NFL exec Jim Steeg recalled, perSports Illustrated. Then, after a brief pause, Jackson gave his final answer: “I’m in.”

Initially, Jackson’s management requested a $1 million performance fee, but the NFL rejected it. The King of Pop did convince the NFL and Frito-Lay — who sponsored the set — tomake a $100,000 donationto Jackson’s Heal the World Foundation and provide commercial time during the game for the foundation’sHeal L.A. campaign, which aimed to provide health care, drug education and mentorship for Los Angeles youth in the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Steeg remembered seeing Jackson rehearsing his act in a tent outside the Rose Bowl the night before the game. “Michael worked harder than anybody [who’s done the halftime show], before or since,” he recalled. The show was an enormous success, marking the first time in Super Bowl history that ratingsincreased between halves during the game.

The Weeknd staged the most expensive Super Bowl halftime show to date.

Though the NFL doesn’t pay the artists to play the halftime show, the organization does cover the cost of theseelaborate performances. This includes everything from pyrotechnics to costumes, props, lights, and other staging costs. This arrangement gives the musical guests a blank check to realize their most extravagant creative visions — an opportunity they fully embrace.

The Weeknd performing during Super Bowl LV.Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for TW

The Weeknd Rehearses For Super Bowl LV Halftime

The scale of the halftime shows has grown dramatically in the last decade. Whilethe final price tag for Beyoncé’s 2013 performancewas a (relatively) modest $600,000,Reuters reportsthat the 2020 halftime show featuring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira cost $13 million for a 13-minute set. The bill for The Weeknd’s performance the following year was even higher. The NFL has declined to confirm the exact amount, butForbesestimates it cost between $17 and $20 million. (However, it’s rumored that the singerkicked in around $7 million of his own moneyto fund the production.)

The Rolling Stones had to censor the lyrics to one of their biggest hits for the halftime show. (But at least they had the biggest stage…)

The Stones’ set at the Super Bowl XL halftime show in 2006 was controversial before they even played a note. Citizens of Detroitwere reportedly offendedthat a Motown act wasn’t tapped to celebrate the rich musical history of their hometown. “I was upset initially, and I voiced that,“Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said at the time. “The NFL missed a golden opportunity.” Stevie Wonder and the Four Tops, two Michigan-born groups, were ultimately invited to perform at the pre-game ceremony, and Aretha Franklin sang the national anthem.

Coming just two years after the infamous “Nipplegate” incident, the NFL was ultra-sensitive to anything the Stones might do that would potentially offend viewers. Organizers fretted over a line from their 1981 hit “Start Me Up” that included the phrase, “You make a dead man come” — and they also red-flagged a barnyard reference to “cocks” in their then-new track, “Rough Justice,” just to be safe.

The Rolling Stones performing during Super Bowl XL.Michael Zagaris/Getty

DETROIT - FEBRUARY 5: (L-R) Musicians Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones perform during the “Sprint Super Bowl XL Halftime Show” at Super Bowl XL between the Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field on February 5, 2006 in Detroit, Michigan.

Michael Zagaris/Getty

The band and the NFL battled over the words for days leading up to the event. The fight grew so contentious that NFL Chief Operating Officer Roger Goodellthreatened to cancel their performanceand find a last-minute replacement.

Ultimately, the league ordered ABC to broadcast the performance on a five-second delay and muted Mick Jagger’s mic during the offending lyrics. The adjustment ended up causing more controversy, as furious Stones fans accused the NFL of censoring the band. The organization quickly went into damage control mode and issued a public statement.

“The Rolling Stones were aware of our plan which was to simply lower the volume on his microphone at those two appropriate moments,”NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in the aftermath. “We had agreed to that plan earlier in the week. The Stones were aware of it and they were fine with it.”The band confirmedthey signed off on the plan in advance of the show, though their spokesperson added that they found the censorship “absolutely ridiculous and completely unnecessary.”

The Stones made Super Bowl history during their set when they performed on what was reportedlythe largest stage ever madefor the big game. Six hundred members of the volunteer stage crewassembled 28 separate piecesinto the shape of the band’s iconic tongue logo. Even more impressive? They set up the 92-foot stage in just five minutes!

Bruno Mars is currently the youngest halftime headliner to date — and he used the event to make a sweet tribute to his late mom.

Bruno Mars was just 28 years old when he headlined the halftime show for Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014, performing with his band The Hooligans and special guests The Red Hot Chili Peppers — whodrew criticism in some circles because Anthony Kiedis and Flea went shirtless.

Manystars have turned down the invitation to perform at the Super Bowl, including The Eagles, Adele, Pink and Jay-Z.

In December 2007,it was reportedthat the Eagles had been offered the prestigious halftime spot at Super Bowl XLII the following February, but ultimately said no. Around the same time, drummer and co-frontmanDon Henley told the APthat the group aspired to earn an invite to the Grand Ole Opry. “That would be an honor,” he said.

The “Hotel California” icons are far from the only stars to reject the invitation. During a Los Angeles concert in 2017, Adele claimed that the NFL had made unsuccessful overtures to book her for Super Bowl LII.

“First of all, I’m not doing the Super Bowl,”she told the crowd. “I mean, come on, that show is not about music … I can’t dance or anything like that. They were very kind. They did ask me but I said no.”

Adele performing in 2024.Kevin Mazur/Getty

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 26: (Exclusive Coverage) Adele performs onstage during “Weekends with Adele” at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on January 26, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

The NFL quicklywalked back her claimswith a statement of their own. “We have had conversations with several artists … however, we have not at this point extended a formal offer to Adele or anyone else. We are focused on putting together a fantastic show for Houston and we look forward to revealing that in good time.”

The league had a difficult time finding artists who wanted to perform at the 2019 Super Bowl due to controversy surrounding the treatment ofColin Kaepernick, who was ostracized from the NFL for kneeling during the National Anthem as a protest against racial injustice.Pink toldBillboardshe turned down the halftime show that year in support of Kaepernick. “I’d probably take a knee and get carried out,” she said. Rihanna also declined in solidarity with Kaepernick, later saying in a2019Vogueinterview, “I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all.” (She eventually was persuaded to perform in 2023.)

RapperCardi Brejected the NFL’s invitation for a similar reason, though she later admitted that she had “mixed feelings” about it. “My husband [rapper Offset], he loves football,” she said. “His kids play football. It’s really hard for him. … He really wants to go to the Super Bowl, but he can’t go to the Super Bowl, because he’s got to stand for something,” she said, before adding that Kaepernick “sacrificed his job for us.”

Colin Kaepernick and members of the San Francisco 49ers.

colin-kaepernick-kneels-49ers.jpg

Jay-Z shared his feelings on his own halftime invitation in his 2018 song “Apes—t,” in which he rapped. “I said no to the Super Bowl, you need me, I don’t need you.” Two years later he elaborated in aninterview withthe New York Times, claiming that the NFL pressured him to include Rihanna and Kanye West as surprise guests. “I said, ‘No, you get me,’ ” he explained. “That is not how you go about it, telling someone that they’re going to do the halftime show contingent on who they bring. I said forget it. It was a principle thing.” He later teamed up with the league to help develop future halftime shows and also to launch a new NFL campaign calledInspire Change.

The NFL attempted to fine rapper M.I.A. $16.6 million for flipping the middle finger to cameras during her set with Madonna.

“I was really surprised. I didn’t know anything about it. I wasn’t happy about it. I understand it’s punk rock and everything, but to me there was such a feeling of love and good energy and positivity; it seemed negative.”

Nicki Minaj, Madonna and M.I.A. perform at Super Bowl XLVI in 2012.Getty Images

Nicki Minaj, Madonna and MIA perform at Super Bowl XLVI in 2012.

By March 2014, the leagueincreased its claim to $16.6 million. M.I.A. rallied support from her fans on Twitter, whereshe claimedthat the NFL was demanding a portion of her income — a move which lacked “any basis in law, fact, or logic.” She went on to blame NBC for its “dereliction” in not blurring out the gesture during the live telecast beforetweeting a requestat Madonna to borrow $16 million. (She quickly deleted the message.)The case was settledin a confidential agreement that August.

Two minutes into the second half of the game between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, a sizable portion ofthe stadium was plunged into darkness, confusing fans, knocking broadcast audio offline and trapping multiple people in an elevator. The power outage caused a 34-minute delay before the game resumed.

Though many jokingly credited Queen Bey’s high-energy show for overloading the stadium’s power grid, officials launched an investigation into the real cause of the outage. Ultimately, the New Orleans utility company Entergy and the Superdome attributed the blackout toan electrical relay device failure, which was meant to prevent power overloads, but instead triggered an automatic shutdown.Officials clarifiedthat the power for the halftime show had been separate from the stadium’s main grid, meaning that Beyoncé’s performance itself was not responsible for the outage. However, the timing of the event fueled endlessmemes and conspiracy theories online, leadingSuper Bowl XVLII to be dubbed “The Blackout Bowl.”

Only 14 acts have been repeat performers at the Super Bowl.

Kendrick Lamar in 2024.Timothy Norris/Getty

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 19: Kendrick Lamar performs onstage during The Pop Out – Ken & Friends Presented by pgLang and Free Lunch at The Kia Forum on June 19, 2024 in Inglewood, California.

Timothy Norris/Getty

Trumpeter Al Hirt (perhaps most famous for his theme toThe Green Hornet) performed at the very first Super Bowl before making repeat appearances throughout the ‘70s. Broadway star Carol Channing became the first female artist to do the gig twice, while clarinetist Pete Fountain also did double duty — although 12 years apart. Vocal group Up With People notchedthe most Super Bowl appearanceswith an impressive five performances between 1971 and 1986.

In the pop era, Gloria Estefan performed first during a 1992 Olympic tribute with figure skaters Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill before singing alongside Stevie Wonder (another two-timer) and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in 1999. Justin Timberlake first performed at the Super Bowl as a member of *NSYNC in 2001 alongside Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige (another two-timer), Nelly (anothertwo-timer) and Aerosmith. Bruno Mars entered the two-timer’s club just two years after making his headlining Super Bowl debut in 2014, when he performed alongside Coldplay and fellow two-timer Beyoncé in 2016. This year,Kendrick Lamarearns his stripes as a two-timer with his headlining set at Super Bowl LIX. (See the full list below.)

source: people.com