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(#1) In 1989, The Show Featured An Elvis Impersonator Doing Magic And A Failed Attempt At Using 3D Technology
1989 marked a turning point for Super Bowl halftime entertainment, as executives chose to forego the traditional Disney-themed floats and marching bands to put on a revolutionary show. Though expectations were high, the end result wasn't the overwhelming crowd-pleaser that the NFL had hoped for.
The memorable show featured 2,000 dancers in 1950s-era clothing performing to Broadway tunes, along with an extraordinary guest: an Elvis impersonating magician nicknamed Elvis Presto, who performed gigantic tricks on the field for audiences and home viewers. The elaborate display was also the first attempt at broadcasting in 3-D through the use of 3-D glasses, an endeavor that proved the technology wasn't quite ready for prime time.
It was later revealed that the actor who played Elvis Presto, Alex Cole, was chosen three days before the Super Bowl after the original impersonator left the production to star in a Lee Jeans commercial. The ordeal obviously had a less-than-desirable impact on Cole because he never performed on stage again.
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(#2) In 1995, Disney Used The Entire Performance To Advertise Their New Indiana Jones Ride
Hoping to draw in viewers and keep them engaged no matter their interest in football or the score between the two teams on the field, NFL executives knew that they needed a big production for the 1995 Super Bowl halftime show. Only a few companies were capable of funding such a grand performance - one of them being Disney. Since Disneyland was building a new Indiana Jones-themed roller coaster at the time, the two corporations joined forces to create a spectacle worthy of the big screen… or so they thought.
The spectacle included crooners Patti LaBelle and Tony Bennett, skydivers, live pythons, lasers, an assortment of instruments that ranged from tribal drums to a keytar, and a man who was lit on fire. The performance followed an intriguing narrative, consisting of an evil witch stealing the Lombardi trophy. At the same time, Indiana Jones, who is at a Moroccan nightclub, attempts to retrieve the coveted Super Bowl prize.
The inevitable Indiana Jones-themed fighting scenes were seen live in front of up-close cameras, giving television viewers a clear picture of the punches and strikes that were not even close to hitting the karate school volunteers who played the villains on stage. Though LaBelle understood the possible negative consequences of trying to perform live in such a setting, Bennett refused to lip sync his numbers and botched the opening of his song.
Also, the trophy was too heavy a prop to be tossed around from stuntman to stuntman, and the camera also caught the visible struggle participants had to pretend to hit people over the head with the stolen prize.
Finally, the show bizarrely ended with The Lion King's “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” and a pyrotechnic spectacle that took minutes for the smoke to clear.
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(#3) The 1990 Show Was A Mix Of New Orleans Flare - And Snoopy
As an ode to the New Orleans venue, the 1990 Super Bowl halftime show featured a Mardi Gras-themed musical line-up - with a birthday tribute to Snoopy and Charlie Brown. Even the name of the performance suggested the odd pairing, as those responsible for the show simply called it: “Salute to New Orleans and 40th Anniversary of Peanuts.”
Instead of a stage, Irma Thomas, Doug Kershaw, and trumpeter Pete Fountain performed on a massive steamboat that measured 120 feet long and five stories high. The colossal prop was so large that crew members had to remove one of the goalposts in order to fit the boat on the field, then hastily replace it before the beginning of the third quarter. The show ended with Snoopy dancing on the boat while Fountain played “When the Saints Go Marching In,” followed by “Happy Birthday, Charlie Brown.”
To make matters worse, the lackluster, odd performance came in the middle of a game that was one of the largest landslide wins in Super Bowl history. As the 49ers won the championship over the Denver Broncos, 55-10, the crowd had already grown disengaged before the halftime show even started. Instead of keeping viewers entertained, the show was an utter disappointment.
