Billboard reports that Katy Perry has been chosen to perform at Super Bowl XLIX, great news both for Perry’s preteen fan base and heterosexual men drunk on Miller Lite and the thrill of sport. These two groups will enjoy Perry’s performance for different reasons, of course, and only one of them will be hoping that Perry did not learn from the example of Janet Jackson’s halftime performance a decade ago. Nevertheless, Perry is poised to bring the whole family together for a wholesome celebration of consumerism and ritualized violence this coming February.
Perry was chosen from a rumored short list that included Coldplay and Rihanna, who removed herself from consideration by tweeting a naughty word last month. The NFL will not stand for such language, young lady! But it will stand for artists exchanging a “financial contribution” for the chance to perform at the Super Bowl, as The Wall Street Journal says the NFL told several music agents earlier this year. Perry apparently refused to participate in the “pay to play” system, telling ESPN’s College GameDay, “I have let them know that I’m not the kind of girl who would pay to play the Super Bowl. The ball is in their field.”
