Make it happen, Chief.
The countdown has already begun for 2030 after it was announced that Nashville would be the host city for Super Bowl LXIV. The announcement was made this week, though it’s been widely-anticipated that Music City would be awarded a Super Bowl soon after the completion of the new Nissan Stadium, which is set to open in 2027.
Leading up to the announcement, NFL executive vice president of events Peter O’Reilly and Commissioner Roger Goodell, have both openly talked about how excited they are that the Tennessee Titans are getting an upgraded stadium, with Goodell previously describing 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.”
Well obviously with the Super Bowl confirmed to be coming to Music City, the major question now is: 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.
Since 2020 the Super Bowl halftime show has been produced by Jay-Z’s production company Roc Nation, and in that time has mainly featured current artists from the pop and rap genres. There haven’t really been any “legacy” artists like the Super Bowl turned to in the late 2000s/early 2010s with Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and The Who, and the NFL has made a push for a global audience with the selection of artists like Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, and this year’s headliner Bad Bunny.
But it would be natural to feature country music when the Super Bowl comes to Nashville, especially given the crossover appeal and popularity of so many artists like Morgan Wallen, Ella Langley, Post Malone, Luke Combs, and many others.
Eric Church was a member of the committee responsible for putting together the bid to bring the Super Bowl to Nashville, and during an interview with FOX Nashville after the announcement he said he’s pushing for country music to feature prominently in the 2030 event:
“The main thing is, when you come to Music City and you come to Nashville, I’m advocating not for myself, but I’m advocating for country music to have its part in that Super Bowl halftime. So I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that’s involved.”
Church added that he’s sure there will be plenty of competition among country artists to get the nod, so it sounds like there are some superstars ready to step up to the plate. Now let’s just hope the NFL does the right thing and makes it happen.
