It was an idea that started with a single Deadhead in Pennsylvania, and has somehow reached the hearts and minds of almost 10,000 like-minded folks: How about getting the Grateful Dead to play the Super Bowl Halftime show this winter?
You can certainly sense the passion in Douglas Machado’s initial plea, but as I watched the number of signatures on this petition grow and get passed around social networks, it struck me just how resonant the message was.
While I’m 100% confident that it will never happen, here are ten reasons why this idea isn’t as crazy as it may sound.
1. With nipple-exposing and bird-flipping incidents leading the NFL to play it “safe” over the last few years, we’re kind of running out of “old white guys” to take the stage. Grateful Dead does seem to fit the mold after the Stones, The Who, Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen have already put in their appearances. As far as I know, there has been no performer yet announced for this year's festivities.
2. This is Super Bowl 50. Does that big, round number remind you of anything? With the ubiquitous GD50 brand seemingly everywhere this summer, what a great way to celebrate two American institutions that have been around for the exact same amount of time.
3. Yes, this year’s Super Bowl will be held at in San Francisco. With the band’s Bay Area roots, it could be a superb local tie in.
4. The NFL, although still incredibly popular, has not been without its share of scandal over the last few years. Between deflated balls, straight-up cheating, domestic violence, criminal activity, and the health and safety of its players in constant jeopardy, the league can use any distraction possible to change some of the narrative. Could they use something unexpected and out-of-the-box to endear them to fans? Maybe...
5. Yes, the band claimed the Chicago shows would be the last time the “core four” performed together, but this is the type of thing that might get a pass as an exception. It wouldn’t be a full show, not even a show at all really, and doesn't have to play like one. It has a world-wide network television audience and as many eye-balls as you could possibly imagine. As big as the GD50 summer was, it really pales in comparison as a way to send the band off from a pure volume perspective. The world seemed to stop for GD50 shows -- it actually stops for the Super Bowl.
6. Hype. Man, could the Grateful Dead deliver it. There wasn’t a single media outlet that didn’t have something to say about this summer’s reunion. They signed up the corporate sponsors and tie-ins like pros. They created demand for tickets that had no peer. You know who else is pretty good at hype? The NFL. A match made in buzz heaven.
7. The halftime show is more than just a musical performance – it is a spectacle. With the Dead’s sound, staging, lighting and visual teams, and a Super Bowl sized budget and mission, I think they could blow some people away with some Americana-styled, psychedelic-infused multi-media.
8. With the unqualified success of the Santa Clara and Chicago runs, you can think of this as the “encore”, the acknowledgement that although the band has indicated that this is the end, the love they felt truly will not fade away.
9. Sure it was probably cooked up by a social media intern, and not after Phil, Bob, Mickey and Billy huddled together in a secret lair, consulted Jerry and Pigpen via séance, and made a proclamation, but after foxsports.com picked up the story of the petition, the official Grateful Dead Facebook page shared the link, and declared “we’re in”. So yeah, I guess they’d do it (if asked). Ha!
10. Clearly, the Deadheads are not ready to let go. It wasn’t just hype we felt this summer. It was love and it was everywhere. No, love of the Dead has never been dormant, but it did get a turbo boost. In some ways with new fans and new conversations and new music being produced, the whole operation seemed to be picking up speed heading into the 51st year. This would be a Super way to kick off the next 50.
