Five Seattle bands that should play during Super Bowl halftime

The halftime show is of course part of the circus of Super Bowl Sunday. Here are five Seattle bands that would be awesome if they played halftime.

Maybe the Seahawks aren’t playing in the Super Bowl. Hopefully, that will be next season. But Seattle could still have a presence on Sunday. Or it should. The NFL could rightfully choose an excellent Seattle-area band to play at halftime instead of some regular pop singer.

Of course, the Seattle area has a long history of great music. Jimi Hendrix? Nirvana? Sir Mix-A-Lot? All great artists, right? And all would have been excellent performers at halftime. (Maybe not as great as my dream performer for the halftime show, Steven Wright, but pretty close.)

Here are five bands that would make for great halftime performers in the next few years. (Dear NFL, you should ask them, please.)

Chapsy

I am starting with one that is a bit off the map but Chapsy is also a perfect example of a Seattle band. Really, though, they should translate beyond Seattle. Their songs are unbelievably catchy but slightly subversive. Don’t take my word for it, though, just listen to the Chapsy Rap. One guy on acoustic guitar and one girl singing. Super Bowl halftime may not be ready for them, but they are ready for Super Bowl halftime.

Bell Witch

I always thought Bell Witch should open the Super Bowl as their brand of menace would do well to serve the intro of each team. That won’t happen, but why not have them entertain at halftime? People could go get their beer and stomp to their feet to a group featuring one of the best bassists (Dylan Desmond) in humankind.

Shabazz Palaces

But maybe you don’t want funeral metal played at your halftime show? Possibly you prefer more hip-hop and less rock? Shabazz Palaces is your group! I can already see the fans filling the field and the crowd swaying back and forth in the stands. Slightly relaxing music for an intense game? This is it.

Foo Fighters

So I will end with two bands that could actually be asked to appear. And both are worthy (more worthy than many of the performers the Super Bowl has had a halftime). The Foos not only have a bunch of great songs, their songs are also full of energy and would augment the intensity of the game.

Pearl Jam

Sometimes I wonder how Pearl Jam has never appeared at halftime. Maybe the group would simply decline the invitation. I could see them doing that because they have always put integrity about sales of records and that makes them very Seattle. Still, this is a halftime I would love to see.