The shimmering strobes of the Super Bowl tend to make for quite the setting for a halftime show.
That's not always a good thing. The pressure of the event can get to even the most hardened performers, so much so that they crumble under pressure.
Whether it be awkward gestures, subpar vocal showings or listless choreography, even the Super Bowl halftime show — the jewel of the big game for so many viewers — can prove unappealing.
We've taken you through the show-stopping showcases that captivated the nation's attention in that fleeting 13-minute moment. Now, it's time to look at the lowlights, the modest exhibitions that we'd rather soon forget.
With that, here are the five worst Super Bowl halftime performances, wardrobe malfunctions notwithstanding:
Five worst Super Bowl halftime shows in NFL history
5. New Kids on the Block (1991)
On this day in 1991, we performed during the Super Bowl Halftime Show! Who remembers watching this performance? 🤖❤️ pic.twitter.com/knHeIFAvHC
— New Kids on the Block (@NKOTB) January 27, 2023See AlsoHalftime shows: The main eventSuper Bowl 58 becomes the most watched television event in historySuper Bowl all-time national anthems: Ranking best performances from Whitney Houston to Lady GagaSuper Bowl was the most-watched program ever in the US, averaging 123.7 million viewers
Boy bands were all the rage in the 1990s. Hell, they're all the rage now. That doesn't mean they make for good Super Bowl halftime show acts, though.
Case in point: New Kids on the Block. The Boston-based group was one of numerous fresh-faced collectives to burst into the pop culture stratosphere come the turn of the decade. They were rewarded for their exploits with a spot in the Super Bowl 25 halftime show. It didn't pay off, mainly because the group was forced to perform their juvenile hit "This One's For the Children." That's just not what you want to hear when you're in the middle of a back-and-forth battle between the Bills and Giants.
4. Phil Collins, Enrique Iglesias, Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, Tina Turner (2000)
I can’t believe Phil Collins did the Super Bowl looking like this. My man wasn’t even trying. pic.twitter.com/4JnF9DayNA
— Sam Smith’s Corset (@Viniceo) January 30, 2023
Sometimes, less is more. Putting five of the biggest musical artists of their time on one Super Bowl marquee mayseemlike a good idea. But when you deprive the fans of those stars' biggest hits. Well, that just feels like a moment wasted.
If you're going to have Phil Collins, he should be performing "In The Air Tonight." It's really that simple. But hey, at least Christina and Enrique performed "Celebrate the Future Hand in Hand." Yawn.
3. The Blues Brothers (1997)
— Song A Day / Philosophy Away (@SongPhilosophy3) January 26, 2022On this day in 1997 💫
ZZ Top, James Brown and The Blues Brothers perform at the Super Bowl XXXI halftime show in New Orleans
Superbowl XXXI 💫
Blues Brothers Bash😎🙏🎶#BluesBrothers #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/5ywlyilMNy
This may be an unpopular selection. However, bringing back a sketch, even one as iconic as "The Blues Brothers", just doesn't hit the same without the original cast. John Belushi had been dead for 15 years. John Goodman and Jim Belushi did the best they could in his absence. But it just wasn't the same. Even the Godfather of Soul himself James Brown couldn't rescue this car wreck of a performance.
2. The Black Eyed Peas (2011)
#SuperBowl 2011 🏈 @fergie @bep pic.twitter.com/TiTm9ZaiX2
— Fergie Universe (@FergieUniverse) February 8, 2021
I (didn't) have the time of my life. The Black Eyed Peas went from indie rap darlings to pop music cringe in the blink of an eye. The bar/bat mitzvah tunes grew old quite quickly for much of the general public. That didn't stop the NFL from putting heaps of money into the group's halftime performance, which proceeded to look less like a concert and more like an advertisem*nt for skin-tight leather pants. Yes, they had Slash. No, he could not wipe away the stink that was this showcase.
1. Maroon 5 (2019)
— CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) February 4, 2019#SuperBowl half-time: Maroon 5 performs 'Moves like Jagger' #SBLIII #M53
Courtesy @NFL pic.twitter.com/6P9cudg255
Look, Big Boi is cool. SpongeBob Squarepants is cool. Travis Scott has some good songs. But the reliance on so many outside influences gives you a taste of just how middling the Los Angeles-based band's offering was.
Frontman Adam Levine ripped off his shirt in an act of solidarity (with Chipotle paper bags). "Moves Like Jagger" is the sort of track you're forced to listen to again and again while working as a counselor at a youth Christian camp. A terrible game brought with it a terrible halftime show. You gotta love balance!
