At this year’s Super Bowl halftime show we not only have the incomparable Beyonce to look forward to, but also the heavily rumored and long-awaited reunion of Destiny’s Child! But halftime spectators in the past weren’t always so lucky…
Over the years, the Super Bowl halftime show has built a reputation for itself as being extremely hit or miss. Either you get a performance like Diana Ross and Prince that brings down the stadium, or you get a Tron-themed Black Eyed Peas performance and an endless Janet Jackson nipple slip controversy.
But that’s just recently, in the Super Bowls forty-seven years there have been quite a few odd and questionable performances that the people in charge of the halftime show probably wish would be swept under the rug and out of the Super Bowl history books for good.
Unfortunately for them, video is forever.
Take a look at five of the weirdest Super Bowl Half-Time shows in history.
1. Up With People – 1976
For those who can’t get enough of America’s thrilling 200 year old history. Not only is this performance insanely upbeat and peppy, but Up With People were asked back to perform three times at the Super Bowl. Personally, I couldn’t make it through all ten minutes. At about the point where they started line dancing, the cheesiness overdose fully set in.
2. Elvis Presto – 1989
The Introduction:
The Magic Trick:
This magician/Elvis impersonator decided the halftime show was the perfect time to do the first ever giant 3D card trick on television that could be watched at home with cardboard 3D glasses. It also happens to be the single proudest moment of Bob Costas’ life.
3. New Kids on the Block – 1991
There’s nothing like singing a beautiful love song to toddlers in “It’s a Small World” costumes. Take note boy bands of today.
4. Gloria Estefan – 1992
It’s the Frosty the Snowman rap you’ve all been waiting for. What better way to celebrate winter magic? And remember, this performance “says a lot about all of you.”
I can never complain about a Patti LaBelle performance, but I can most definitely complain about whoever approved this Indiana Jones themed, vaguely racist set. Also, who decided this needed a Tony Bennett lounge act in the middle of it?
What did you think of these bizzarre halftime shows? Which is your favorite? Are you excited for the Super Bowl or couldn’t care less? Are you looking forward to Beyonce singing live and proving the lip-syncing haters wrong?
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Beyonce is overrated so I will not be watching this halftime show at all.
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There is nothing lucky about the singers named. They will be bastardizing The National Anthem by singing it up and down and all around, completely disrespecting the author who wrote it. I hate what these artists do to that song, and wonder why they think all of America is impressed by their “curlicues” when they perform. A really classy, true artist, would do the song justice, and apparently they don’t think much about patriotism anymore. The people who hire them should think twice. I’ve never met anyone in my home town who’s impressed by someone ruining The National Anthem.
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@Pollypinks@xanga - I completely agree. And that’s why I cannot stand listening to Christina Aguilera perform live.
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Having just finished watching the Super Bowl in all it’s Beyonce, Black Out glory… I have to say, I was impressed.
First, Alicia Keys did the National Anthem. I was worried it was going to be over complicated like most people [read: celebrities] make it. Other than her add on at the end, and the slip of a wrong note towards the end [or it was right and just sounded awful because it wasn't in the right key] it was pretty good. She didn’t add a lot to it, though I could have done without her distracted piano play-along.
Second, the kids from Sandy Hook were wonderful. It was adorable! I watched that group of kids on GMA recently and the article that accompanied the video said the kids in that chorus had been comprised of children who’d lost loved ones in the shooting, like a parent or sibling or relative. Jennifer Hudson could have been left out. I don’t like her, and I think she’s extremely fake. A few years ago, she was a really sweet person, but when I’ve heard her on television and radio recently she’s just been a bitch. She did her best to overshadow those kids, right down to her “big entrance” in front of them instead of standing with them from the get-go.
Third, Beyonce’s Half Time Show. I expect that that is what caused the black out! [kidding] I thought it was a really fun, upbeat performance. She definitely had fun whipping her hair back and forth [sorry, had to] but the dancing and singing was awesome. When she brought up the two girl’s from DC, I was a little disappointed. I thought we’d be hearing them a bit more, but they’re mics were turned way down compared to Beyonce’s. Her dancers were wonderful, the costumes were sexy but not trashy and at least there were no nip-slips… my dad did make the comment that there was “a lot of ass” on the stage but he kept coming into the room when the camera was at an odd angle or the dance was in a step that showcased the er… goods.
Aside from San Francisco losing, I thought the entire Super Bowl this year was great! I’ve never had that much fun watching any sport other than baseball before. ^^
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@TheBrilliantLuxury@xanga - Thanks for the update on the Superbowl. Not much of a football fan, so I wait to have my hubby fill me in. Sorry your team didn’t win, but that’s how these things go. Jim did tell me about the opposing coaches, twins from the same family. Can you imagine being their parents??? Who do you root for? I think I’d have a gut ache through the whole thing, knowing one of my sons was going to lose!!