Bruno Mars has been big time for a while. But over the weekend the singer landed the most mega gig there is: the Super Bowl halftime show. The Hawaiian native will log some serious frequent flier miles next year when he begins rehearsals for the February 2 game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The Grammy and VMA-winning singer will join a list of recent megastars who’ve played the gig, including: Beyoncé , U2, The Who, Madonna, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Prince and, in 2009, Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen.
And while the announcement of his addition to that roster has caused a bit of rumbling from some disgruntled Jerseyites who are mad that organizers didn’t choose amore Tri-State appropriate act, we here at MTV think there’s plenty of room for Mars to pay tribute to the New York/Jersey area while still doing his thing.
Here’s a list of our dream collaborators for the Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show.
Wyclef Jean/Lauryn Hill: First the good news: Hill will definitely be done with her prison sentence for tax evasion by the time the Super Bowl comes around. And though her “Neurotic Society” single was a failed comeback attempt, there is nothing more Jersey than getting her to finally reunite with fellow South Orange native Wyclef Jean for a mini Fugees reunion, with Mars acting as the pop peanut butter holding that fragile sandwich together.
Bon Jovi: Let’s face it, a lot of people though that Jon and the boys were a shoo-in for this job. I mean, what’s more Jersey than “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Wanted Dead or Alive?” Alas, the boys from Sayreville were passed over, but if Mars brought them out for a song or two you would hear a collective, “Get the Fug Out of Here!” from an entire stadium.
Jonas Brothers : Okay, maybe they don’t have the same firepower as The Boss or Jon Bon, but the sibling trio from Wyckoff have a pretty solid fan base and could help bring some ladies into the mix on a day that’s mostly about bro’ing down.
Bruce: Yeah, it will have only been five years since Springsteen and the E Street Band played the show in Tampa, but, man, talk about the surprise guest of all time!
Patti Smith: You want headlines? Have punk godmother and former South Jersey native Smith come out and sing “Because the Night” (written by Springsteen, of course) and you’ll have plenty of Monday morning quarterbacking about that halftime mash-up.
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