Weird Al Yankovic during the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on Monday, Aug. 25, 2014. (Photo Courtesy of Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/MCT)Every February, the top two teams in football face off and play for the championship at the Super Bowl. For those not interested in sports, the telecast still has mass appeal, thanks in part to the notoriously expensive commercials companies pay to air as well as the halftime performance.
While no performer has been announced to join the ranks of such acts as The Rolling Stones, Prince, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, to play at the 2015 event, rumored names include those of Coldplay, Katy Perry and Rihanna. However, I think there’s only one clear choice as to who should take the stage between the halves of the biggest football game of the year: “Weird Al” Yankovic.
While at suggestion may at first take some aback, upon further investigation, one would realize that the Prince of Parody is actually the perfect candidate. In fact, early in August, a change.org petition was started to have him be the halftime performer.
Yankovic’s is one of — if not the — best-known comedy recording artists out there. His career spans more than 40 years, so older fans may recognize him as the “Eat It” guy while one would be hard-pressed to find someone of today’s generation who hasn’t heard “White and Nerdy.”
If the NFL wishes to gear things in a more family-friendly direction, Yankovic is the perfect choice. In a post-Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction society, Yankovic would assure that producers could breathe easy, knowing that there would be absolutely no risk of there being any such occurrence with him on stage.
Typically, the NFL chooses relevant artists to play at halftime, and Yankovic currently could not be any more relevant. His most recent album, “Mandatory Fun,” was released in July and featured some of his best work yet, including the laugh-out-loud hilarious but horrifically accurate “Word Crimes,” a parody of “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke and Pharrell.
The album not only reached No. 1 on the Billboard Comedy Album chart but became the first comedy record in over 50 years to top the Billboard Top 200 chart; in fact, it was the first comedy record to ever debut on the list at No. 1. Clearly, there’s still an audience for Yankovic’s music, and letting him play his hits at halftime would be a well-deserved honor for such a renowned artist.
If the fear of lacking a spectacle is what ultimately prevented Yankovic from getting the gig, all producers would have to do would be to take a look at his live performances and realize that they are of a show in and of themselves.
Anyone who has had the opportunity to see Yankovic live (I myself have been so lucky) knows that the man has a flair for the dramatic, changing costumes numerous times throughout the show, venturing into the audience during songs, and having a gang of Star Wars-dressed dancers join him during the portion of his set devoted to the Galaxy Far Far Away. Yankovic is a born entertainer and allowing him to take center stage in front of a crowd of 50,000 people could result in one of the most entertaining halftime performances of all time.
While odds of him getting the gig are sadly not great, “Weird Al” is, quite simply, the perfect halftime candidate. He’s well known, family-friendly, entertaining, and honestly, who wouldn’t want to see an arena of 50,000 or more fans singing along to “Yoda?"
Tell the reporter how much you love Weird Al at seweinst@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @S_Weinstein95
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