The Super Bowl halftime show
Will Mariah Carey fumble the high notes? What tunes will U2 tackle? Both football fans and music lovers will be keeping score at Sunday's Super Bowl, the sports world's biggest celebrity magnet. U2's halftime performance climaxes a slew of musical events building up to the face-off between the St. Louis Rams and the New England Patriots. With 72,000 fans at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans and another 800 million viewers tuning in around the globe, it's no wonder pop's A-list considers the venue a marketing bonanza.
Last year's contest, with Aerosmith, 'N Sync, Ray Charles and Sting performing, was the fifth-most-watched program in TV history. Talent at the inaugural game in 1967 consisted solely of bands from the universities of Arizona and Michigan. These days, the bill touts music's hottest names with little room for such bygone headliners as Up With People, Air Force flyovers, cheerleader routines and astronauts reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
The musical lineup:
* Freedom, the first pregame extravaganza to be broadcast in its entirety in the Super Bowl's 36-year history, airs at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT on Fox. The three-hour show, staged in the Superdome, will mirror the country's patriotic mood. Barry Manilow is slated to sing his original Let Freedom Ring with Yolanda Adams, James Ingram, Patti LaBelle and Wynonna. The Boston Pops, conducted by Keith Lockhart, will perform Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man and excerpts from A Lincoln Portrait. For the finale of his current anthem, "Freedom", Paul McCartney will be flanked by 500 young people representing the 180 countries that will air the game.
* The game gets underway at 6 p.m. ET/3 PT with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra backing Carey on The Star-Spangled Banner and Mary J. Blige and Marc Anthony on "America the Beautiful". Also on tap is America's Heroes Chorus, made up of Louisiana military, police, fire and postal employees.
U2 crowns the halftime show with three songs. The set list is confirmed, but the Irish quartet and Super Bowl officials are mum on details. The band concedes it will play at least one of these songs: "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", "Desire", "Beautiful Day" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)". (Teen Hollywood)
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