The show opened with Chris Martin singing the opening chorus from "Yellow". He was then joined by the remaining band members of Coldplay to perform "Viva la Vida", "Paradise", and "Adventure of a Lifetime" with the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles conducted by Gustavo Dudamel and the University of California Marching Band. Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, and a troupe of backing dancers (dressed in the styles of Michael Jackson) then performed "Uptown Funk". Beyoncé, also in a Michael Jackson-like bodysuit and appearing with a set of backing dancers dressed as Black Panthers, then performed her new single "Formation" in a mass choreographed dance and forming the letter X (to represent Malcolm X) before joining Mars onstage for a verse of "Uptown Funk".

Coldplay played a snippet of "Clocks" transitioning into "Fix You," and Martin sang along to some of the songs included in a video montage of past Super Bowl halftime and national anthem performances, containing show numbers by Bruce Springsteen, Missy Elliott, Katy Perry, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, James Brown, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, The Black Eyed Peas, U2, Prince, Beyoncé in 2013, and Mars in 2014. The show concluded with the band performing "Up&Up" with Beyoncé, Mars, and everyone taking part in the show. At the end of the performance, the audience participated in a card stunt, creating a rainbow and the phrase "Believe in Love".

The performance received generally mixed reviews from critics, who complimented Beyoncé and Mars' part of the performance but were critical of Coldplay. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times stated that Coldplay "acted more as a stagehand than an actual performer" while Beyoncé's section of the performance was "the night's true event". Caramanica also noted that Beyoncé and Mars "outsang" Martin during the closing part of the performance. Andrew Barker of Variety similarly noted that "Coldplay seemed resigned to politely allowing themselves to be played right off their own stage" by the "far flashier" Mars and Beyoncé.

In a review for Fox Sports, Chris Chase panned Coldplay's performance, calling it "inexplicable, indecipherable, and unnecessary" and a "musical snooze". Chase complimented Beyoncé's and Mars' appearances but described the performance as "boring". Alex Needham of The Guardian gave the performance four stars, saying that "Queen Bey at the height of her powers effortlessly overwhelmed Coldplay's widescreen anthems in a show that seemed lightweight until she showed up".

Robert Bianco of USA Today stated that Martin "seemed overwhelmed" by the size of the event, and that despite being a "personable and energetic performer", an "awful lot" of Martin's energy "went into jumping". Bianco praised Beyoncé's appearance and stated that she "stole the show". Wendy Geller of Yahoo! also complimented Beyoncé's and Mars' appearances, but criticized the montage of previous halftime performances, describing it as "confusing rather than touching" and stating that the performance was "definitely a cold play".

The show received two nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Special and Outstanding Variety Special (Live).
Several public figures in the entertainment industry commented positively on the show through social media, including Andy Cohen, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Ellen DeGeneres, Victoria Justice, Hoda Kotb, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Donnie Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon. Elizabeth Banks, Khloe Kardashian and Demi Lovato particularly praised Beyoncé and Mars, while Future published "#Coldplay legendary forever" on his Twitter account. Taylor Swift praised the "Fix You" montage with the previous halftime performances and mentioned feeling like she had dreamed the performance. Conversely, Piers Morgan panned both the show and its subsequent game.
Beyoncé received criticism for the performance of "Formation", a song that right-wing politicians and activists considered to be "anti-police", and for appearing to align herself with the Black Lives Matter movement. Former New York City mayor Rudy Gi…

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According to Billboard, the halftime show got 115.5 million total viewers, becoming the most watched performance by a group. Moreover, all seven albums Coldplay had released at the time entered the United States albums chart; A Head Full of Dreams (2015) ranked the highest, at number four. The band also experienced a 174% surge in digital song sales, with the strongest seller being "Adventure of a Lifetime". Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010) and Unorthodox Jukebox (2012), both from Bruno Mars, saw increases in sales as well. Despite not charting any albums, Beyoncé entered the Hot R&B Songs ranking with "Formation" at number 18.