With the 2015 NFL season kicking off Thursday, people are already looking to the Super Bowl to speculate on who will be performing at the Super Bowl halftime show. While most people would say that’s crazy to think about in Week 1, there are already rumors swirling about who will take the stage, and it’s a very familiar face.
Only two years after his first performance, Bruno Mars has reportedly, according to Billboard, been tapped to take the reins of the year’s most-watched musical performance once again. Now, while this isn’t entirely foreign — Gloria Estefan, Nelly, and Justin Timberlake have all been multiple performers — never has an act been asked back so soon. In fact, Mars hasn’t even released new material since his last appearance; he’s only appeared on “Uptown Funk.”
With that in mind, we wanted to offer up a few ideas of who could take the Super Bowl stage instead of the still fairly fresh “Locked Out of Heaven” singer. Here are seven artists we’d rather see perform at the Super Bowl than Bruno Mars.
Foo Fighters
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Yes, it’s a bit of a meme that the internet follows Dave Grohl’s every move, but it’s hard to deny that Foo Fighters are a great suggestion. As one of the few rock bands still around who manage to be both successful and popular across all walks of life, the group has a catalog of hits spanning two decades to run through. It’s a forgone conclusion that “Everlong” would bring Levi’s Stadium to its knees.
Taylor Swift
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While Katy Perry may have lightly shaded her during last year’s performance, it would be only fair to give Taylor Swift the stage to retaliate. Oh, and it’s probably worth mentioning that she’s the biggest thing in music right now. Her crossover appeal has never been bigger — even people who hate her are slowly admitting that they enjoy her music. And even if you don’t like her, she has the potential to get Kendrick Lamar on a Super Bowl stage. That’s gotta be worth something.
Rihanna
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It may surprise you, but no one has had more No. 1 hits or weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart in this decade than Rihanna. She’s a star the world over, and she hasn’t even released an album in three years. If there was ever a way to come back, this would be it. Yes, the very conservative NFL may have some problems with someone who is often nude and rolling up on her Instagram, but the numbers simply don’t lie here. And besides, it’s not like she would perform “B*tch Better Have My Money.” Or maybe she would…
Justin Timberlake
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Yes, Justin Timberlake may have performed in 2001 with *NSYNC and 2004 as a part of… a certain incident that may have changed television and censorship forever. But it’s been more than a decade since the Wardrobe Malfunction. It’s time to mend some fences. Besides, Justin Timberlake has immeasurably grown since then as an artist and — presumably — as a person. He would tear the house down with his solo work, and could even pull a “Beyoncé” and invite his former bandmates back for a quick second, only to banish them back to the basement for eternity. He could even invite Janet back! It’s time to heal.
Pharrell
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Pharrell is someone who could perform for hours with hit after hit after hit that he’s been a part of. While in the 2010s, he’s more at the forefront, with his mainstream breakthroughs like “Happy” and his role on The Voice, most non-music fans would be blown away by how many hits he’s made and contributed to. Imagine him bringing out Jay Z for “I Just Wanna Love You (Give It to Me)” or Snoop Dogg for “Beautiful” or “Drop It Like It’s Hot” or Daft Punk for “Get Lucky” or Robin Thicke for “Blurred Lines.” They probably wouldn’t do that last one, but still!
AC/DC
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So, if the NFL is afraid of all of those ideas and just wants a classic artist who could fill a stadium, they could easily go with AC/DC. Their music is already a fixture within the NFL — you’d be hard-pressed to watch football on any given Sunday without hearing “Thunderstruck,” “Back in Black,” or “You Shook Me All Night Long.” It’s a super safe decision, but it would be giving the audience exactly what it wants with a band who is still selling out stadiums and knocking ’em dead, especially considering the legends got back in the headlines by headlining Coachella this year.
N.W.A.
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Okay okay okay, hold on. Stick with me here. This will never happen, but it’s fun to think about. Is it so far-fetched? Straight Outta Compton is the highest-grossing music biopic of all time. The creators are tripping over themselves to make a sequel. Dr. Dre’s visibility with Beats has never been higher. Would it be so wrong for them to play “F*ck Tha Police” or “Straight Outta Compton” and make the majority of the audience profoundly uncomfortable? Or they could play “Express Yourself” for 10 minutes. We can dream, can’t we?
