It’s official.
NFL owners voted today during the league’s spring meeting to award the Super Bowl LXIV in 2030 to Nashville, which will be the first time Music City has hosted the big game.
The game will, of course, be held at the new Nissan Stadium, which is expected to be completed prior to the 2027 season.
And it’s not exactly a surprise that the league wasted no time in awarding Nashville a Super Bowl: NFL executive vice president of events, Peter O’Reilly, and NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, have both openly talked about how excited they are that Nashville is getting an upgraded stadium. Goodell has previously described Nashville as a “Super Bowl ready city” following the success of the 2019 NFL Draft in Music City.
In announcing Nashville as the 2030 host, Goodell even called the 2019 Draft “one of the greatest events” in league history:
“The 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville was one of the greatest fan events in our history. Super Bowl LXIV at the new stadium is the next step in this remarkable football journey. The vision of Amy Adams Strunk and the Tennessee Titans helped make this moment possible. With great partners at the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. and Tennessee Titans, we can’t wait to put on an unforgettable show in 2030.”
The new indoor stadium that will serve as home for the Tennessee Titans was designed by Manica Architecture, which has previously designed other sports arenas such as Allegiant Stadium, NRG Stadium, and Wembley Stadium. The stadium will seat between 55,000 to 60,000 people (which is smaller than their current stadium), and though the primary purpose was obviously to upgrade their current stadium, it was also done in hopes of bringing in hosting opportunities for other concerts, sporting events like the NCAA Final Four and, of course, the Super Bowl.
Of course the reality of a Super Bowl in Nashville also raises the question: Will we finally be getting a country music halftime show?
It’s been since 2003 that we’ve had a country music halftime headliner, when Shania Twain co-headlined alongside No Doubt. And the last time we had an all-country music halftime show was all the way back in 1994, when Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, and The Judds headlined Super Bowl XXVIII at the Georgia Dome.
Country music is as popular as it’s ever been right now, and it seems like we’re well overdue for another country halftime show. There are also more artists than ever before who are capable of putting on a performance like the one necessary to headline the Super Bowl – one that appeals to a wide audience and features a worldwide superstar.
Obviously Morgan Wallen is the name being tossed around the most right now. He’s the biggest name in country music, and one of the biggest names in ALL of music, and he’s already headlining NFL (and college) stadiums on his own tour. He’s got crossover appeal, so there’s plenty of opportunity for special guests and collaborations from outside the country world, and his music appeals to a wide variety of audiences who may not listen to much country.
For the more traditional country fans, Luke Combs would also be a great choice. Like Morgan, he’s selling out stadiums all around the world, and he’s also collaborated with artists like Ed Sheeran, Alex Warren and even Tracy Chapman from outside of country music. He’s one of the best-selling artists of all time, so there’s no doubt he would be a popular choice.
An unpopular choice for country fans, though maybe the natural pick for the NFL and Nashville, would be Taylor Swift. She’s from Music City (or at least Hendersonville, which is close enough), and got her start in country music. If the NFL doesn’t want to go pure “country,” maybe they try to compromise and get 2030 to be the year they finally land Taylor as the headliner.
Post Malone is another one who the league might see as a “bridge” artist who can appeal to both country fans and rap/pop fans. He’s never headlined the Super Bowl halftime show, and it seems like he’s the kind of artist the NFL (and Roc Nation, the production company owned by Jay-Z that selects the headliner and produces the halftime show) is looking for. So I wouldn’t be surprised to see Posty get the call, given his recent career in country music.
Obviously Ella Langley should also be considered given her recent success: She’s got the biggest song in the world right now, and if she continues to rise like she’s doing right now, she’ll be hard to overlook as a potential headliner.
Of course there’s also a possibility that a new superstar could emerge by 2030 who could get the call. Or they could go with some country music legends, guys like George Strait or Garth Brooks, who have plenty of experience playing stadiums.
It will be interesting to see which way they end up going – or if they decide not to go country at all.
Either way, for Nashville, the preparations for the 2030 Super Bowl have already started. Let’s just hope country music gets its time to shine.
