The 89th Academy Awards took place last night at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel the evening was peppered with political talk and ended with one of the biggest snafus since Steve Harvey crowned the wrong Miss Universe in 2015.

The night kicked off with “Best original Song” nominee, Justin Timberlake entering the Dolby Theater from the back and singing and dancing his away to the main stage up the aisle. He stopped to greet his “Mickey Mouse Club” costar, Ryan Gosling. Once on stage, JT was joined by his Tennessee Kids and a crew of dancers only to jump back off stage to dance with Halle Berry, Denzel Washington and wife, Jessica Biel. It was an upbeat start with Justin Timberlake entirely in his element, only further fueling the hopes of a new JT album and tour.

Kimmel for his part tried to keep his monologue light and his antics fun, dropping Red Vines and Jr. Mints on to the presumably hungry crowd and also kidnapping a bus full of Los Angeles tourists who only thought they were getting a bus ride through town to look at houses.  

Other performances were peppered throughout the night including John Legend, Sting, and 16 year old, Moana star, Auli’I Cravalho, who took getting hit by a flag during her performance with co-star Lin-Manuel Miranda in stride.

Miranda for his part did not win his ‘O’ in the coveted EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). The award for Best Original Song instead went to Justin Hurwitz for “City of Stars” from the 14 times nominated motion picture, La La Land. The movie went on to take home 6 of the 14 nods including Best Actress for Emma Stone and Best Director for Damien Chazelle, who at 34 became the youngest person to win the award.

​The biggest moment of the night came at the very end of the broadcast when the award for Best Picture was first awarded, incorrectly to La La Land by presenter Fay Dunaway. While the cast of La La Land was on stage hugging and celebrating, Jordan Horowitz announced there had been a mistake and that it was quote “not a joke” but in fact Moonlight had won.

It turned out Dunaway and co-presenter Warren Beatty were handed the incorrect envelope, instead of being given the Best Picture winner they were given the Best Actress winner. When Beatty passed the envelope to Dunaway, she read the name of the film.

Jimmy Kimmel joined everyone on stage and simply said “I blame Steve Harvey for this”.

While early ratings numbers are in, and they are low, the 89th Academy Awards are sure to be remember due to the end of show snafu for years to come. 

Written by Kristen

Virginia singer Chris Brown has announced dates for “The Party” North American tour via his Instagram page. Support will come from 50 Cent, Fabolous, O.T. Genasis and Kap G.

The tour will span 33 cities and kicks off March 31st in Baltimore, Maryland before concluding May 23rd in Los Angeles.

Brown’s shows are known to feature surprise guest spots and, according to a press release, fans are encouraged to “get [to the show] on time each night” to be part of a “historical movement.”

​Brown’s most recent single, “Party,” features appearances from Gucci Mane and Usher. His upcoming album, Heartbreak on a Full Moon, is expected to be released this year through RCA Records.

“The Party” Tour

3/31- Baltimore, MD @ Royal Farms Arena
4/01- Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
4/02- Boston, MA @ TD Garden
4/04- Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
4/06- Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
4/07- Auburn Hills, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills
4/09- Saint Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
4/10- Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena
4/11- Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
4/13- New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
4/15- Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
4/18- Jacksonville, FL @ Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
4/20- Hampton, VA @ Hampton Coliseum
4/21- Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
4/22- Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
4/24- Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
4/28- Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
4/29- Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
4/30- Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
5/02- Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
5/04- Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
5/06- Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
5/08- Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
5/10- Portland, OR @ Moda Center
5/11- Seattle, WA @ KeyArena
5/13- Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
5/15- Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Arena
5/16- Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
5/18- San Jose, CA @ SAP Center
5/19- San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl
5/20- Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
5/23- Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum

Want to see Chris Brown live? Click Here.

Written by Eugene

​Bay Area Thrash legends Metallica have announced a North American tour in support of their latest full length, Hardwired to Self-Destruct. The tour, the band’s first since 2009, will kick off in Baltimore, Maryland on May 10th and hit stadiums in 25 cities before wrapping up August 16th in Edmonton, Canada.

The trek will feature support from Avenged Sevenfold and Volbeat. The latter of which will be replaced by French Progressive Metal band Gojira for the second half of the tour.

Justifying the huge scope of the venues, drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone that: “Full stadium runs can sometimes be a little intimidating. There’s all these things to worry about like, ‘You should really try to play maybe only on the weekend,’ and ‘Where do you play on Tuesday?’ and some of those practicalities can get a little bewildering. We just threw caution to the wind. Doing a stadium run seemed like the perfect thing on the back of how well this record has been received and all the good will that’s out there in Metallica’s world right now.”

Metallica has been in the news recently as their genre-defying Grammy performance with Lady Gaga was marred by technical issues. Frontman James Hetfield was clearly frustrated when his mic wasn’t working for the first half of “Moth into Flame” and ended the performance by kicking over his mic stand and hurling his guitar to a crew member.

Ulrich brushed off the incident as a “slight technical snafu” and went on to praise Lady Gaga and the “quintessential perfect fifth member of this band.

Hardwired to Self-Destruct is the band’s first studio album in eight years. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album went to number one in 57 countries.

Metallica “WorldWired” Tour

5/10 – Baltimore, MD @ M&T Bank Stadium*^
5/12- Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field*^
5/14- East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium*^
5/17- Uniondale, NY @ New Coliseum^
5/19- Boston, MA @ Gillette Stadium^
5/21- Columbus, OH @ Rock on the Range Festival
6/04- St. Louis, MO @ Busch Stadium^
6/07- Denver, CO @ Sports Authority Field*^
6/11- Houston, TX @ NRG Stadium*^
6/14- San Antonio, TX @ Alamodome*
6/16- Dallas, TX @ AT&T Stadium*
6/18- Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field*
7/05- Orlando, FL @ Camping World Stadium*^
7/07- Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium*^
7/09- Atlanta, GA @ Suntrust Park*^
7/12- Detroit, MI @ Comercia Park*^
7/14- Quebec City, QC @ Festival D’Ete
7/16- Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre*^
7/19- Montreal, QB @ Parc Jean-Drapeau*^
7/29- Los Angeles, CA @ Rose Bowl *%
8/04- Phoenix, AZ @ University of Phoenix Stadium*%
8/06- San Diego, CA @ Petco Park*%
8/09- Seattle, WA @ CenturyLink Field *%
8/14- Vancouver, BC @ BC Place*%
8/16- Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium *%

* w/ Avenged Sevenfold
^ w/ Volbeat
% w/ Gojira

Another Grammy performer and winner, Chicago artist, Chance the Rapper has announced a Spring tour.

The 39 date arena tour will begin in San Diego, California on April 24th and conclude October 4th in Los Angeles. The run will include stops at JMBYLA, Boston Calling, Sasquatch, Governor’s Ball, Bonnaroo, Firefly and the Bon Iver-curated Eaux Claires festivals.

Chance the Rapper was nominated for seven Grammy awards and won three – Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, and Best Rap Performance. He made history at the award show by being the first artist to win without selling physical copies of his albums. In fact, all of his music is posted online for free. He explained his methodology in a recent Vanity Fair interview:

“After meeting with the three major labels, I realized my strength was being able to offer my best work to people without any limit on it. I make money from touring and selling merchandise, and I honestly believe if you put effort into something and you execute properly, you don’t necessarily have to go through the traditional ways.”

The rapper’s latest, Coloring Book, is available now. 

Chance the Rapper Spring 2017 Tour

4/24- San Diego, CA @ Valley View Casino Center
4/26- Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
4/27- Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
4/29- Salt Lake City, UT @ Maverik Center
4/30- Boise, ID @ Idaho Center
5/02- Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
5/03- Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
5/05- Dallas, TX @ JMBYLA
5/06- Austin, TX @ JMBYLA
5/07- Spring, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
5/09- Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
5/10- Omaha, NE @ CenturyLink Center Omaha
5/12- Saint Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
5/13- Bonner Springs, KS @ Providence Medical Center Amphitheatre
5/14- St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
5/16-Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
5/18- Auburn Hills, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills
5/19- Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
5/20- Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
5/21- Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Festival
5/24- Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
5/25- Montreal, QC @ Centre Bell
5/26- Boston, MA @ Boston Calling
5/28- Seattle, WA @ Sasquatch
5/31- Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
6/02- New York, NY @ Governor’s Ball
6/03- Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
6/04- Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
6/06- Baltimore, MD @ Royal Farms Arena
6/07- Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum
6/08- Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
6/10- Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
6/11- Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
6/13- Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
6/14- Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
6/16- Eau Claire, WI @ Eaux Claires Festival
6/17- Dover, DE @ Firefly Music Festival
10/03- Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
10/04- Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl

Check out Metallica and Chance the Rapper when they head to a city near you!

Written by Eugene

The nominations for this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards are out and while most nominations were expected there are some nominations (or lack thereof) that has left people scratching their heads.

Entertainer of the Year includes last year’s winner Jason Aldean along with his buddy, Luke Bryan. Also nominated for the first time in 7 years is Carrie Underwood. Florida Georgia Line (a duo) is also on the list that is rounded out by Keith Urban.

Not on the list? Country Music Award’s Entertainer of the Year, Garth Brooks and multi Entertainer of the Year winner, Kenny Chesney. Both artists were on tour in 2016.

If Florida Georgia Line wins Entertainer of the Year they would be the first duo to do so since 2002 when Brooks & Dunn took home the award.

The Male Vocalist of the Year category didn’t necessarily shake out as many were expecting either. Last year’s winner, Chris Stapelton makes the cut again along with Jason Aldean, Keith Urban and Dierks Bentley who is co-hosting for the second year in a row. New addition to the group? Thomas Rhett. This is his first nomination in this category.

Not on the list? Dierks co-host, Luke Bryan and former host, Blake Shelton. Shelton for his part didn’t get nominated in any of the categories this year despite his album If I’m Honest being his 10th number 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Album chart and debuting at number 3 on the overall Top 200 chart. The album also churned out hits, “Came Here to Forget”, “She’s Got a Way With Words” and “Guy With a Girl”.

For what it’s worth, Shelton’s ex received nominations for her post-divorce album, Weight of These Wings seeing her name in the categories for Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year. Her song “Vice” received nods for Singe Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Video of the Year.

Another shake up came in the Vocal Group of the Year category. Nominees include Eli Young Band, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Old Dominion and Rascal Flatts.

Not on the list? Zac Brown Band. The category looks exactly the same as last year’s show with ZBB and Lady Antebellum swapping slots.  

The 2017 Academy of Country Music Awards will air live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 2nd on CBS, 8:00pm EST.
 
For the full list of nominees, Click Here.

Written by Kristen

Beyoncé showed off her bump, Adele restarted her performance and Twenty One Pilots accepted their award in their underwear. The 59th annual Grammy Awards were star studded and packed with performances and moments everyone will be talking about today.

Adele opened the show with her Record of the Year winning song, “Hello” using no special effects other than the black and white screen that showed close ups of the singer on stage. James Corden was the host for the evening and in his opening monologue took a tumble down the stairs and lost a shoe before rapping about the night’s upcoming events. The first award of the night, Best New Artist went to Chance the Rapper who would later win again for Best Rap Album. His performance later in the evening was raw with emotion as he proved you don’t need a record label to win big on the industry’s biggest night.

Twenty One Pilots won for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their hit “Stressed Out” and as they exited their row they each began to unbutton their pants and drop their drawers before getting on stage. This odd-ball moment turned semi-sweet when the duo explained they used to watch the Grammy's from home in their underwear and vowed that if/when they ever won they would accept their award in the same fashion. Staying true to their word the duo did just that.

Adele had a big night, winning not only Record of the Year but Song of the Year and Album of the Year as well, even though she couldn’t help but to bow down to Beyoncé. For a brief moment many wondered if she would leap off stage and hand the award to Beyoncé the way she spoke so highly and how she felt so unworthy of the Album of the Year honor. For those wondering, no, Kanye West was not in attendance. 

Entering the night with nine nominations, Beyoncé took home two including the award for Best Urban Contemporary Album, accepting with a pre-written speech. Her performance was part spoken word and part hologram as pre-recorded track spoke about the importance of being a mother. She would go on to sing two songs off her nominated album, Lemonade. Downed in gold, the newly announced but clearly pregnant Queen Bey made viewers gasp as she appeared to put way to much trust into a chair that would put her practically on her back. One might question the placement of her performance as it was extremely large scale and it was not the opener for the evening nor closer but simply placed in the middle of the first half of the broadcast. 

The MC of the evening, Corden didn't interfere too much with the performances though his parents did make for a funny moment when Heidi Klum was sitting on his father's lap and his mother seemed to like what she saw in Nick Jonas. The most awkward moment of the night? Had to be when James Corden to tried to bring the beauty that is his “Carpool Karaoke” to the live show pairing Jennifer Lopez, Faith Hill, John Legend and Keith Urban with Neil Diamond to sing “Sweet Caroline” only to have none of the stars (aside from Diamond) know the words! Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s daughter, Blue made her way into the bit which added unexpected cuteness but couldn’t save this epic fail.

Back to the performances, Adele, who was plagued by audio issues at last year’s show, took the stage a second time as a tribute for George Michael only to stop a few bars in, declaring “I can’t mess this up for him”. She called to restart the performance and then proceeded to nail it, ending the slowed down version of “Fastlove” in tears. The other major tributes of the night? Demi Lovato, Tori Kelly and Little Big Town took the stage to honor the Bee Gees with the only surviving member, Barry in the audience. During the performance Lovato threw some serious Cher vibes while Kelly jumped around in retro boots. Later on, Bruno Mars exquisitely channeled the Purple One as he downed Prince’s puffy white shirt and eyeliner while letting lose on the guitar for “Let’s Go Crazy”.

