Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show

Mars' performance received generally positive reviews from critics, while the Red Hot Chili Peppers' appearance received mixed to negative reviews. Mike Bruno of Entertainment Weekly gave a positive review of the halftime performance, complimenting Mars' "impressive" vocal performance and stating that "there's no question the kid is talented". Entertainment Weekly also criticized the Red Hot Chili Peppers' involvement in the performance, stating that there was "nothing wrong" with their performance however that their presence was "random and unnecessary".[14] Matthew Perpetua of Buzzfeed called Mars a "world class entertainer" and stated that Mars' performance was "dazzling" and "pretty awesome". However, Perpetua also stated that the Chili Peppers' presence was "unnecessary" and also noted that the halftime show was not as memorable as the previous year's show, which was performed by Beyoncé Knowles.[15] Lindsey Weber of Vulture stated it was unfair to compare Mars' performance to Knowles' and that the performance was "perfectly Bruno"; however, Weber also said that it was unlikely that people would "still be talking about" the performance the day after.[16] Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times stated that Mars "delivered" during the performance and showed viewers that he is a "real musician" however felt that the performance did not begin to feel "hopelessly retro" compared to Knowles' performance until the Chili Peppers joined Mars. Wood felt that the Chili Peppers' performance was "stale" and unwanted and stated that Mars did not need any guests to make the performance special.[17][18][19]

Chris Chase and Chris Strauss of USA Today gave a mixed review of the show, saying it was "unspectacular" and "instantly forgettable" and felt that Mars' youth and unlengthy repertoire failed to give him the legacy of previous halftime performers. Chase and Strauss stated the performance was "acceptable" however that it would not be remembered.[20]

Some complaints, including some from fellow musicians, were directed towards Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer who appeared to not have wires connected to their instruments and were accused of faking their performance.[21][22] A few days following the Super Bowl, Flea responded through the band's website by saying:

"When we were asked by the NFL and Bruno to play our song "Give It Away" at the Super Bowl, it was made clear to us that the vocals would be live, but the bass, drums, and guitar would be pre-recorded. I understand the NFL's stance on this, given they only have a few minutes to set up the stage, there a zillion things that could go wrong and ruin the sound for the folks watching in the stadium and the TV viewers. There was not any room for argument on this, the NFL does not want to risk their show being botched by bad sound, period. For the actual performance, Josh, Chad, and I were playing along with the pre recorded track (which was recorded earlier that week) so there was no need to plug in our guitars, so we did not. Could we have plugged them in and avoided bumming people out who have expressed disappointment that the instrument track was pre recorded? Of course easily we could have and this would be a non-issue. We thought it better to not pretend. It seemed like the realest thing to do in the circumstance. We decided that, with Anthony singing live, that we could still bring the spirit and freedom of what we do into the performance, and of course we played every note in the recording specially for the gig."[23][24]

Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith also responded to the controversy through his Twitter page saying: "FYI.... Every band in the last 10 years at the Super Bowl has performed to a previously recorded track. It's the NFL's policy. Period."[25]

Some fans even complained to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about the band's shirtless appearance saying that they were offended and both men and women should wear clothing because children were watching. One person even contacted the FCC complaining sexism and how it was unfair for the Chili Peppers to go topless but Janet Jackson's exposed nipple caused so much backlash.[26]

The Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show was once the most watched in the history of the Super Bowl drawing record ratings of 115.3 million viewers, passing the record 114 million who watched Madonna perform two years earlier. This was surpassed by Katy Perry in 2015.[27] However, that number was significantly higher than the 98.88 million viewers reported in the overnight ratings from Nielsen that measure the top 56 markets.[28]

On February 3, 2014 Billboard predicted that retailers had sold Unorthodox Jukebox 40,000 copies in the week ending February 2, representing a 164% gain compared to the previous week, when it sold 15,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Despite this effect, the album was already aiming for around 19,000 copies sold in the week ending February 2, thanks in part to Mars' exposure at the 2014 Grammy Awards. Mars was presented the award for best pop vocal album on the Grammys and got additional screen time from his nominations in other categories as record of the year and song of the year. The author of the article added that "the impact of the Super Bowl on Mars' music sales, and on the Billboard charts, will be unique compared to all other halftime headliners in the modern era of Super Bowl halftime entertainment".[29] On the following week it was expect that Unorthodox Jukebox would sell 70,000 to 80,000 copies by the end of the tracking week, coming for the top three on next week's Billboard 200 chart, while his debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, was expected sell around 25,000 copies.[30]

Regarding the tickets sales of his worldwide tour, The Moonshine Jungle Tour, Mars became the fastest entertainer to sell out three concerts at the Blaisdell Arena, in Hawaii.[31] Since the morning of February 3, 2014, the average price for The Moonshine Jungle Tour went up $150 to an average price of $500. Despite existence of some tickets left on the primary market for select shows, many were sold out. Ticketmaster also struggled to keep with demand, having to switch from their interactive seating maps for most events. The price for tickets on the primary market ranges from $49–$100 for most shows. Bigger city shows prices range from $70 to $181. For shows at big venues, the average prices on the secondary market is north of $600 with the cheapest tickets going for $150. At these prices, Mars upcoming tour ranks amongst the most expensive in the country this summer, ahead of One Direction tickets and Jason Aldean tickets, which were two of the highest prices for an American tours during the spring and summer of 2014.[2]