The NFL has unveiled its pregame entertainment line-up for Super Bowl LX, with Charlie Puth among those performing before Bad Bunny‘s halftime slot.
- Read More: Bad Bunny – ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ review: ode to homeland is a new high for the Puerto Rican star
On February 8, the Puerto Rican rapper and singer is set to perform at the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show at Levi’s Stadium. Last night (November 30), the NFL announced that Puth will perform the national anthem on the day, while Brandi Carlile will sing ‘America the Beautiful’ and Coco Jones will perform ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’.
“Super Bowl Sunday is the world’s biggest entertainment stage, and we’re proud to spotlight artists who embody the very best of music and culture,” NFL senior VP of global event production Jon Barker said in a statement (via Billboard).
Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez described Puth, Carlile and Coco as “generational talents” and added that they were “honoured to have them — alongside our extraordinary deaf performers — on Super Bowl LX’s world stage.
“This moment embodies the very best of culture, live performance, and our country, perfectly kicking off game day.”
As mentioned above, both the pregame and halftime shows will feature American Sign Language (ASL) performances, with Fred Beam performing the national anthem and ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ and Julian Ortiz delivering ‘America the Beautiful’.
As for Bad Bunny, the announcement that Bad Bunny would be headlining the Super Bowl halftime show came shortly after he shared that he would not be touring the US during his ongoing world tour due to fears over ICE agents raiding his concerts.
News of his slot proved divisive among right-wing circles, with organisation Turning Point USA – which was founded by the late Charlie Kirk – announcing plans for an ‘All American Halftime Show’. It will be held at the same time and date as the NFL halftime show, with Sting set to perform.
President Donald Trump called the move to have Bad Bunny headline “crazy” and claimed he had “never heard of” the rapper, and one of his advisors confirmed that ICE would be present at the “shameful” concert.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem reiterated ICE’s presence at the concert, and a petition began circulating online urging for Bad Bunny to be dropped and country singer George Strait to be booked as a replacement. The latter has over 110,000 signatures at the time of writing.
Bad Bunny – real name Benito Ocasio – took aim at the backlash while hosting Saturday Night Live, joking that “everyone is happy” about the concert, “even Fox News.”
In Spanish, he added that it was a milestone moment for “all the Latinos and Latinas in the whole world, and here in the United States, all the people who have worked to open doors, more than I have achieved, who have achieved everything, demonstrating that our way, our carrying of this country, no one can ever remove nor erase.”
He then wrapped up the monologue in English, and quipped: “And if you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”
The NFL has defended Bad Bunny’s slot, with Commissioner Roger Goodell telling the press that the NFL were firm in their decision and reaffirming that the move was “carefully thought through.”
Jay-Z – who serves as the NFL’s music strategist via his label Roc Nation’s partnership with the league – has backed up Bad Bunny twice, too. Earlier in the month, he called the rapper “truly inspiring” and added that his team felt “honoured to have him on the world’s biggest stage”. More recently, he shared that he wasn’t convinced that the backlash was authentic, saying: “They love him. Don’t let them fool you”.
Little is known about the “alternative” concert being put on by Turning Point USA, although reps for both Willie Nelson and Carlos Santana have shut down rumours that they may be involved.