Though an award show, the Grammy's tend to had out the majority of their awards before the telecast making sure to jam in as many performances as they can and when they can't fit everyone in their own slot, they mash 'em up! Mashups included country singer Kelsea Ballerini and "7 Years" singer Lukas Graham, country singer Maren Morris and Alicia Keys and in the epic rock meets pop combo of Metallica and Super Bowl 51 performer, Lady Gaga (who took the opportunity to stage dive in the middle of the performance).
 
All in all the 2017 Grammy Awards went on as one would except, a night that was focused on the artists and their art and how they wanted to demonstrate that art.

For the full list of winners, Click Here.

Written by Kristen

Coming off the heels of her Super Bowl LI Half Time performance, Lady Gaga has announced an extensive world tour in support of her new album, Joanne.

The North American portion of the trek will run from August until the end of the year and will bookend a European run from mid-September to early November. See the dates below.

Upon the release of Joanne, the singer announced only a short three show run called The Dive Bar tour to promote the album. However, in late 2016, she confirmed that a more thorough tour was to come during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show.

Joanne, Lady Gaga’s fifth studio album, was released October 21st 2016 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. It features guest appearances from Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine.

​Lady Gaga on Tour

8/01- Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
8/03- Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place
8/05- Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
8/08- Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum
8/11- Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
8/13- San Francisco, CA @ AT&T Park
8/15- Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
8/19- Omaha, NB @ CenturyLink Center
8/21- St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Arena
8/23- Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
8/25- Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field
8/28- New York, NY @ Citi Field
9/01- Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
9/04- Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
9/06- Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
9/10- Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
09/22- Barcelona, ES @ Palau Sant Jordi
09/24- Zurich, CH @ Hallenstadion
09/26- Milan, IT @ Mediolanum Forum
09/29- Hamburg, DE @ Barclaycard Arena
10/01- Sportpaleis, Antwerp, BE @ Sportpaleis 
10/03- Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome 
10/06: Paris, FR @ AccorHotels Arena
10/09- London, UK @ O2 Arena
10/15- Birmingham, UK @ Barclaycard Arena
10/17- Manchester, UK @ Manchester Arena
10/21- Copenhagen, DK @ Royal Arena
10/23- Stockholm, SE @ Ericsson Globe
10/26- Berlin, DE Mercedes-Benz Arena
10/28- Koln, DE @ Lanxess Arena
11/05- Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life Fieldhouse
11/07- Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena 
11/10- Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
11/13- Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
11/15- Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
11/16- St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
11/19- Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
11/20- Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
11/28- Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
11/30- Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
12/01- Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
12/03- Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
12/05- Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center
12/08- Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
12/09- Oklahoma City, OK @ Chesapeake Energy Arena
12/12- Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
12/14- Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivant Smart Home Arena

Don't miss Lady Gaga when she plays in a city near you!

Written by Eugene

New York EDM duo The Chainsmokers have announced a North American tour.

The tour will see the DJs playing arenas across the country and will kick off April 13th in Miami and conclude June 10th in Queens, NY.

Main support will come from Kiiara and Emily Warren. The group has also promised a variety of special guests on Twitter, including Alison Wonderland, Illenium and Shaun Frank. It is unclear if these guests will play the entirety of the tour or just select dates.


The Chainsmokers scored their first number one single this summer with “Closer,” which features a vocal performance from Halsey. They have yet to release an album – but did tell Billboard that they expect to release their still-nameless debut in April.

The Chainsmokers Memories: Do Not Open Tour

4/13- Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
4/14- Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
4/15- North Charleston, SC @ North Charleston Coliseum
4/18- Charlottesville, VA @ John Paul Jones Arena
4/20- Bridgeport, CT @ Webster Bank Arena
4/21- Albany, NY @ Times Union Center
4/22- Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
4/25- Cleveland, OH @ Wolstein Center
4/26- Cincinnati, OH @ US Bank Arena
4/27- Detroit, MI @ Joe Louis Arena
4/28- Madison, WI @ Veterans Memorial Coliseum
4/29- Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
4/30- Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Arena
5/02- West Valley City, UT @ Maverik Center
5/04- Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
5/05- San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic
5/06- San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic
5/08- San Diego, CA @ Valley View Casino Center
5/09- Glendale, AZ @ Gila River Arena
5/11- San Antonio, TX @ Freeman Coliseum
5/13- New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Arena
5/16- Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
5/17- Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
5/18- St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
5/19- Memphis, TN @ FedEx Forum
5/20- Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
5/23- Columbia, SC @ Colonial Life Arena
5/24- Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena
5/25- Hampton, VA @ Hampton Coliseum
5/26- Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
5/30- Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
6/01- Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
6/02- Boston, MA @ TD Garden
6/03- Philadelphia, PA @ Liacouras Center
6/04- Philadelphia, PA @ Liacouras Center
6/07- Providence, RI @ Dunkin’ Donuts Center
6/09- Queens, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium
6/10- Queens, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium

