NFL staff writer Saad Yousuf from The Athletic ranked every Super Bowl halftime show since 1991. (In the 70’s and 80’s the halftime show featured marching bands and non-profits that staged song and dance performances).
His assessment is that last night’s performance by Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny (real name: Benito Ocasio) came in 6th. His review is below.
(Points out of 10 were awarded in each of four categories: Music and Dance, Staging, Performance Relative to Circumstance and Performance Relative to Stature).
6. Bad Bunny (2026): 36.5 points
The NFL managed to bring in one of the top artists in the world, at the height of his powers, and he delivered. The set was incredible. When the performance began, you wouldn’t know if you were watching something in Santa Clara, Calif., or in Puerto Rico. Even if you didn’t understand a word that he was singing, Bad Bunny’s performance and the production was more than enough to elevate the show. He leaned into the heritage and had unifying messages throughout the show, whether it be on the video screen in the stadium or written on the football he flashed to the cameras.
The bit where he gave the Grammy to the little child watching Bad Bunny receiving it on TV was touching, no matter how the viewer interpreted that moment. Given all of the scrutiny he was under coming into the performance, Bad Bunny showed that the stage — the Super Bowl or the current political climate — was not too big for him.
5. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem (2022): 37 points
4. Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson and Beyoncé (2016): 38 points
3. Michael Jackson (1993): 38.5 points
2. U2 (2002): 39 points
1. Prince (2007): 40 points (Prince performed “Purple Rain” as it rained during halftime of Super Bowl 41 in Miami Gardens, Fla.)