11 of the most controversial moments at Super Bowl halftime shows

The Super Bowl Halftime Show is a major American tradition—and, given the blockbuster audiences each year, it’s one rife with opportunities for performers to make a mess of their moment onstage. Here are 11 of the most controversial things to have happened at halftime show performances over the last few decades of televised football history, from Janet Jackson’s infamous wardrobe malfunction to some lesser-known showtime flops.

1989: An Elvis Presley impersonator fails to impress

In the first few decades of halftime shows, the performers were marching bands or Disney floats—not quite the spectacle we’ve become accustomed to. That changed in 1989, when the NFL went for a 1950s-theme extravaganza showcasing the talents of one “Elvis Presto,” an Elvis-Presley-impersonator-slash-magician who bizarrely attempted to perform the world’s “largest card trick” mixed with a song-and-dance routine (and, yes, audience participation was required). Another pitfall of the year: millions of sets of 3D glasses were distributed to viewers, but the technology did not end up being up to par for primetime