DAILY DIRT’s top halftime performances in Super Bowl history (with one GLARING omission)

Daily Dirt for Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025

Jackson, The Boss, Bono, Mick and Diana Ross lead the way … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,194 of The Daily Dirt.

1. After the commercials, the most anticipated part of any Super Bowl game is the halftime performance. Sunday will be no different.

Here’s my picks for the top five halftime extravaganzas in Super Bowl history:

1. Michael Jackson (1993): Jackson was such a huge star at the time that he received an ovation that lasted longer than a minute before he could even begin performing. Then he launched into a medley of some of his biggest hits, including “Black or White” and “Billie Jean.”

Jackson then introduced a rendition of “We Are the World” that included audience participation in depicting images of a diverse group of children. Unfortunately, that hasn’t aged well with the child molestation allegations that eventually emerged against Jackson. “But it’s still impossible to dispute his enduring impact and the importance at the time of building the reputation of the halftime show, helping to make it as iconic as it is today,” writes Toni Fitzgerald for forbes.com. 

2. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (2009):Springsteen’s long list of hits reduced to just four songs proved difficult, but the final combination worked. The set list included “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” “Born to Run” and “Working on a Dream,” leading into a new version of “Glory Days” in which Springsteen reworked the lyrics to refer to football.

3. U2 (2002): This will always be one of the most memorable. The biggest rock act in the world at the time, U2 proved to be outstanding in the first post-9/11 Super Bowl. With Americans still struggling to wrap their heads around the devastating terrorist attack, the band scrolled the names of all of those who died on Sept. 11 on a screen during the show. The band played just three songs—“Beautiful Day,” “MLK” and “Where the Streets Have No Name.” When the final song ended, lead singer Bono displayed an American flag on the inside of his jacket. Critics universally praised the performance.

4. The Rolling Stones (2006): Before legendary frontman Mick Jagger started belting out “Satisfaction,” he joked that the band could have played the 1965 song “at Super Bowl I” in 1967.

5. Diana Ross (1996): A big anniversary (Super Bowl XXX) called for a big star, and at the time Diana Ross was huge. The former Motown headliner opened with one of her signature songs from her Supremes era, “Stop! In the Name of Love,” appearing suddenly atop a sparkling platform while performers spelled out her name on the field. Ross flew through many of her hits at breakneck speed, underscoring her long and important impact on the American music scene. She provided us with “Keep Me Hangin’ On,” followed by “Baby Love” and “You Can’t Hurry Love.” By the time she had finished, Ross had provided 10 of the greatest hits in music history.

Who’s up this year?: Seeking to add his name to this list will be Kendrick Lamar, who is scheduled to be the main attraction at halftime of the Chiefs-Eagles game in Super Bowl LIX. Lamar is first solo rapper to headline a Super Bowl halftime show.

Special note: When talking Super Bowl entertainment, we should not overlook the best-ever national anthem, provided by Whitney Houston in 1991 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla. The song carried an emotion since it was being performed in the midst of the Gulf War.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: For the Love of God, Steve … you seriously don’t even mention Prince’s performance which most lists by anyone with two ears says is the BEST Super Bowl Halftime performance. The man played in a monsoon and JUST FREAKING KILLED IT. I mean, when I saw this topic Steve had, I KNEW he was going to leave Prince out. Probably out of spite, which I would respect more than just sheer ignorance. JRG.

2. Did you know (Part 269)

• That an unwritten rule for all males is when reaching a certain age is they must groan when sitting or standing up, even of there is no pain whatsoever.
• That if a hood of a car is up, males must stand in a circle around it and carry on a conversation.
• That a man must stand by his bro if grilling is involved and make comments about how awesome the finished product will be.
• That you must let out a sigh of satisfaction when sitting down on a lawn chair.
• That anytime you strap down a load, you must slap it and say, “That ain’t going nowhere.”

3. Here are some more songs turning 50 years old in 2025:

“Rhinestone Cowboy,” by Glen Campbell: Admit, you sang along with this every time it came on the AM radio of the car you were driving back in the ’70s.

“Bohemian Rhapsody,” by Queen: Surprisingly, this classic never reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart. It got as high as No. 2.

“Lyin’ Eyes,” by the Eagles: Another boring song from the Eagles …

“Evil Woman,” by ELO: Once again, I bring notice to a group that should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“I’m Not In Love,” by 10cc: One of the original members of this group was named Lol Creme.

“Fame,” by David Bowie: The co-writer of this song was none other than John Lennon.

“This Will be,” by Natalie Cole: This was her debut single and helped her win a Grammy for Best New Artist.

“Walk This Way,” by Aerosmith: Eleven years after its initial success, the song became a hit again, thanks to Run-DMC putting their hip-hop spin on it.

“Have You Never Been Mellow,” by Olivia Newton-John: This was a No. 1 hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts.

“Thank God I’m A Country Boy,” by John Denver: Denver died in a plane crash in 1997.

“Island Girl,” by Elton John: Few realized the song was actually about a lady of the night.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — In case you were wondering, the first Super Bowl halftime performance was provided by the University of Arizona and Grambling College marching bands. Yep, times have changed.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. This just in … he hates Prince.