Want to see the Chainsmokers live? Click Here.

​Written by Eugene

Lady Gaga is set to take center stage during Super Bowl 51’s halftime show at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. This is arguably the most coveted gig to land and most likely the most nerve wracking as well. Super Bowl watchers are tough critics when it comes to the halftime show and some artists score a touchdown while others get sacked, quick. Let’s take a look back at a few of the the highs of Super Bowl halftime show past.

Beyoncé – 2013
The rumor mill buzzed with talk that husband Jay-Z would join Bey on stage. They sing together on so many hits how could he not? Well, he didn’t. But Sasha Fierce did bring out Destiny’s Child for a reunion and the trio sang “Bootylicoius”, “Independent Woman” and “Single Ladies”. Queen Bey also sang “Love on Top”, “Crazy in Love”, “End of Time”, “Baby Boy” and “Halo”. Beyoncé turned the show into a full on spectacle, she lit her own giant silhouette on fire and was joined on stage by a cheer leading squad. Needless to say, Beyoncé showed the NFL exactly who “Run the World”.

Bruce Springsteen – 2009
“Put the chicken fingers down!” he demanded and then the boy from Jersey made the whole stadium rock with hits “Born to Run”, “Glory Days” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out”. For a man who is used to putting on 3+ hour shows, 12 minutes was not much to work with but he made every minute count. With his time up, a referee came on stage to throw a flag for delay of game only prompting Steven Van Zandt to protest and say “It’s Boss time!” If only the Boss could have played on for just a few more; “Rosalita”, “Born in the USA”, “Dancing in the Dark” the list goes on and on.

Prince – 2007
Prince was quite the showman and no stage proved to be too large for him and he proved it once and for all in 2007 while he sang “Purple Rain” in the pouring rain on a stage that was created to look exactly like his infamous symbol. In a post “wardrobe malfunction” halftime world, Prince brought imagination and visual creativity back to the performance that had played it safe for the past two years. Prince was never one to play it safe. He played “Let’s Go Crazy”, “Baby I’m a Star”, “1999” and “Purple Rain” plus covers of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”, Creedance Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary”, Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and The Foo Fighters’ “Best of You”. Yeah, his set list was jam packed and the halftime show was remade and rejuvenated.

*N SYNC and Aerosmith – 2001
This halftime show was produced by MTV and included a serious prelude video featuring Ben Stiller. You can ask anyone who used to rush home from school to watch TRL between 1998 and 2003 - this is the epitome of their teenybopper-hood. What started as a “battle” between *N SYNC and Aerosmith trading off songs from “Bye, Bye, Bye” to “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” to “It’s Gonna Be Me” to “Jaded”, ended with the most insane boy band, rock band, celebrity guest appearance mashup of “Walk This Way”. As if the guys of *N SYNC and Aerosmith weren't enough, soon Nelly, Mary J. Blige and Britney Spears all hoped on stage. This is what Super Bowl halftime performances are all about folks. It was a coming together of classic rock and pop idols that has yet to be matched.

Michael Jackson – 1993
They didn't call him the The King of Pop for nothing. MJ changed the game in terms of Super Bowl halftime performances when he entered the stage after beaming through what looked like an alien abduction. With fake Michaels popping up from out of the jumbotron and the real Michael popping up from underground on the main stage, this set the tone for theatrics that had yet to be explored. Until 1993 halftime shows were mostly made up of marching bands. After his grand entrance, he stood there. For 90 seconds. Is that not the most Michael Jackson thing, ever? The stadium lost it and he took it all in starring down each side of the stadium not moving a muscle, not saying a word. After the drama ended he opened with “Jam” and then moved into “Billie Jean” with his infamous fedora then cut to “Black or White”, and closed with “Heal the World”. With that, previous performances paled in comparison and anyone who would be asked to perform next would have to bring it just as hard.


Written by Kristen