Image: Burn Books
2016 marks the 50th-anniversary of the Super Bowl halftime celebration and 25-years since Metallica released a good album.
But Metallica fans are demanding that the band should be performing at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show this weekend. A Change.org petition set up twelve-months ago has been asking the NFL to consider the band for the Super Bowl halftime. In December the NFL confirmed that Coldplay and Beyoncé, who have collaborated on the controversial single "Hymn for the Weekend”, for the halftime entertainment.
Beyoncé headlined the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show in 2013. Bruno Mars (who headlined Super Bowl XLVIII) will also be performing this year.
At this point the halftime show is basically as big as the Super Bowl itself. Katy Perry's performance last year was seen by 118.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched halftime show ever.
Metallica have announced that this Saturday they will free stream their sold out pre-Super Bowl 50 show “The Night Before”. While selling out San Francisco's AT&T Park could hardly be called a 'warm up', Metallica fans says that this is not enough and have demanded that the hard rock band play halftime on the big day.
The Change.org page says, “Super Bowl 50, the biggest of all Super Bowls, just happens to be taking place in the home region (Northern California, San Francisco Bay area) of one of America's biggest and most legendary rock acts. The connection needs to happen, Metallica needs to be the musical act for Super Bowl 50.”
It goes on to have a not so subtle dig at C’Play and Bey.
“It's time for the sugar-pop and candy artists to step aside in favor of real American metal. It's time to put a band (you know, one that actually plays instruments and does it well) on the field and let them plug in and do their thing. We don't need pop-tarts on mechanical tigers giving us flash and no substance, we need amps and drums cranked up and played with power and emotion. It's time", it says.
Here are some other reasons why we think Metallica should be playing on the 50-yard line when the Carolina Panthers take on the Denver Broncos this Sunday.
They’re Local
It’s always good to include some local talent in any gig. Although they initially formed in Los Angeles, it wasn't until their February 1983 relocation to the East Bay area that Cliff Burton and Kirk Hammett joined as bassist and lead guitarist, sealing Metallica’s first, formative line-up. You can’t say the same about Coldplay.
They’re Genuine Sports Fans
Though the local San Fransisco 49ers football team has had a season to forget, it seems that the Metallica bros have a soft spot for Bay Area sports. For the past three years they’ve hosted an annual "Metallica Night" at San Francisco Giants baseball games and in early 2015 expanded that tradition, bringing "Metallica Night" into the Bay Area for a San Jose Sharks ice hockey game. You can’t say the same about Coldplay.
“Enter Sandman” Is Built Into Every Sporting Stadium PA System
From Sarajevo to Sydney, Kirk Hammett’s E minor guitar riff can often be heard when a home team enters the playing field or scores a goal. The driving, and building intro has made it the perfect song to unify a crowd with a few simple notes. You can’t say the same about Coldplay.
So They Suck, But Not As Much As Coldplay
You can’t say the same about Coldplay.