Once upon a time, the Super Bowl halftime show was purely defined by spectacle. The bigger, the flashier, the better to lure millions of watchful fans to tune into the most important football game of the year.
In recent years, however, a new standard has seemingly emerged from the halftime show’s greatest-hits trend, one that asks artists stepping onto one of the biggest global stages to deliver not just showmanship but substance that can truly enrapture audiences for the year’s hotly anticipated performance.
The latest stars to carry on the wave this decade have been Kendrick Lamar, who performed solo at the 2025 halftime show, and Bad Bunny, the headliner for this year’s Super Bowl LX.
The performers both delivered unforgettable shows that captivated onlookers in distinct yet equally potent ways — Lamar staging his politicized version of “The Great American Game” narrated by Uncle Sam (Samuel L. Jackson) and Bad Bunny honoring his Puerto Rican roots through a joyous celebration of heritage — each igniting conversations that have lingered well beyond the game-day broadcast.
Even now, audiences are still decoding and dissecting every little detail of Bad Bunny’s historic set (performed almost entirely in Spanish), from the star-studded appearances of Ricky Martin, Lady Gaga and others to the nod to his historic Grammy win to the countless overt references to Puerto Rican life and Latin culture.
