10 Best Super Bowl Halftime Shows

James Brown, ZZ Top and the Blues Brothers (Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi). A rare chance to hear Brown, the Godfather of Soul, belt out 60s bedrock classics like I Got You (I Feel Good).

Clint Black, The Judds, Travis Tritt, Tanya Tucker. One of the best no-frills shows ever, from five legendary country artists. Bonus: The first Super Bowl show in which the lights were turned off for the performance.

Diana Ross. For the 30th anniversary of the Super Bowl, the NFL chose a superstar, Diana Ross. And Miss Ross gave a spectacular performance after singing Take Me Higher, she hopped on a waiting helicopter and took off.

Paul McCartney. The former Beatle turned the stadium into a sea of lit-up cellphones with a performance of the anthemic Hey Jude.

Prince. One of the best live performers ever gave a raise-the-roof performance of hits like Lets Go Crazy and Purple Rain, complete with 74,000 fans waving flashlights around like maniacs.

Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake. The game itself was judged to be one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time, and the halftime performance, when Timberlake ripped off Jacksons top, revealing a nipple piercing, was one of the most memorable. Did they do it on purpose or was it just a wardrobe malfunction, as Timberlake said? You make the call.

Michael Jackson. The King of Pop gave a spectacular performance, dancing through Billie Jean and singing with a 3,500-voice choir. The TV ratings actually increased during half-time, and since then, the NFL has focused on getting A-list performers.

U2. The most powerful part of U2s performance wasnt its three-song set but the names of every victim of the 9/11 attacks scrolling behind them on a giant screen. At the end of the performance, frontman Bono opened his jacket to reveal an American flag.