Super Bowl
Report: Maroon 5 to headline Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show
If you had Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You” on repeat this summer, then the latest news about who may be headlining next year’s Super Bowl halftime show will have you bumping and grinding all over again. On Wednesday (Sept. 19), rumors began circulating that the California-founded band had been confirmed as the halftime show performers for the 2019 incarnation of football’s major event.
Variety was the first to report that the Adam Levine-fronted act had secured the highly sought-after position. In their report, the publication also noted that the group’s lengthy list of collaborations including hits like “Girls Like You” with Cardi B., “What Lovers Do” with SZA, “Cold” with Future, and “Don’t Wanna Know” with Kendrick Lamar could open the door for similar appearances during the show.
Similarly, Us Weekly also reports that “the offer has been extended and they’ve pretty much accepted.”
This isn’t the first time that the band’s name has been thrown around as potential performers for the in-demand slot. During an interview in 2015 with Howard Stern, Levine told the host that the group had been on the short list for quite some time.
“We very actively want to play the Super Bowl,” the Voice coach admitted to Stern during the broadcast.
A representative for the band has yet to comment on the reported confirmation. While it looks lie it’s pretty much a done deal, Maroon 5 are still on the road touring behind 2017’s Red Pill Blues.
Super Bowl LIII will take place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in Feb. 3 2019.
Free Pre-Super Bowl Concerts Announced
Football’s biggest night is quickly upon us and in anticipation of the night which will find the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos go head-to-head, several free concerts have been announced. On Monday (Feb. 1), Go90, Verizon’s free social entertainment app, announced several pre-Super Bowl concerts. Fall Out Boy, Hunter Hayes, and Skrillex will perform at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. The artists will perform separately on the Thursday (Feb. 4), Friday (Feb. 5), and Saturday (Feb. 6) before Super Bowl 50.
Tickets for the shows are free, so they will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets for the shows will be available on Go90’s website here. For fans of country star Hayes, his free tickets will be available today. For those who are interested in attending Fall Out Boy’s set, those tickets will become available Tuesday, Feb. 2. For those who want to see Skrillex DJ, tickets to his show will become available on Wednesday, Feb. 3. For those who unfortunately miss out on the ticket raffle, or are not able to attend, the shows will be streamed online.
Fall Out Boy, Hayes, and Skrillex already join a musically packed week. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alicia Keys, and Metallica have already been confirmed to appear at pre-Super Bowl events. We also can’t forget the band who will be performing during the iconic halftime slot: Coldplay. In addition to Coldplay, it was confirmed last week that Beyoncé will make an appearance alongside the United Kingdom-based band. If we’re right, it means that Coldplay’s performance will include their recent single, “Hymn for the Weekend” which features the pop star.
Super Bowl 50 will take place this Sunday, Feb. 7, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
Katy Perry “Roars” the Audience to Life During Super Bowl Halftime
Katy Perry blew the retractable roof off of the University of Phoenix Stadium field in Glendale, AZ during her highly anticipated Super Bowl Halftime Show.
We might be a little bias with our opinion of the show, but it’s probably been one of the best from the past couple of years. With a setlist that covered some of her biggest hits including a special rendition of “I Kissed a Girl” with Lenny Kravitz and inviting Missy Elliot to the stadium grounds to perform some of her own songs, it’s was all around awesome and rocking.
Oh yeah, and there were fireworks, a floating comet, LED lights in beach balls and some palm tree, some killer visual effects on the grounds and beach balls and sharks with massive smiley faces (and an outfit that might become 2015’s Halloween costume).
Check out the performance below.
Katy Perry Denies Paying to Play Super Bowl Halftime
When Katy Perry officially announced she had been chosen for the Super Bowl Halftime show, everyone began asking just how much the pop star had paid for the gig due to the National Football League’s recent request to try and extort money from performers in a “pay-to-play” scheme.
According to the pop star, who beat out acts like Coldplay and close friend Rihanna for the gig, she didn’t pay a single cent.
At the beginning of the talks, Perry reportedly made it clear that she would not pay to play at “football’s biggest night” saying at the time, “I’m not the kind of girl who would pay to play the Super Bowl.”
In a new interview, it appears that the “Teenage Dream” singer stuck to her guns, claiming that she did not give in to the NFL’s requests.
“I put my foot down very early in the courtship,” explained Perry to the Associated Press.
“I said, ‘Look guys, here’s where I draw a line in the sand.’ I want to be invited on my own merits and not with some fine print. I don’t even care if my contract leaks. I have nothing to hide, basically.”
Perry’s performance will reportedly run 12 minutes long and consists of “two worlds.” Whatever that means.
She already revealed that Lenny Kravitz will be one of her special guests for the performance which might, in a way describe, the whole two world performance idea. Word has also started to spread that Perry would be bringing another special guest for the performance.
At the time, there’s no official confirmation, but some are speculating Rihanna is the other guest.
When asked about her performance, Perry said: “I’m all about female empowerment and uplifting people’s spirit, and people finding their own voice with songs like ‘Roar’ and ‘Firework,’ so maybe there is no better person [for the show]. Hopefully, I can bring that incredible strength and empowerment to people throughout the performance.”
Considering she was the most likely from the initial list to be chosen for the gig, we have a feeling she’ll be able to accomplish just that, even if we are a little bias here.
Super Bowl XLIX will take place on Feb. 1 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in, where else, Phoenix, AZ.
Katy Perry to Officially Headline Super Bowl Halftime Show
It’s been over a month since rumors surfaced that Katy Perry would, indeed, be headlining the National Football League’s Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2015.
Last night, the pop star revealed that she has signed up to be the performer for “football’s biggest night.”
Inside sources all but confirmed she had been chosen for the gig last month during the height of talks and a series of tweets after her first win on the American Music Awards last night, gave us the confirmation we had been waiting on.
It appears the NFL got their wish by coaxing Perry into performing. A few months ago when the “payola” scandal was revealed, inside sources had claimed the NFL has a few artists in mind for the gig including Coldplay, Rihanna, and Perry. Considering Perry has a wider appeal than the others, she seemed like the logical choice for the show.
As soon as the news made its way across the internet, Pepsi revealed Perry’s teaser for the show which includes edible glitter, unicorns, a time machine, kittens, her “outfit” and more.
While KatyKats might be excited to see their “idol” take to the green during the Super Bowl, we need to once again bring up the fact that the NFL wanted a cut of the musician’s money post-performance or a sizable “donation” for all the publicity they will garner from the show.
We’re hoping Katy’s people told the NFL to bugger off with that outrageous demand considering their ratings for the actual game last year sucked and the Bruno Mars/Red Hot Chili Peppers performance was what actually brought in the big numbers.
Super Bowl XLIX will take place on Feb. 1 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
You Me at Six Call NFL’s Pay to Play Bluff
While some people are up in arms about the National Football League’s decision to make artists pay in order to play the famous Halftime Show, it seems that a band from across the pond have decided to call the football giant’s bluff with an offer of their own.
You Me at Six have made an “official” offer the NFL to perform at during the halftime show. The band’s full offer can be read below and believe us when we say that it’s pretty hysterical the conditions the band demanding for certain prices.
Dear NFL:
We’re sorry to hear that you’re in such dire financial straits. While Coldplay and Rihanna mull your offer, we’re here to help with a multi-tiered proposal:
1. For $2 Million: We get to play the upcoming halftime show.
2. For $10 Million, one of us gets to quarterback a set of downs for the team of our choosing.
3. For $40 Million, the Super Bowl will be played with English football rules, where you must use your feet, and an actual ball.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts once you’ve had a chance to review. We welcome any of the Super Bowl committee to attend one of our upcoming American concerts. Our tour kicks off September 15th at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, CA.
Warmly,
You Me At Six
(Josh, Dan, Max Chris, Matt)
Yesterday, an article published in the Wall Street Journal claimed that the NFL had decided to charge artists to play the halftime show. At the time of the article, they claimed that the top three contenders for the gig were Rihanna, Coldplay and Katy Perry.
WSJ also revealed that NFL employees were trying to negotiate with the artists, but the reception had been ice-cold. Considering that the NFL wants a piece of the artist’s future tour income or a “financial” donation to the league, we can understand why no one wants to pay to play. Plus, we’re pretty sure a lot of people would love to have “Weird Al” perform this year; they did all come together to form a petition and actually get people to sign it.
Do we need more proof that the NFL are a bunch of scum?
NFL to Charge Artists to Play Halftime Show
We all know that the National Football League does not pay artists to perform at the famous Super Bowl’s Halftime Show because they believe that the exposure that the artists get during “football’s biggest night,” is worth the money the artists are out.
Today, word has gotten out that the NFL will keep up this tradition, but now, they have added something else to the mix; artists will have to pay in order to perform during the high-rated halftime show.
“In a twist this year, the league has asked artists under consideration for the high-profile gig to pay to play,” reports the Wall Street Journal. As if the subject of having to pay to play a show wasn’t already a big issue in the music world for up and coming artists and venues.
Not only did the WSJ report this, but they also claim the league have also revealed the top three contenders for the high-profiled show. Those that are apparently being considered are Rihanna, Coldplay, and Katy Perry. Guess that petition we signed a while ago to get “Weird Al” Yankovich to perform was thrown to the side. Darn.
Though there has been no official confirmation, some NFL employees have allegedly begun to approach the three acts to see if “they would be willing to contribute a portion of their post-Super Bowl tour income to the league, or if they would make some other type of financial contribution in exchange for the halftime gig.”
