FORT WORTH, Texas -- Remember when it was a really big football game because the halftime entertainment consisted of the Grambling State Marching Band and a dance team like the Apache Belles from Tyler or Kilgore Rangerettes?
Nowadays, fans attending or watching the biggest game of all are treated to a mini-concert by pop stars and dance routines by team cheerleaders that are more comparable to a Madonna or Lady Gaga music video than anything we saw from the Belles or Rangerettes.
The Super Bowl certainly has amped up the music through the years. There is entertainment during the week of the game at various functions and venues such as the Taste of the NFL the night before the game and the Tailgate Party on Super Sunday, as well as pregame and during halftime.
Super Bowl week has become a football Lollapalooza.
And whether it is geezer rock with the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Prince or Bruce Springsteen, or the current rampant Blogosphere rumor that Super Bowl XLV will feature the Black Eyed Peas, we have to admit that halftime has come a long way since Super Bowl I in 1967, starring the University of Arizona and University of Michigan Marching Bands.
We have had "Rockin' Country Sunday" at Super Bowl XXVIII in Atlanta, headlined by Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt and The Judds.
Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami featured Chaka Khan, Gloria Estefan, Stevie Wonder, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Savion Glover in a "Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing."
And it would be difficult to find a more eclectic grouping than the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXVII in San Diego, when No Doubt, fronted by Gwen Stefani, shared the stage with Sting and Shania Twain. That one defied a theme.
Of course, who can forget the TiVo moment in Houston during halftime of Super Bowl XXXVIII when Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson collaborated on the infamous "wardrobe malfunction." The theme was "Rock the Vote," but in retrospect it might have been "Shock the Voters."
So, in addition to the game, the most popular elements of any Super Bowl are the TV commercials and the halftime show.
If Black Eyed Peas will be the featured Super Bowl XVL performers at Cowboys Stadium on Feb. 6, we think the league has missed out on a great opportunity to showcase the diversity of music in Texas.
Nothing against Black Eyed Peas, the group. We always eat black-eyed peas, the vegetable, on New Year's for luck.
But do we really need to hear "Boom Boom Pow" again? Isn't that John Madden's signature line, anyway?
We would prefer a Texas-sized and -themed show, starring the sons and daughters of the Lone Star State, representing several musical genres and generations. Our requirements are that the artists were born and bred or are based in Texas.
Is that discriminatory? Well, perhaps we can make an exception. How about Garth Brooks, who has been playing Las Vegas since he unretired? Brooks is from Oklahoma, and this would represent reverse recruiting, since OU football is forever recruiting Texas high school stars.
We're still leaning all Texans, though, and the most difficult part, assuming all these artists were available on Super Sunday, would be who makes the cut?
Wealth of talent
A spokesman for the NFL said there is no particular order in which artists are chosen to perform at the Super Bowl. But we'll start with the national anthem. We could get quirky and go retro with Meatloaf, but our first choice is Beyonce. Next in line would be R&B artist Usher. Yes, there is a theme here: Our choices all go by one name.
Sorry, but we couldn't take a chance by considering Erykah Badu. If you thought Jackson's wardrobe malfunction was revealing, consider that Badu filmed a music video at Dealey Plaza in Dallas in which she was naked.
"Oh, say can you see," indeed.
The tailgate party is by-invitation-only and takes place outside the stadium within the confines of the security perimeter. We want to go upbeat here, so how about Austin indie rockers Spoon? Or the country swing sound of Asleep at the Wheel?
As for halftime, Texas offers a wealth of talent appealing to a variety of musical tastes, and includes the acts we already mentioned. Here's our draft list for the NFL to consider. And an apology to all those we excluded.
Country icons: Willie Nelson, George Strait, Lyle Lovett, Kris Kristofferson, Tanya Tucker, Jerry Jeff Walker, Asleep at the Wheel
New country: Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Tom Green, LeAnn Rimes, Pat Green, Natalie Maines, Lonestar, Steve Earle
R&B: Usher, Beyonce, Erykah Badu, Jamie Foxx, Edgar and Johnny Winter
Pop/Rock: Steve Miller, ZZ Top, Kelly Clarkson, Norah Jones, T Bone Burnett, Alejandro Escovedo, Meatloaf, Spoon, Jessica Simpson, Casey James, Sam the Sham, Don Henley/Eagles, Jonas Brothers
Tejano: Los Lonely Boys, David Lee Garza, Shelly Lares
World of their own: Brave Combo
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