I have the best answer. With around 100+ million people tuning in on Superbowl Sunday, there is some major pressure to put on a good show that appeals to multiple demographics. It has to be edgy but not out of line. It’s impossible to please everyone so it becomes the goal to make as many people as possible happy. Let’s look at the past performers of the millennium and then I’ll give who should be performing.
2011 – The Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Slash – This was just bad. An odd combination with no real superstars. I find the Black Eyed Peas music to be weak to begin with. Usher is nice but he’s just not mass appeal. Slash plays guitar and isn’t going to steal the show.
2010 – The Who – No Keith Moon and too old for the venue.
2009 – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – I don’t think Bruce could ever put on a bad show. A safe pick for practically any venue ever.
2008 – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – I just get the feeling Tom Petty is like “who me?”
2007 – Prince, Florida A&M University Marching 100 Band – A risky pick with a Superbowl performance by Prince but it paid off. The Foo Fighters “Best of You” was covered nicely.
2006 – The Rolling Stones – Rock and Roll legends but just a bit past their prime.
2005 – Paul McCartney – I’m sure Paul puts on a great show but he’s just a bit too soft for this event.
2004 – Janet Jackson, P. Diddy, Nelly, Kid Rock, and Justin Timberlake – No one can forget Janet’s wardrobe malfunction.
2003 – Shania Twain, No Doubt, Sting – Sting is awesome. Gwen singing the second verse of Message in a Bottle is neat.
2002 – U2 – Killer band and an awesome performance. Great choice.
2001 – Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Aerosmith, ‘N Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Nelly – What I suspect is a decent performance by N-Sync and the fact that they were totally current made them a good choice. Aerosmith plays to the audience and sing one of my top 5 Aerosmith songs in Jaded. Nelly and Mary J are just sort of out of the way.
So it’s easy to see that after the wardrobe malfunction they went with old and boring with mostly classic rockers from the 70’s. I guess they tried to be fresh with the Black Eyed Peas when the Who were ridiculed for putting on a poor show. This year they’ve gone with Madonna, Cirque du Soleil, and Nicki Minaj. A fine line up but I don’t think will blow the doors in. Madonna inspires tons of females around the world but this is a MANLY event. This line up just isn’t going to work.
Let’s go through some options:
Katy Perry – Fan appeal but songs are a little too ditzy and teenage. Same man event idea.
Rihanna – I feel like the whole Chris Brown thing gets her black listed from these events.
Bon Jovi – Probably not a bad idea because he appeals to the 40+’s audience.
I want everyone to know while I originally was writing this post my answer was going to be Lady GaGa for best pick. However after making the statement that Madonna wasn’t manly enough I immediately found myself in a predicament. How can I call Madonna too soft and then be an advocate for Gaga. Nevertheless, I think Lady Gaga would be a great Superbowl performer. She’d put on a show guaranteed and you’d remember her. Her music isn’t really that bad. I know people probably rag on it but she’s a talented artist with a good head on her shoulders and makes really good music. She sells millions of records and I honestly don’t know how these board members think that Madonna would bring in a better show / rating than Gaga. I feel like I deserve the big bucks for making this selection. Any takers on whether she will be for 2013?
