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The evolution of the Super Bowl halftime show: this week on The Green Room

Missy Elliott (left) joined Katy Perry during the 2015 Super Bowl halftime show.
Christopher Polk/Getty Images Sport
Missy Elliott (left) joined Katy Perry during the 2015 Super Bowl halftime show.

More than 120 million people are expected to tune in to Super Bowl 50 this Sunday in San Francisco. 

But it’s not just the football game that glues so many people to their television sets on Super Bowl Sunday - it’s also the commercials and the celebrity-laden halftime show. 

When did the Super Bowl halftime show become such a huge cultural event? 

Chris Chase writes about sports and pop culture. He says if you look at the history of halftime shows, there’s one in particular that stands out. It's not only the best, but also the one that created the event as we know it today.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idg8TNknvDU

“That was Michael Jackson in 1993,” Chase explains. “And that was really when the Super Bowl started to get big stars.” 

Before then, it was largely just a showcase for college marching bands and lesser known musical acts.

As for some of the worst halftime shows ever, Chase thinks the 1995 Indiana Jones stunt spectacular is by far the worst. It was a live production of a pretty cheesy Indiana Jones show, adapted with music from Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle and jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjXSqaSmhh4

This year’s Super Bowl halftime show will feature Coldplay, Beyoncé and possibly Bruno Mars. And depending on your musical tastes, that may or may not get you excited. As for Chris Chase, he says it’s sort of a bland combination.

“It’s all because of Janet Jackson,” says Chase. “Ever since Janet Jackson had her ‘malfunction’ … the NFL has wanted as little controversy as possible.” 

And Chase makes the argument that if you look at the performers since then, they’ve all been pretty safe picks as far as the NFL is concerned. And he doesn't necessarily see that changing anytime soon.

Dan Wanschura is the Host and Executive Producer of Points North.