SANTA CLARA, California (REUTERS) - Coldplay was the headline act at Sunday's (Feb 7) Super Bowl halftime show, but it was R&B super stars Beyonce and Bruno Mars who delivered the sizzle for a lively, upbeat performance that paid homage to previous halftime show headliners.

While known mainly for mellow hits, British alt-rockers Coldplay amped up the energy with their upbeat hit Viva La Vida, surrounded by dancing violinists and standing on a colorfully illuminated stage floor.

The band then performed its hits Paradise and Adventure Of A Lifetime before a black-leather-clad Mars, who headlined the halftime show in 2014, bounced in, singing and dancing through his hit Uptown Funk!, with producer Mark Ronson on DJ decks on stage.

But all eyes were on Beyonce, who sang and gyrated her way through her latest single Formation - a power anthem to race and feminism that debuted Saturday (Feb 6).

Her Bruno Mars-partnered version of Formation was considerably lighter in tone than the video and single. The ad immediately following the show announced her Formation tour.

Beyonce and Mars joined Coldplay frontman Chris Martin for a quick re-visit to Uptown Funk!, ending on Coldplay's uplifting ballad Fix You, with images of past halftime performers including Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Black Eyed Peas.

Even for music's biggest stars, the Super Bowl halftime show is the largest stage of their careers, drawing more than 100 million viewers to the live event.