Dennis HinzmannIn case you haven’t heard, Coldplay will be performing at the Super Bowl halftime show in February. While the band is certainly well-known, they haven’t done much in the way of music this year and their selection seems like a miss considering some of the other noteworthy artists and releases of 2015. We’re sure you can think of a handful of performers who should grace the 50th Super Bowl’s stage over the British rock band, and so can we.
Taylor Swift
Love her or hate her, before Adele came along in the eleventh hour it was a landmark year for Taylor Swift. Her album, 1989, saw the most records sold in a single week since 2002 (again, until Adele), and she and her posse of A-lister best friends have stomped the stage all over the world. She has a great stage presence, is a relatively good role model, and would have definitely done her patented “oh-my-god-I’m-so-surprised” face at least four times.
Janet Jackson
Though she’s still reportedly black-listed by the Super Bowl Committee after the nip-slip of the millennium back in 2004, Jackson would have been a prime candidate for this year’s performance. Bringing back performers that were iconic in decades past is a proven formula, and since Jackson has never headlined the Super Bowl stage, she could have had a stellar set list of old favorites and newer sounds from this year’s Unbreakable album.
One Direction
Admittedly the longest shot on this list, mainly because the only way it would work is if they used it as a chance to reunite with estranged and smolderingly attractive bandmate Zayn Malik. They have plenty of recognizable songs from albums past, strong contenders on their latest, Made in the A.M., and Malik could even use the exposure to premiere new music of his own. What better place to resolve conflict than the most-televised event of the year?
Nicki Minaj
She shared the stage with Madonna and MIA during Madge’s 2012 performance that also featured Cee Lo Green, LMFAO, and Cirque du Soleil performers, but the Queen of Rap is ready to run her own Pepsi halftime show. Even if the argument that her heavier hip-hop sounds aren’t family friendly was brought up, Minaj has plenty of top 40 hits that could make for gag-worthy stage show, and plenty of famous friends and featured artists that would us screaming.
Rihanna
Sure, she may be very between albums, but so was Beyoncé when she did the 2013 show that was so powerful it temporarily cast the football world back into the dark ages. Rihanna has established herself amongst the pantheon of one-named women in music, and her show, album or no, would receive plenty of hype and get plenty of non-football watchers to tune in.
005 Acts We’d Rather See Do the Super Bowl Halftime Show Than Coldplay