Why was Tom Petty chosen for Super Bowl halftime show?
The announcement that Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers would play halftime at the Feb. 3 Super Bowl XLII thrilled the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group’s fans, but was greeted with grumbling in some quarters. After three years of halftime shows dominated by long-in-the-tooth acts – Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones and Prince – some fans were hoping for an artist like Beyonc Knowles, the Foo Fighters or Carrie Underwood to inject new energy. But the National Football League has played it safe since Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” four years ago, and rock acts don’t come much more dependable than the Grammy-winning Petty, 57, and his Florida-spawned band.
