Ever since the Janet Jackson ‘wardrobe malfunction’ incident in 2004, Super Bowl officials have gone “old school” for their halftime acts. And we applaud them for it. Despite their, ahem, advanced age, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend put on a tremendous show at halftime of Sunday’s Super Bowl. They sounded, and looked, great. Beginning in 2005, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Prince, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band and now The Who have rocked the halftime show. Prior to that, Aerosmith (2001) and U2 (’02) played the break. So, who does that leave in the “Classic Rock” genre who could have such mass appeal? Here are a few options going forward: Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, AC/DC and The Dave Matthews Band. The DMB was the top grossing North American act of the 2000s; the Eagles were No. 8; the Mac No. 33; and AC/DC No. 35. Having seen AC/DC twice in the last year or so, I can personally attest to the fact that no band on earth — not U2, not The Who, not Van Halen — brings it as hard and heavy as these guys. I’m not sure they have the mass appeal to excite a billion Super Bowl watchers, but they certainly would be loud. Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles would be safer bets, and would likely play it right down the middle. While rumors abound that Sammy Hagar may join Aerosmith and Steven Tyler tried out for Led Zeppelin, I’m still holding out hope that Robert Plant pulls it together and reunites with his old mates. But, alas, I’m not sure that will ever happen… Of course, there’s always Anvil… Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter.
