You have probably heard them on the radio, on your Pandora stations or even during Oswego High School’s passing periods, but now you will be able to hear and see them live on television. That’s right—the one and only Maroon 5 will be headlining the official halftime show at this year’s Super Bowl.
Despite several sources reporting that the band would be taking center stage at the big event, fans were not sure of the news that they were going to perform, and it was not until the last minute that Maroon 5 confirmed it themselves.
The group took to Twitter to confirm its performance on Sunday, Jan. 13, just three weeks before their big night, tweeting a video with the caption “#SBLIII.”
The video also included footage of Grammy-nominated rapper Travis Scott and Atlanta native rapper Big Boi, confirming rumors that the two would appear as special guests during the group’s performance, making this the biggest variety of music ever to come together on the Super Bowl stage.
America seems to be undecided on whether or not this show will be worth watching, so I decided to chat with a few OHS students and find out whether or not they’ll be tuning in for this year’s halftime show.
“Yes, I will be watching , because Maroon 5 is awesome and I love their music,” junior Maddy Lanham said.
The love for the multi-platinum selling band continues throughout OHS.
“ because I enjoy their music and they are entertaining to watch live,” senior Maddie Reavley said.
However, not everyone is a fan of the band.
“No, they suck,” senior Jaiden Speer said. “They don’t put on a good live performance.”
For some, they will only be watching for the football, like junior Aiden Avalos.
“Yes, , because I will be watching the Super Bowl and they will come on the TV,” Avalos said.
Currently, Katy Perry holds the record for the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show of all-time – a whopping 120.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the performance back in 2015. Despite Maroon 5 seeing major success for nearly two decades now, do they have what it takes to break Ms. Perry’s record? The students of OHS are undecided.
“I honestly think they might ,” Lanham said.
Reavley also agrees with Lanham, but thinks it would be because of the fact that their music attracts a wide variety of people.
“Their music is popular with not just teens, but with adults and all ages, really. I know my mom has listened to them for a while, and same with my aunts and uncles, so I think they will be able to ,” Reavley said.
However, one student feels that it’s the game itself that won’t allow Maroon 5 to draw in a record number of viewers.
“Not many people are happy with the teams that are playing, so I believe fewer people will be watching the Super Bowl in general,” Kaczmarek said.
Whether you’ll be watching for the halftime show or the game itself, this will be a night that will go down in history. Be sure to tune in to the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) on Sunday, Feb. 3 at 5:30 p.m. for the big kickoff.
I’m Dylan Jahnke, and this is my second year with 42Fifty, which I first joined as a staff member. I am a senior at Oswego High School, and I plan to study mass communications/music management in college. I hope to one day have my own radio talk show or get into artist management. If I’m not writing or editing for 42Fifty, I’m either working at Culver’s, hanging out with friends and family, or doing homework. I am humbled to say I began my 42Fifty career my junior year as a staff writer, then Arts & Entertainment editor first semester of my senior year and now Editor-in-Chief.
