The Super Bowl halftime show, which initially featured a college marching band before roping in popular singers, is today one of the most-watched events in the US, drawing over 100 million viewers from the country alone. Madonna's performance in 2012 remains the most-watched halftime show in history with 114 million viewers, followed by Beyonce Knowles.
All eyes will be on Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Sunday when they perform at the Super Bowl 2014 halftime show, when Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks take on each other for the coveted title. However, it is yet to be seen if their performance will go down in history as one of the best Super Bowl halftime shows.
Here are the five greatest Super Bowl halftime shows, according to Forbes:
1) Prince: The rockstar mesmerized viewers with his rendition of "Purple Rain" and "Let's Go Crazy" at Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show in 2007. He also covered songs like "Proud Mary" and "All Along the Watchtower" and "Best of You.
2) U2: The band's frontman Bono emerged from the crowd and headed to the stage as he sang "Beautiful Day" during the Super Bowl XXXVI Halftime Show in 2002. The band paid tribute to the victims of 9/11, with the names of the victims being flashed on the giant screen as they sang "Where the Streets Have No Name."
VIDEO: U2 at XXXVI Superbowl 2002 (Full halftime show)
3) Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band: They kicked off Super Bowl XLIII halftime show in 2009 with "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" before getting into "Born To Run", "Working on a Dream" and "Glory Days".
VIDEO: Bruce Springsteen at Super Bowl Halftime Show
4) Beyonce Knowles: She gave a titillating performance at the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show in 2014, performing songs like "Crazy in Love", "End of Time" and "Baby Boy", before being joined by Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams for songs including "Single Ladies."
VIDEO: Beyonce Live at NFL Super Bowl 2013 Halftime Show
5) Diana Ross: She did not lip-sync but performed live at the Super Bowl XXX Halftime Show in 1996. She enthralled the audience by singing a medley of her hit songs like "Stop In The Name Of Love", "You Keep Me Hangin' On", "Baby Love", "You Can't Hurry Love" and a few others, before leaving on a helicopter.
VIDEO: Diana Ross - Half-Time Show At Super Bowl XXX (Live)
