Lady Gaga has booked the biggest gig in the world.
The pop star announced Thursday on Twitter she will be the halftime headliner at Super Bowl LI in Houston on Feb. 5, 2017.
Gaga will follow Coldplay, who headlined Super Bowl 50 this past February at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. Coldplay's show came with assists from Bruno Mars and Beyonce.
There's no other act connected to Gaga at this time, but expect that to change. The Who, who played Super Bowl XLIV in 2010, were the last act to headline without any other pop star cameos. Lady Gaga had a top 10 single with Beyonce in 2009, so feel free to speculate we may see Queen Bey for a third time in five years. Then again, Gaga also released a duet album with freaking Tony Bennett, so we should probably be prepared for anything.
Gaga completes a Mount Rushmore of female pop giants to perform at the Super Bowl in the past five years, joining Beyonce (XLVIII and 50), Katy Perry (XLIX) and Madonna (XLVI). Gaga might have landed the job with a high profile audition belting out a flawless National Anthem before the start of Super Bowl 50.
Gaga, 30, isn't easy to categorize here. She's neither a legacy act or an artist who's lived at the top of the charts in recent years. She recently released a new single and has her fifth album dropping in October. This is a huge booking for an artist going all in on a comeback album. It's a solid choice that should be met with minimal groaning (by internet standards).
Now let's take a guess at the playlist. A reminder: I do work for the league, but nobody tells me anything. The custodians in my building probably know more about high-octane league initiatives than I do. This is a total guess.
1. "Bad Romance"
You have to picture how these performances start. You need that instantly recognizable hook to start the performance. "Bad Romance", which is a total banger, has it.
2. "Poker Face"
Her biggest hit, a No. 1 in the U.S. and across the world. A mortal lock for inclusion.
3. "Perfect Illusion"
Here's the obligatory spot for "the new stuff". "Illusion" could be replaced by a subsequent single released between now and February. But this is a strong Gaga single that would keep things moving.
4. "Telephone"
Here's my roll of the dice. I like the idea of Beyonce showing up at the Super Bowl every year. It just sounds like a great idea, right? And Gaga and Beyonce just so happened to have released a single in 2009 that went top five across the world. The idea is just crazy enough to work.