As it was predicted, the WSJ have claimed that the response to their offer has been less than lackluster. Considering what the NFL wants in return for the gig, they would be lucky to get the guy who plays spoons on the corner to come in and perform for the halftime show. Is it us, or does this somewhat resemble that pesky epidemic of payola which we are sure is still going on. If you aren’t sure what exactly payola is, don’t feel bad, head on over here and get a quick lesson.
NFL Hits MIA for Additional Retribution
It’s been months since we last heard anything about the lawsuit the National Football League has hit Sri-Lankan rapper M.I.A. with, but it looks like things are getting even more heated.
The rapper appeared during Madonna’s Super Bowl XLVI Half-Time Show back on Feb. 5, 2012 for the Material Girl’s song “Give Me All Your Luvin.'” During the song, M.I.A. flipped off the camera which sent the football association into a tailspin.
In the custom of Super Bowl half-time performers, she was not paid to perform the song at football’s biggest night, but that did not stop the NFL from demanding $1.5 million for allegedly breaching her performance contract and tarnishing its goodwill and reputation.
Now, the NFL is demanding that she pay back an additional $15.1 million more in “restitution” because that would be the alleged value of public exposure she received by appearing on the show for about two minutes. Reportedly, the NFL came up with that figure by basing it on what advertisers would have paid for an ad to run during that time slot.
“The claim for restitution lacks any basis in law, fact, or logic,” M.I.A. said in papers she filed on Friday. She adds that the “continued pursuit of this proceeding is transparently an exercise by the NFL intended solely to bully and make an example of Respondents for daring to challenge NFL.”
Since the original lawsuit was filed, M.I.A.’s attorney, Howard King, has been on a witch hunt, trying to discredit as many people involved in the NFL by proving that not all of them adhere to the “wholesome” nature that they are trying to protect. King even launched an email for anyone to submit information about these people; he claims it’s to “balance the field.”
As for M.I.A., we see her dragging out this suit until the NFL let’s it go.
Flea Address Red Hot Chili Pepper Unplugged Halftime Show
While most of the people who watched the Super Bowl halftime were in awe by how great Bruno Mars’ performance was and even more impressed by how a half of the Red Hot Chili Peppers were half naked in the cold, some noticed that the band’s instruments were not plugged in. After that, it was like a miniature version of “nipple-gate” all over again.
While it took two days for someone from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ camp to respond, bassist Flea has come out finally to address why the band did not have their gear plugged in during their performance. In his message, he reveals that the instrument were in fact not plugged in and that the bass, drums and guitar were pre-recorded, but singing was all live.
The full statement, straight from the Chili Peppers’ site can be read here.
“A Message From Flea
Dear everybody,
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 t.v. 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.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers stance on any sort of miming has been that we will absolutely not do it. The last time we did it (or tried to) was in the late 80’s, we were thrown off of ‘The Top Of the Pops’ television program in the U.K. during rehearsals because we refused to mime properly, I played bass with my shoe, John played guitar atop Anthony’s shoulders, and we basically had a wrestling match onstage, making a mockery of the idea that it was a real live performance.
We mimed on one or two weird MTV shows before that and it always was a drag. We take our music playing seriously, it is a sacred thing for us, and anyone who has ever seen us in concert (like the night before the Super Bowl at the Barclays Center), knows that we play from our heart, we improvise spontaneously, take musical risks, and sweat blood at every show. We have been on the road for 31 years doing it.
So, when this Super Bowl gig concept came up, there was a lot of confusion amongst us as whether or not we should do it, but we eventually decided, it was a surreal-like, once in a life time crazy thing to do and we would just have fun and do it. We had given this a lot of thought before agreeing to do it, and besides many a long conversation amongst ourselves, I spoke with many musician friends for whom I have the utmost respect, and they all said they would do it if asked, that it was a wild trippy thing to do, what the hell. Plus, we the RHCP all love football too and that played a big part in our decision. 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. I met and spoke with Bruno, who was a beautiful dude, a real talented musician, and we worked out something that seemed like it would be fun.
We recorded a track for the day, just banged one out from our hearts that was very like in spirit to the versions we have been playing live the last few years with our beloved Josh on guitar.
For the actual performance, Josh, Chad, and I were playing along with the pre recorded track 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 instrumental 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. It was like making a music video in front of a gazillion people, except with live vocals, and only one chance to rock it. Our only thought was to bring the spirit of who we are to the people.
I am grateful to the NFL for having us. And I am grateful to Bruno, who is a super talented young man for inviting us to be a part of his gig. I would do it all the same way again.
We, as a band, aspire to grow as musicians and songwriters, and to continue to play our guts out live onstage for anyone who wants to get their brains blown out.
Sincerely,
Flea”
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