Music
Top 5 Awkward Super Bowl Halftime Moments
by Barry Taylor
February 6, 2011
On Friday it was announced that Slash and Usher would join the Black Eyed Peas for this year’s Super Bowl halftime show. And really, why not? Super Bowl half time shows are all about cramming various musicians and pop stars together on one stage to lip sync their biggest hits. Combining that much star power from so many different musical genres provides huge entertainment value; not necessarily because of the talent, but because of the potential for uncomfortable moments.
Here’s our Top 5 Awkward Super Bowl Half Time Moments.
5. Superbowl XLIII – The Boss’ Crotch Cam
In 2009, Bruce Spingsteen and the E Street Band performed one of the best half time shows in Super Bowl history. The boys from Jersey rocked out a set that included Born To Run, Working on a Dream, Tenth Avenue Freeze Out and a football-skewed version of Glory Days.
But the Boss’ greatest moment came via a sliding crotch-smash into a floor level camera: a true testament to the tireless work ethic of the stage crew and their buffing techniques.
4. Superbowl XXVII – Michael Jackson’s Chris Angel Intro
Here’s the conversation that went down between the half-time producer and his director leading up to Superbowl XXVII.
Producer: Okay, we’re working with one of the biggest stars in the history of pop culture. The legendary Rose Bowl Stadium is our venue and we’ve got one of the largest television audiences of the year. How are we going to kick off the show?
Director: Two words: body doubles.
Producer: I’m sorry?
Director: We hire a couple of Michael Jackson impersonators from Vegas and have them appear around the stadium.
Producer: I’m listening…
Director: Each one will bust out of a giant TV screen accompanied by fireworks with the final one, the real Michael, magically appearing on stage.
Producer: I don’t like it…
Director: Oh.
Producer: I love it!
3. Super Bowl XXXV – the Clusterfuck
The lineup for this halftime show looks like it was put together by throwing darts at a wall in a Hard Rock Café. Top 3 moments:
1. Joe Perry looking like a creepy uncle at 0:15
2. JC Chasez’s shirt
3. Nelly busting in a 1:22 just to give the whole thing some “street cred”
2. Superbowl XXV – New Kids On The Block
Sometimes you wonder why everyone living outside of the U.S. hate Americans so much. Then you watch this half-time show and it all makes sense.
Donnie Wahlberg actually tweeted a link to this video before last years game with the caption, “I’d rather eat rusted nails than watch this but, in the spirit of the game, maybe you’ll enjoy.” That’s debatable. Especially since there’s often an abundance of dips laying around during the game.
1. Super Bowl XXXVIII – Nipplegate
The actual wardrobe malfunction wasn’t all that awkward. It was barely noticeable actually. It was the entire country losing their goddamn minds the next day that made the entire thing newsworthy.
The incident inspired some great comedy from the likes of Lewis Black, David Letterman, and the Onion. The FCC received nearly 540,000 complaints from Americans and Viacom had to pay out $3.5 million as a result.
But what was lost in all of this was the work of Mark Roberts. Moments after the nipple appeared, Roberts took to the field wearing only a g-string attached to half of a miniature football that covered his genitals. He was taken out by New England reserved linebacker Matt Chatham and then arrested by stadium security. Arguably the best hit of the game.
