THE WHO, one of the world's greatest and most dynamic rock and roll bands, will perform in the BRIDGESTONE SUPER BOWL XLIV HALFTIME SHOW on CBS Sports at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida on Sunday, February 7, the NFL announced Thursday during halftime of the Oakland Raiders-Dallas Cowboys game on CBS.
The Bridgestone Super Bowl halftime show is one of the most anticipated musical events of the year. More than 151 million viewers in the U.S. watched last year's show. The Super Bowl and halftime show will be broadcast worldwide in more than 230 countries and territories.
The Who join an esteemed list of recent halftime acts that includes Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Prince, the Rolling Stones, and Paul McCartney.
Few bands have had a more lasting impact on the rock era and the reverberating pop culture than The Who. Emerging in the mid-1960s as a new and incendiary force in rock 'n roll, their brash style and poignant storytelling garnered them one of music's most passionate followings, with the legendary foursome blazing a searing new template for rock, punk, and everything after. Inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, the band has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, placing 27 top-40 singles in the United States and United Kingdom and earning 17 Top 10 albums, including the 1969 groundbreaking rock opera Tommy, 1971's pummeling Live At Leeds, 1973's Quadrophenia, 1978's Who Are You, and their most recently acclaimed Endless Wire, their first full-length album of new material in nearly two decades. Last year, they became the first rock band ever to be awarded the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors.
Singer ROGER DALTREY and guitarist/songwriter PETE TOWNSHEND, The Who's two remaining original members, are once again being hailed as rock standard bearers. Daltrey and Townshend debuted in 1964 with a trio of anthems -- "I Can't Explain," "The Kids Are Alright" and "My Generation." Since then they have delivered to the world hits such as "Baba O'Riley," "Won't Get Fooled Again," "Pinball Wizard," "Who Are You," and "You Better You Bet." Unprecedented demand for their sold-out trek across the globe, which began in 2007 and ended in the first half of 2009, reaffirmed their reputation as rock's most influential and robust performing artists.
This year marks the third time the Bridgestone brand has sponsored the Super Bowl halftime show.
The Bridgestone Super Bowl XLIV Halftime Show is an NFL Network production and will be executive produced by Ricky Kirshner and directed by Hamish Hamilton.
