The Forgotten Halftime Show
We are glad that the members of the New Kids on the Block had not been heartbroken about getting bumped out of live TV. When Donnie Wahlberg was interviewed by Playboy, he said that they were not happy about the Disney-produced hyper-commercialization of it. “Afterward, we found out it didn’t air during the game. It had been preempted. George Bush made a speech,” he said, “I’m sure a lot of our fans were upset. But it made me very happy. We all breathed a sigh of relief. And it felt appropriate… It felt more fitting that George Bush made a speech during halftime than this ‘Small World’ Disney thing.”
The Forgotten Halftime Show
Best: Whitney Houston, 1991
In 1991, Whitney Houston received the opportunity to perform after the New Kids on the Block at Super Bowl XXV. She gave us a performance that has since become one of the most iconic moments in the history of the Super Bowl. Her performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” was a huge hit among the audience. In 2016, Danyel Smith got to talk about it for ESPN Magazine: “People were weeping in the stands, weeping in their homes. The song itself became a top-20 pop hit. Folks called in and requested Whitney Houston’s national anthem on the radio.”
Best Whitney Houston, 1991
