Maroon 5 appear to be regretting their decision to appear at next year’s Superbowl, with the band reportedly unable to find anyone willing to perform alongside them.
Ask any fan of sports and/or music and they’ll tell you, performing at the Superbowl is a pretty big deal. Averaging over 100 million viewers worldwide each year, it’s one of the most watched gigs in the world, so naturally, any artist would jump at the chance to score that spot, right?
Well, apparently not.
Back in September, it was revealed that Maroon 5 are set to perform during February’s Superbowl Halftime show. Despite the fact that the NFL are yet to actually confirm this announcement, a number of news outlets have since reported the fact, while Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine has also addressed their upcoming gig.
Apparently, big-name performers such as Rihanna and Pink initially turned down the spot, not wanting to be associated with the NFL following their blacklisting of Colin Kaepernick in response to his divisive protest against police brutality.
As E! reported back in November, Adam Levine is also having second thoughts about his band’s appearance. “I’m still formulating a lot of things,” he explained.
One of the reasons he might be rethinking this appearance is due to the fact that Cardi B – who guests on their smash single ‘Girls Like You’ – apparently revealed in September that she’ll only appear at the Superbowl “when they hire Colin Kaepernick back.”
Check out Maroon 5’s ‘Girls Like You (feat. Cardi B)’:
While an official petition to get Maroon 5 to step down has almost reached its goal of 75,000 signatures, reports have claimed that the band are having trouble finding literally anyone else to perform alongside them.
As Us Weekly reports, a source close to the band has revealed that they are “having a lot of trouble finding guests”, under two months out from showtime.
With the 2019 Superbowl set to take place in Atlanta on February 3rd, it has been discovered that “no one wants to associate themselves with the NFL”. Even Cardi B is reportedly unsure if she will be joining the band. “As of today, she’s not [performing],” the source explained. “She’s been going back and forth, but it’s a no right now.”
As Variety explains, OutKast’s André 3000 is reportedly considering the spot, though the likes of Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lauryn Hill, and even Nicki Minaj have also been approached about appearing.
Of course, it is rather easy to see why this is fast becoming the gig that no one wants. While the NFL’s reaction to Colin Kaepernick’s protest has been considered racist by many, the fact that the Superbowl is set to take place in Atlanta (a city that is predominantly African-American) is setting up any artist to seemingly support and promote the NFL’s ideologies, directly in front of a city deeply affected by the league’s actions.
When you also add in the fact that a Superbowl performance doesn’t actually pay anything, it becomes clear that this is a big ask of any musical act. After all, who would want to play a high-profile show for free, only to garner widespread criticism and derision because of it?
At this stage, it seems as though Maroon 5 may be the only ones willing to step up to such a task, though it looks like we’ll have to wait until February 3rd to see if they follow through with their decision.
Check out Maroon 5’s ‘What Lovers Do (feat. SZA)’:
