The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bruno Mars will perform at the Super Bowl on Sunday when the Denver Broncos take on the Seattle Seahawks. It’s the first time in 15 years the Broncos have made it to the bowl. Just like it’s the biggest day of the year for football fanatics, it’s also a pretty big deal for music fans. Take a journey through Broncos Super Bowl history by remembering the halftime performances of each game the team played in.
SUPER BOWL XII (1978): Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos (27-10)
Mainstream music hadn’t really found a place yet in the Super Bowl, so for the Broncos’ inaugural battle (and loss) in the biggest game of the year, the halftime show consisted of the Tyler Apache Belles Drill Team and Apache Band, Dixieland jazz clarinetist Pete Fountain and trumpeter and bandleader Al Hirt. I’m sure they were good and all, but it probably pales in comparison to the spectacle of seeing Justin Timberlake perform with Janet Jackson’s breast in 2004.
As hard as we tried, we could not find video of this halftime show. Use your imagination.
SUPER BOWL XXI (1987): New York Giants vs Denver Broncos (39-20)
The Walt Disney Company produced the 1987 halftime show that featured George Burns and Mickey Rooney. For the 100th anniversary of Hollywood, Goofy and Chip and Dale got on the field, went over the top and did what only Disney could do to a massive sporting event: make it the corniest halftime show the world has ever known. Did they taint the “Indiana Jones” theme song? Damn them!
Watch the video below and try not to cringe. I dare you.
SUPER BOWL XXII (1988): Washington Redskins vs. Denver Broncos (42-10)
Chubby Checker and The Rockettes made a fun and nostalgic performance in 1988 with a “Supper Bowl Twist.” Look how provocatively those jazzercisers are dancing! It makes one proud to live in a time where we’ve embraced modesty. The giant pianos are a nice touch, but I think today’s audiences would die from boredom. Some have suggested we’re over-stimulated. Whatever that means – where are the fireworks and lazers?
SUPER BOWL XXIV (1990): San Fransisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos (55-10)
Man, the Broncos just were not having any luck in the Super Bowl, losing every time with an average score of 10. And again the halftime show had yet to live up to the flashy, over-the-top performances of today. Corny costumes and dance numbers with Fountain again, fiddler Doug Kershaw and “Soul Queen” Irma Thomas brought a New Orleans-y feel to the show. Watch it below. It’s a show-stopper. Stop showing it, please. Is that Charlie Brown in a dress?
SUPER BOWL XXXII (1998): Denver Broncos vs. Green Bay Packers (31-24)
Finally! Thank the lords of football for John Elway. And also thank them for a half-way decent lineup for the halftime show: The Temptations, Boyz II Men, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves and Smokey Robinson. That’s right, 16 years before Latifah was, she was performing halftime shows for the Broncos’ victory. The theme of ’98 must have been R&B, because this lineup has more soul than a gospel choir in Southern Alabama. Check out the temptations kill it below with “Get Ready” and “My Girl.” This is way better than Tom Petty’s crazy ass light show (Super Bowl 2008), right? Eh. But they’re starting to catch on with fireworks and other signs of technological pizzazz.
SUPER BOWL XXXIII (1999): Denver Broncos vs. Atlanta Falcons (34-19)
Once again we praise the magic of Elway for another glorious win. The streets of Colorado were riotous and the cheers of Denver pride could be heard across the land. If that sounds dramatic, it’s because Stevie Wonder and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy were in the stadium and the performance was in full swing. Oh, daddy-o, this is the kind of a performance that makes you wish you were born 60-some years ago. The pageantry of this halftime show feels natural and not overly superficial like if Lady Gaga ever disgraces the stadium stage. But rather than let something shameful like that happen, Gloria Estefan showed us a sexy latin time. I full-heartedly believe the Broncos won because of how awesome this halftime show was.
Fireworks? Check. Funk? Check. Classy synchronized dancing? Check. Tap dancing? ….um. Check? Okay, I can dig it.
SUPER BOWL XLVIII (2014): Denver Broncos vs. Seattle Seahawks (???)
Not sure about Bruno Mars? While appearing on “Saturday Night Live,” Mars did an amazing sketch where Pandora internet radio suffered a power failure and the intern Devin had to sing all the vocals for a variety of songs from a variety of genres to hilarious ends. He proves his ability to handle Green Day, Justin Beiber and, most impressively, Michael Jackson.
Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bruno Mars. The Chili Peppers are still one of the hottest acts in music today. They are as big as a band can get in today’s eclectic music climate. Everyone knows them, most everyone likes at least one song by them and nobody can resist rocking out when they hit the stage. Between Flea’s crazy stage antics, Anthony Kiedis’ powerful presence and Will Ferrell on the drums (bet Chad Smith is sick of that one), they can’t be stopped . (We miss you John Frusciante, come back to the otherside.)
There will be an epic pairing of rock and pop. Get ready, Colorado, because if the Chili Peppers and Mars can use their music voodoo to make the Broncos win, s***’s gonna get crazy.
Cheer the Broncos on this Sunday .
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James Garcia is a community reporter at the Loveland Reporter-Herald and a new blogger at Reverb. Follow him on Twitter @JamesGarciaRH.
