List of Super Bowl halftime shows The following is a list of halftime show s held at the National Football League ' s championship game , the Super Bowl . While halftime shows are a tradition during football games at all levels of competition , the Super Bowl halftime show represents a fundamental link to pop culture , which helps broaden the television audience and nationwide interest . In most years since the mid - 1980s , the halftime show of the Super Bowl has featured popular recording artists and other well - known celebrities . It has measurably increased television viewers during and after the halftime show . The performance is regarded one of the most - watched events in American television annually with over 100 million viewers in the United States alone . Musical genres over the years have represented a broad range of music types , including pop , rock , classic rock , country , hip hop , rap , blues , and soul . In some years , short skits or drama scenes are acted out on a stage . The performance group Up with People has performed at the most Super Bowl halftime shows , starring in four during the 1970s and 1980s . According to Nielsen ratings , Super Bowl XLVI halftime show headlined by Madonna in 2012 remains the most - watched halftime show in history , with 114 million viewers or about 3 million more than the actual game . It is listed on the " Guinness World Records " as the largest TV audience for a Super Bowl half - time performance . Background . During most of the Super Bowl ' s first decade , the halftime show featured a college marching band . The show ' s second decade featured a more varied show , with Up with People producing and starring in four of the performances . The middle of the third decade , in an effort to counter other networks ' efforts to counterprogram the game , saw the introduction of popular music acts such as New Kids on the Block , Gloria Estefan , Michael Jackson , Prince , Clint Black , Patti LaBelle , and Tony Bennett . Starting with Super Bowl XXXII , commercial sponsors presented the half - time show ; within five years , the tradition of having a theme — begun with Super Bowl III — ended , replaced by major music productions by arena rock bands and other high - profile acts . In the six years immediately following the 2004 halftime show controversy , all of the halftime shows consisted of a performance by one artist or group , with the musicians in that era primarily being rock artists from the 1960s , 1970s and 1980s . The show changed directions beginning with Super Bowl XLV by shifting to contemporary R & B , pop and hip hop artists , also allowing for the return of collaborations . The NFL does not pay the halftime show performers an appearance fee , though it covers all expenses for the performers and their entourage of stagehands , family , and friends . According to Nielsen SoundScan data , the halftime performers regularly experience significant spikes in weekly album sales and paid digital downloads due to the exposure . History . The following is a list of the performers , producers , themes , and sponsors for each Super Bowl game ' s show . Details on specific shows . Super Bowl XL . For The Rolling Stones , the stage was in the form of the group ' s iconic tongue logo ( first used in 1971 on their " Sticky Fingers " album ) . It was the largest stage ever assembled for a Super Bowl Halftime Show , with 28 separate pieces assembled in five minutes by a 600 - member volunteer stage crew . The group performed three songs : " Start Me Up " , " Rough Justice " , and " ( I Can ' t Get No ) Satisfaction " . The show was viewed by 89 . 9 million people , more than the audiences for the Oscars , Grammys and Emmy Awards combined . In the wake of the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy with Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake , ABC and the NFL imposed a five - second delay and censored lyrics considered too sexually explicit in the first two songs by briefly turning off Mick Jagger ' s microphone — censoring to which the group had previously agreed . However , the choice of The Rolling Stones sparked controversy in the Detroit community because the band did not represent the traditional Detroit " Motown Sound " , and no artists from the area were included . Other championship performances . Shania Twain is the first artist to have performed at both the Super Bowl and the CFL championship , the Grey Cup , having done so in 2002 . The Black Eyed Peas joined Twain in 2011 , having performed at the Grey Cup in 2005 .