Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers To Play Super Bowl Halftime Show
After months of rumors it would be the Eagles or Bruce Springsteen, the NFL announced today that Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers will play the halftime show at the Super Bowl this February 3rd in Phoenix. The booking of Petty continues the NFL’s bent for classic rock greats since Janet Jackson’s nipple bust out at the 2004 show: Recent bills have included Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones and Prince. A set-closing “American Girl” is pretty much a gimme, but what else do you think he’ll play? (“Even the Losers” could be a propos.)
Here’s a handy complete history of Super Bowl halftime gigs, courtesy of the NFL:
SUPER BOWL HALFTIME
I
Universities of Arizona and Michigan Bands.
II
Grambling University.
III
“America Thanks” with Florida A&M University.
IV
Carol Channing.
V
Florida A&M Band.
VI
“Salute to Louis Armstrong” with Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Channing, Al Hirt and U.S. Marine Corps Drill Team.
VII
“Happiness Is” with University of Michigan Band and Woody Herman.
VIII
“A Musical America” with University of Texas Band.
IX
“Tribute to Duke Ellington” with Mercer Ellington and Grambling University Bands.
X
“200 Years and Just a Baby” Tribute to America’s Bicentennial.
XI
“It’s a Small World” including crowd participation for first time with spectators waving colored placards on cue.
XII
“From Paris to the Paris of America” with Tyler Apache Belles, Pete Fountain and Al Hirt.
XIII
“Super Bowl XIII Carnival” Salute to the Caribbean with Ken Hamilton and various Caribbean bands.
XIV
“A Salute to the Big Band Era” with Up with People.
XV
“A Mardi Gras Festival.”
XVI
“A Salute to the 60’s and Motown.
XVII
“KaleidoSUPERscope” (a kaleidoscope of color and sound).
XVIII
“Super Bowl XVIII’s Salute to the Superstars of the Silver Screen.”
XIX
“A World of Children’s Dreams.”
XX
“Beat of the Future.”
XXI
“Salute to Hollywood’s 100th Anniversary.
XXII
“Something Grand” featuring 88 grand pianos, the Rockettes and Chubby Checker.
XXIII
“Be Bop Bamboozled” featuring 3-D effects.
XXIV
“Salute to New Orleans” and 40th Anniversary of Peanuts’ characters, featuring trumpeter Pete Fountain, Doug Kershaw & Irma Thomas.
XXV
“A Small World Salute to 25 Years of the Super Bowl” featuring New Kids on the Block.
XXVI
“Winter Magic” including a salute to the winter season and the winter Olympics featuring Gloria Estefan, Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill.
XXVII
“Heal the World” featuring Michael Jackson and 3,500 local children. Finale included audience card stunt.
XXVIII
“Rockin Country Sunday” featuring Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna & Naomi Judd. Finale included flashlight stunt.
XXIX
“Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye” featuring Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, Arturo Sandoval, the Miami Sound Machine and stunts including fire and skydivers. Finale included audience participation with light sticks.
XXX
Diana Ross celebrating 30 years of the Super Bowl with special effects, pyrotechnics and stadium card stunt. Finale featured Diana Ross being taken from the stadium in a helicopter.
XXXI
“Blues Brothers Bash” featuring Dan Akroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi. Also featuring “The Godfather of Soul” James Brown and ZZ Top.
XXXII
“A Tribute to Motown’s 40th Anniversary” including Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves and The Temptations.
XXXIII
“Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing” featuring Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and tap dancer Savion Glover.
XXXIV
“A Tapestry of Nations” featuring Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton and an 80-person choir.
XXXV
“The Kings of Rock and Pop” featuring Aerosmith, N’SYNC, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly
XXXVI
U2
XXXVII
Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting
XXXVIII
Janet Jackson, Kid Rock, P. Diddy, Nelly and Justin Timberlake
XXXIX
Paul McCartney
XL
The Rolling Stones
XLI
Prince
XLII
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers