Random Most Controversial Super Bowl Halftime Shows In History (10 items)

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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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  (#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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  (#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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  (#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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  (#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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  (#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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