Let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet: On Feb. 11, Usher will play the Super Bowl halftime show, no doubt delivering on the same dynamic showmanship he’s brought to pop music for 30 years.
But it’s hard not to ask “What’s next?” Which artists will the Super Bowl turn to in 2025 and beyond, on nights when so much of the country — and world — is watching?
I came up with an even 10 possibilities, with a few caveats in mind. The artist can’t have headlined the halftime show before; their songs have to be known by a significant portion of the viewing population; and they have to be family friendly-ish (if Aerosmith and the Red Hot Chili Peppers can ply their lusty rock ‘n’ roll wares, most artists are safe).
These are meant to be realistic choices, not points of personal pride. As much as I’d like to see my beloved Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds headline the halftime show, it’s not going to happen. And a Thelonious Monk hologram just seems disrespectful.
So here are 10 possibilities the NFL is free to borrow and schedule any time over the next decade.
The obvious choice: Taylor Swift
That Miss Americana hasn’t already commanded her own halftime show is surprising. With the Eras tour under her creative belt and a personal connection that’s only drawn more eyes to the NFL, well, it’s time to let Taylor call her own Super Bowl plays.
The obvious choice, part two: Alicia Keys
Sometimes it all just adds up: Keys is a remarkable songwriter, dynamic singer — an American treasure, really. And she has a Super Bowl national anthem to her credit. Time to turn Keys loose with a longer time slot.
Stadium-ready rockers: The Killers
Few rock bands of the past 25 years own this sort of singles catalog: “Somebody Told Me,” “All These Things That I’ve Done,” “When You Were Young,” “Read My Mind,” “Human.” And as Missouri Tiger fans well know, “Mr. Brightside” goes over quite well with a football crowd. Brandon Flowers and his brothers in rock would make a fitting Las Vegas-style spectacle of the halftime experience.
Legacy rock act: Green Day
Look, I don’t like it anymore than you do — but bands like Green Day wear the label “classic rock” these days. And despite their underlying punk ethos, the band has enough radio hits to fill up at least two halftime shows. Recent attention for a MAGA-skewering line might bring pushback but, to paraphrase a former NFL head coach, Green Day has always been who we thought they were.
If the the Bay Area band isn’t up for the gig, Pearl Jam would be a worthy replacement; the band is accustomed to keeping tens of thousands in their palms at once. Whereas Eddie Vedder and Co. might once have recoiled at the mere suggestion, the halftime lineage of heroes such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and The Who should ease their collective conscience.
One night only? The White Stripes
A music writer can dream, right? With “Seven Nation Army” now ubiquitous at global sporting events (including the other football), maybe Jack and Meg White could be convinced to don the candy-striped red-and-white one more time, reuniting long enough to bash out some delightfully raucous anthems.
A hip-hop revue: The Roots
A national TV audience sees one of hip-hop’s all-time great crews Monday through Friday nights on Jimmy Fallon’s show. But give The Roots a Super Bowl Sunday and just imagine what they could do. Bandleader Questlove’s encyclopedic music knowledge and the band’s flexibility would no doubt act as a magnet for other artists, allowing the halftime performance to dodge and dive through rap, funk, soul, rock and more in one grand revue-style show.
The wild card: Beck
Longevity? Check. Sing-alongs? Cue “Where It’s At.” A performer the NFL can govern? Maybe, maybe not. Beck has worn enough musical garments to keep audiences guessing. Would he go full-on sexy soul man a la “Midnite Vultures?” Find moments of intimacy and grandeur befitting records like “Sea Change” and “Morning Phase?” Or keep the set as tight as the pants he sings about in “Hotwax?” If the NFL wants a sure thing, Beck might not be it — but he would bring a welcome weirdness to football’s biggest stage.
Soon and very soon: Jon Batiste
Batiste doesn’t yet own the stable of hits most Super Bowl performers need. But his infectious, ecumenical musical energy, displayed in venues such as the 2022 Roots N Blues festival, and his screen presence — from the Grammys to his former gig as Stephen Colbert’s bandleader and a new, personal Netflix documentary “American Symphony” — make it clear Batiste isn’t more than a few years from earning the right.
Gone country: Eric Church
Right or wrong, country music gets associated with the version of America the NFL likes to project. If you want a country hitmaker with crossover rock appeal — and a strong collaborator who could pull other name artists onto the big stage — Church seems like your guy. The North Carolina native could string together any number of platinum and multi-platinum singles without turning off listeners who say country music just isn’t their thing.
A Missouri favorite: Sheryl Crow
You want hits? Sheryl Crow has them — for days. So if we can express a little locally-focused love, let the University of Missouri graduate and newly minted Rock and Roll Hall of Famer have a little Super Bowl fun. It’s all she wants to do, of course.
Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He’s on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.
