5 performers who should join Lady Gaga at Super Bowl 51
By Adam Jacobs
Lady Gaga announced Thursday that she will be headlining the Pepsi halftime show at the 51st Super Bowl in February. Gaga tweeted the news, “Its not an illusion. The rumours are true. This year the SUPER BOWL goes GAGA!” Knowing the Super Bowl brings out all the star power, who should join Lady Gaga on stage at Super Bowl 51?
The pop star is the fifth woman to headline the event, joining the likes of Katy Perry, Beyonce, Madonna and Diana Ross. Many other women have performed including Janet Jackson and her wardrobe malfunction but these five were sole headliners.
The Super Bowl halftime show has become an incredible spectacle, with grand productions, hundreds of extras and huge special guests. I’m sure this year will be even bigger with Gaga and her extraordinary antics. Lady Gaga is known for pushing the boundaries of her shows to a level few have seen. I think most people remember when she wore a meat dress to the MTV Video Music Awards in 2010. With a stage like the Super Bowl I can’t even imagine what is in store.
I’m really excited to see who she brings on stage with her as special guests. Here are my educated guesses for who could join Lady Gaga for the halftime show of Super Bowl 51.
5. Tony Bennett
Gaga and Tony Bennett famously collaborated on a fantastic duets album called, Cheek to Cheek. This album solidified her as a true artist and not just some pop star with an auto-tuner and songwriters. The 85-year-old Bennett gushed about Gaga after they collaborated, saying “I’ll tell you, I never met anyone with more talent than that lady.”
The stand out track has to be “Lady is a Tramp,” where Gaga shines as she holds up to a vocal legend. The soulful song isn’t your usual halftime show genre but with a true luminary like Bennett, I think it will go just fine.
Plus a star like Bennett could only help with viewers who honestly have no idea who Lady Gaga is. She is an international superstar, yes, but does my grandfather have any idea who she is… no. The halftime show has become a landmark event and lately it’s leaned towards non-football fans. Most fans over the age of 55 have never heard of Lady Gaga except for maybe a meat dress or other wacky outfit.
A timeless superstar such as Tony Bennett will help the halftime show reach a broader audience and satisfy more viewers. The NFL is an entertainment company, their main job is entertaining as many people as possible. We all know that the Super Bowl is the biggest show there is and last years spectacle drew an average of 114.4 million viewers.