25
25
The Super Bowl halftime show in 5 memorable performances
Numéro looks back at five memorable Super Bowl halftime shows, from Beyoncé to Prince, Madonna, Shakira and J.Lo, and Lady Gaga.
Published on 9 February 2026. Updated on 25 March 2026.
Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s dazzling Super Bowl show
It’s hard to imagine anything more memorable than Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s performance back in 2020. Without relying on the spectacular staging so many stars had previously turned to, the two singers set the Super Bowl halftime stage on fire with dizzying hip moves and fiery choreography.
From Shakira’s hit Hips Don’t Lie to J.Lo’s infectious On the Floor, the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami held its breath for fifteen minutes. These remixed hits welcome surprise guests, including J. Balvin, Bad Bunny, and Jennifer Lopez’s daughter, Emme, who was 11 at the time. An electrifying show that celebrated the influence of Latin culture, while also denouncing Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policies, through children dancing inside small illuminated cages. At the time, the US president was building a wall between the US–Mexico border.
Lady Gaga’s spectacular staging
Perched on the roof of NRG Stadium and beneath a night sky peppered with drones, Lady Gaga opened her Super Bowl halftime show with an operatic air. She then leaped into the void and landed on stage to the beat of her hit Poker Face, thus echoing Diana Ross’s unforgettable helicopter exit in 1996. High-intensity choreography, luminous installations, global anthems followed… For over ten minutes, the singer set the stadium alight without ever running out of breath or resorting to lip-syncing. A one-of-a-kind show that only Lady Gaga knows how to deliver.
Beyoncé’s iconic performance
From her discography to her choreography, Beyoncé knows exactly how to deliver a show and keep the audience entertained from beginning to end. Emerging from the shadows amid jets of flame, the American superstar opened the 2013 Super Bowl halftime show by singing a cappella the introduction of her hit Love on Top. Then, she moved across the stage to the galvanising beat of Crazy in Love.
Whipped into a frenzy, the crowd and viewers at home went crazy about the singer. Her performance was commented on by more than 300,000 tweets per minute, as she delivered one of her most memorable shows in history. It also marked the comeback of two members of her former group Destiny’s Child, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. The energy was incredible during that concert and is still palpable when watching it ten years later.
Madonna’s monumental performance
Like Cleopatra arriving in Rome, Madonna entered the Indianapolis stadium two millennia later. Carried by an army of men, she kicked off the Super Bowl halftime show in 2012. True to her status as a pop icon, the American singer launched into a meticulously choreographed and striking routine. As she performed some of the biggest hits that have defined her career, she was joined on stage by LMFAO, rappers Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. dressed as cheerleaders – the latter’s middle finger aimed at the camera would later earn her a lawsuit. Cee Lo Green was invited too and joined Madonna for a duet on the iconic track Like a Prayer (1989).
Prince’s moving show in 2007
Alone on stage with his guitar, Prince transported Super Bowl halftime spectators in 2007 through his greatest hits. The whole crowd sang at the top of their lungs, arms raised, lights in hand. Thanks to his magnetic presence, the music legend turned his concert into a mythical moment. No spectacular staging, no surprise guests, except perhaps the rain itself, pouring down as he performed his hit song Purple Rain…
