This Sunday, Maroon 5, Travis Scott, and Big Boi will rock the stage in Atlanta for the Super Bowl halftime show. It’s also just been announced that they’ll be accompanied by a special guest…
Anyways, Adam Levine’s crew were the first ones to be added to the gig, so it’s safe to assume they’ll be rocking as soon as the show starts. Expect them to perform songs like the recent hit “Girls Like You”, but don’t expect the featured Cardi B… Nevertheless, the band will likely go down the route Justin Timberlake went with last year’s run, doing newer songs as well as nostalgia jams from their mid-2000s string of music. Considering how far past the point of no return into hyper-poppy mainstream music the group has gotten nowadays, it’ll be rewarding to watch them jam out to bops from our childhood like “Misery” and “This Love”.
It’s easy to envision an epic moment when Maroon 5 closes one of their songs for it to be segued into the opening sirens of “SICKO MODE”. Travis Scott’s banger from ASTROWORLD is sure to blow the roof off Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Maybe Levine will sing over Drake’s verses about how he “used to bus it to the dance”. Who knows, the Canadian rapper could even make a surprise appearance at the big game.
Joining them is one-half of beloved hip-hop duo Outkast. The arrival of Big Boi (who was born in Savannah, by the way) wouldn’t be complete without a rendition of his 2000s classic, “Hey Ya!” Even Levine’s high pitched vocals could carry the chorus of the bubbly megahit. He’s had some moderately successful solo albums in the time since he and André 3000 parted ways, but it’s a sure bet he’ll be reinvigorating much of Outkast’s best work.
Perhaps none of these artists compare to the explosive announcement that cartoon character Squidward Tentacles will be a part of the halftime tradition this year. Ever since Spongebob Squarepants creator Stephen Hillenburg passed away in November, an online petition caught fire to have the iconic “Sweet Victory” sequence performed at the Super Bowl. Now with more 1.1 million signers, the dream may somewhat be coming to life. Maroon 5 posted a clip on Twitter with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it blip of he who lives in a pineapple under the sea, while the man behind the voice of Spongebob’s exasperated neighbor has confirmed some kind of mention at the game.
Jury’s out on how exactly this will go about, but reports aim it’s most likely Squidward will introduce Maroon 5 at the beginning of their performance. That said, it’d be something if Adam Levine and his band out of nowhere bursted into the titanic chant of “Sweet Victory”. Regardless, it’s great to see the NFL recognize the petition to pay tribute to the late creator, a man who sparked so much laughter into the childhoods of 2000s kids.
