<P> During most of the Super Bowl 's first decade , the halftime show featured a college marching band . The show 's second decade featured a more varied show , often featuring drill teams and other performance ensembles ; the group Up with People produced and starred in four of the performances . The middle of the third decade , in an effort to counter other networks ' efforts to counterprogram the game , saw the introduction of popular music acts such as New Kids on the Block , Gloria Estefan , Michael Jackson , Clint Black , Patti LaBelle , and Tony Bennett . Starting with Super Bowl XXXII , commercial sponsors presented the halftime show ; within five years , the tradition of having a theme -- begun with Super Bowl III -- ended , replaced by major music productions by arena rock bands and other high - profile acts . In the six years immediately following an incident at Super Bowl XXXVIII where Justin Timberlake exposed one of Janet Jackson 's breasts in an alleged `` wardrobe malfunction '' , all of the halftime shows consisted of a performance by one artist or group , with the musicians in that era primarily being rock artists from the 1960s , 1970s and 1980s . These shows were considered `` family friendly '' and the time in which they took place has been described as `` the age of reactionary halftime shows . Since Super Bowl XLV , the halftime show has returned to featuring popular contemporary musicians , with the typical format featuring a single headline artist collaborating with a small number of guest acts . </P>
<P> During most of the Super Bowl 's first decade , the halftime show featured a college marching band . The show 's second decade featured a more varied show , often featuring drill teams and other performance ensembles ; the group Up with People produced and starred in four of the performances . The middle of the third decade , in an effort to counter other networks ' efforts to counterprogram the game , saw the introduction of popular music acts such as New Kids on the Block , Gloria Estefan , Michael Jackson , Clint Black , Patti LaBelle , and Tony Bennett . Starting with Super Bowl XXXII , commercial sponsors presented the halftime show ; within five years , the tradition of having a theme -- begun with Super Bowl III -- ended , replaced by major music productions by arena rock bands and other high - profile acts . In the six years immediately following an incident at Super Bowl XXXVIII where Justin Timberlake exposed one of Janet Jackson 's breasts in an alleged `` wardrobe malfunction '' , all of the halftime shows consisted of a performance by one artist or group , with the musicians in that era primarily being rock artists from the 1960s , 1970s and 1980s . These shows were considered `` family friendly '' and the time in which they took place has been described as `` the age of reactionary halftime shows . Since Super Bowl XLV , the halftime show has returned to featuring popular contemporary musicians , with the typical format featuring a single headline artist collaborating with a small number of guest acts . </P>
when did the super bowl half time show start
when did the super bowl half time show start
the Super Bowl 's first decade
the Super Bowl 's first decade