Maroon 5 confirms world's worst kept secret: they're headlining the Super Bowl LIII halftime show
It’s been rumored for months, but the NFL finally confirmed what everyone already knew: the band Maroon 5 will be headlining the Super Bowl LIII halftime show in on Feb. 3 in Atlanta. They’ll be joined by Travis Scott and Big Boi.
Maroon 5 confirmed the news on Twitter with a hype video.
#SBLIII pic.twitter.com/dWKJQDS9ap
— Maroon 5 (@maroon5) January 13, 2019
Maroon 5 wasn’t the popular choice, considering the social media outcry when they were first rumored as the headliners in September, but they were the final choice.
Travis Scott joins Maroon 5, but not without a donation
Maroon 5 will be joined by Travis Scott, who was first reported to be part of the show at the end of December. At the time, Scott took a lot of criticism for accepting the gig when many African-American artists had declined to participate over the NFL’s treatment of Colin Kaepernick.
But according to Billboard.com, Scott wouldn’t agree to perform unless he and the NFL made a joint donation of $500,000 to the organization Dream Corps. On its website, Dream Corps calls itself a “social justice accelerator” that backs initiatives that “close prison doors and open doors of opportunity for all.” Billboard also reported that Scott will be working with the NFL on other initiatives.
Scott released a statement to Billboard about his decision to perform at the Super Bowl and his joint donation with the NFL.
“I back anyone who takes a stand for what they believe in,” Scott said in a statement. “I know being an artist that it’s in my power to inspire. So before confirming the Super Bowl Halftime performance, I made sure to partner with the NFL on this important donation. I am proud to support Dream Corps and the work they do that will hopefully inspire and promote change.”
The final announced Super Bowl performer is rapper Big Boi, an Atlanta native. With the Super Bowl being played in Atlanta, Big Boi’s inclusion makes sense. There’s no word if any of his numerous pet owls will also make an appearance.
A post shared by Big Boi (@bigboi) on Jan 9, 2019 at 7:18pm PST
Will there be a SpongeBob surprise?
Let’s go back and watch that halftime show hype video that Maroon 5 tweeted. When you get to the 32 second mark, something peculiar shows up: SpongeBob SquarePants.
There’s been a push for the SpongeBob song “Sweet Victory” to be played at halftime in memory of the show’s creator Stephen Hillenburg, who died in November at 57. Mercedes Benz Stadium, which is hosting the Super Bowl in February, already tweeted a tease in mid-December that there might be some SpongeBob in store.
— MercedesBenzStadium (@MBStadium) December 12, 2018
The few frames of SpongeBob in that video don’t officially confirm anything, but it’s the most official indication yet that “Sweet Victory” may be involved in the Super Bowl halftime show.
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