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(#4) In 2000, The Show Featured A-List Artists Who Didn't Perform Any Of Their Own Songs
With a stellar line-up consisting of Christina Aguilera, Tina Turner, Enrique Iglesias, Tony Braxton, and Phil Collins, the 2000 halftime show should've been the concert of the millennium. Instead, it proved to be one massive disappointment.
As the last Super Bowl performance ever sponsored by Disney, the group took the stage not to perform their obvious, crowd-pleasing hits but songs that no one knew or recognized. In an attempt to harness the spirit of global unity, the stage was filled with massive props and dancers who supposedly represented different cultures with their inauthentic wardrobes. Songs were written specifically for the performance - including "Celebrate the Future Hand in Hand."
Instead of an epic performance that got the live and television audiences singing and dancing, viewers were presented with a dull and somewhat confusing show. To bring the production to a close, actor Edward James Olmos delivered a serious speech urging global peace and ending with:
Go now and celebrate your dreams as the magic of the millennium continues to bring us together.
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(#5) The Black Eyed Peas
- Band/Musician
The Black Eyed Peas halftime show displayed a promising start as the group descended onto the stage from zip lines tethered above in flashy costumes and immediately launched into "I Gotta Feeling." Unfortunately for the group and fans watching the show, the performance quickly lost its appeal as audio malfunctions disrupted the song.
Will. i.am's voice greatly overshadowed the other three performers, creating a disconnected sound that made the mix of The Black Eyed Peas hit songs sound out of tune and off balance. The concert took an unexpected and somewhat confusing turn when the instrumentals moved from the group's regular hip-hop sound to "Sweet Child O'Mine" with Will.iam. still rapping about beats.
As Slash rose to the stage playing his guitar, Fergie made her best attempt at an Axl Rose impression by forcing her voice to hit the pitch, depth, and tone of the Guns N' Roses lead singer. After an awkward performance, Slash descended from the stage, leaving the group to transition into a few more of their hit songs before another surprise guest, Usher, appeared.
Except Usher made no genuine attempt at singing, only repeating the chorus of "OMG" multiple times while an audiotrack took care of the vocals as he performed a dance routine. Though the Black Eyed Peas did attract a younger audience to the show, the performance left a lot of viewers and fans confused as to why the elaborate style of the show didn't transfer to the lackluster musicality of otherwise talented artists.
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(#6) New Kids on the Block
- Band/Musician
Despite being one of the biggest pop groups of the era, the New Kids on the Block put on such a terrible performance at the 1991 Super Bowl that ABC chose to air news coverage of the Gulf War during the halftime broadcast. Fans and curious viewers couldn't witness the mediocre concert until after the Super Bowl game had ended.
Instead of keeping the crowd exhilarated and loud through the game's intermission, the boy band chose to play a number of slow songs followed by a rendition of “It's A Small World.” (To be fair, the performance was done in collaboration with Disney; this wasn't a spontaneous decision by the group.)
While those who attended the game witnessed the boring show, those watching from home were instead met with a statement by President George H.W. Bush concerning the ongoing war.
While the less-than-stellar performance didn't earn itself the traditional halftime air time, it did set the premise for modern Superbowl performances. Before the New Kids on the Block, halftime was reserved for more traditional marching bands and commentary of the game.
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(#7) Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Band/Musician
The Red Hot Chili Peppers usually pride themselves on putting on heartfelt, improvised shows for their fans. However, the band surprisingly agreed when the NFL requested that the band pre-record the bass, drums, and lead guitar for their performance alongside Bruno Mars in 2014.
Fans were outraged by the faked spectacle (it wasn't hard to tell, since the guitars were not plugged into any sound system). Guitarist Flea later reported that he and his bandmates decided not to pretend that they were playing live because they weren't interested in deceiving the audience- therefore, they chose not to plug in their instruments.
Still, the performance was a unique version of their hit song, "Give it Away," as the band pre-recorded it specifically for the halftime performance. Singer Anthony Kiedis also performed the lyrics live.
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(#8) In 2012, M.I.A. Was Sued $16.6 Million For Her Performance
In 2012, the NFL sued British rapper M.I.A. for briefly flipping the bird during "Give Me All Your Luvin" alongside Madonna at Super Bowl XLVI.
M.I.A., who had a top 100 US Billboard hit with "Paper Planes," was under Roc Nation and Jay-Z's management at the time. Though the organization initially only sued for $1.5 million a few months after the show, the NFL later tacked another $15 million two years later.
According to the rapper, Jay-Z felt she should accept the offer, which would ultimately relinquish 100% of her earnings to the NFL if she ever made over $2 million. At the time, no artist had ever stood up to the NFL, and M.I.A. eventually settled the lawsuit in 2014 for an undisclosed amount. Notably, the artist also left Roc Nation and hired her own lawyers to represent her in the case.
M.I.A. reflected on the experience:
If you're talking about racism and sexism, that moment in my life showed the cracks in everyone I knew… The lawsuit was so ridiculous… They [Roc Nation] thought the best way to solve that was to sign on the dotted line to whatever terms the NFL wanted to put on me, which was basically to be a lifelong slave forever and to give 100% of my earnings until I die…
Somebody thought that was okay to write only in 2013. And it happened because you're a woman - a brown woman - and you did something very silly. And it was so threatening that the punishment for it was to basically lock you into this thing forever.
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(#9) The Who
- Band/Musician
Though some of the group's more devoted fans felt that The Who had performed well during their 12-minute time slot in 2010, most agreed that the band was a massive disappointment.
As the classic rock band belted out well-known hits made newly popular by the CSI television series, it became obvious that The Who was past its prime - and completely unprepared for the magnitude of the stage they performed on.
Rolling Stone later reported that lead singer Roger Daltry completely butchered the band's biggest hits with his ill-preserved vocal cords. As they played in 90-second segments to ensure that they had enough time to cover everyone's favorite classic anthem, an obviously pre-recorded crowd audio cue sang along to the tunes.
Daltrey, who had never watched an American football game or watched any of the DVDs the NFL sent them of previous Super Bowl halftime performances, later admitted:
It didn’t even feel like a concert… It’s a television show. And what can you do in 12 minutes?… I thought it went OK. I understand. It’s a TV show. Cameras were everywhere. I was so blinded that I couldn’t see. And I really wished the crowd would have gotten into singing the songs with us more. That’s how it is in Europe for our soccer matches. I wanted more banter.
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(#10) In 2004, 'Nipplegate' Shocked Audiences And Led To The Founding Of YouTube
The Super Bowl halftime show in 2004 marked both a bitter ending and a new beginning - just as Janet Jackson gave the performance that stifled her career and MTV lost its rights to produce any future NFL events, a trio in Silicon Valley found the inspiration to found YouTube.
Near the concert's end, Jackson partnered with pop star Justin Timberlake to perform "Rock Your Body." As the song ended with the lines: "Gonna have you naked by the end of this song," Timberlake reached across Jackson's chest and ripped the front of her top, exposing a pierced nipple in the process. Though Timberlake publicly apologized for the incident and went on to perform at a later halftime show, Jackson's refusal to comment on what became known as a "wardrobe malfunction" put a halt to her career.
Though the exposure was deemed an accident, Jackson's tailor confirmed that he had been contacted before the show to alter her outfit for the show, and a Houston piercer confirmed that he had sold the nipple piercing displayed on national television to one of Jackson's representatives in the days leading up to the notorious performance.
Still, it was the early 2000s, long before videos were widely available for public access on the internet. Anyone who missed the original airing of the performance only got a censored version shared through news outlets or missed "Nipplegate" entirely. The fact that there was no easy way to find footage of the incident, which was such a huge part of pop culture at the time, led techies Chad Hurley, Steve Cehn, and Jawed Karim to build an online platform for video sharing - the website that would become YouTube.
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