The National Football League announced today that American rock icons Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have been chosen to perform at the halftime show of Super Bowl XLIII, to be played Feb. 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Rock Hall of Famers Springsteen and his E Streeters are the latest in an impressive string of pop superstars who have entertained audiences at America’s most prestigious single-day sporting event. Chubby Checker, who inspired the ’60s Twist dance craze, began the pop music tradition on a nostalgic note in 1988.
But since then Super Bowl halftime shows have featured some of the biggest names in contemporary music, including Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, U2 and Prince. Janet Jackson’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction” in 2004 caused a huge public controversy, leading to a half-million-dollar FCC fine against broadcast network CBS which has since been rescinded.
This year’s halftime headliners were Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, who played a rollicking mini-set before a national television audience estimated at 148 million. The NFL says the 2009 Super Bowl will be broadcast to more than 130 countries and territories.―Jerry McCulley