What do late rock icon Tom Petty and Jay-Z have in common? Not much, except both men are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and when Jay takes the stage at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 14, 2027, to perform at the Super Bowl LXI halftime show he will be the same age Petty was, 57, when he rocked the 2008 game where the New York Giants bested the New England Patriots.
The gig, typically the most-watched 15 minutes of musical performance in any given year, finally came around to 25-time Grammy winner Jay more than three decades into his career. The news was announced during halftime of last night’s Monday Night Football (Oct. 26) game between the Dallas Cowboys and his Eagles, when the world learned that Jay picked himself to headline next year’s show.
Good things come to those who wait, and following a year of triumphal, cameo-packed shows across the world marking his 30 years in the game, and, as MNF commentator Jason Kelce said during the broadcast, “He’s got more stadium-ready hits than most artists have songs, period.”
Elder statesman Jay is following up Bad Bunny, then 31, who skewed the average halftime performer age down by several decades during his record-setting show earlier this year — as did Kendrick Lamar, then 37, when he headlined in 2025. Jay, who will turn 57 in December, is actually in the age-appropriate sweet spot if you look at some of the rock and pop icons who’ve taken the Super Bowl stage over the past two decades.
While the beginning of the millennium was defined by teen and early 20s pop stars, including Christina Aguilera (19) in 2000, Britney Spears (19) and then boyfriend Justin Timberlake (19) with his boy band *NSYNC’s in 2001 (alongside Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, 52 and Joe Perry, 50), the middle of the early 2000s was defined by veteran acts in the same age range as Jay.
Paul McCartney was a sprightly 62 when he headlined in 2005 in Jacksonville, Fla, followed by the Rolling Stones in Detroit the next year at a time when tireless lead singer and guitarist Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were also both 62. Prince was a relative young ‘un at the rain-soaked 2007 game, when he was 48.
The Who became the oldest act to headline the show in 2010 in Miami when singer Roger Daltrey was 65 and guitarist Pete Townshend was 64, a year after then-59-year-old Bruce Springsteen took the stage in Tampa. In 2012, then 53-year-old Madonna did the honors in Indianapolis for a blow-out that included support from younger acts LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A. and Cee Lo Green.
The next few years featured younger acts taking the stage, including the mid-30s-aged Black Eyed Peas (2011), Jay’s wife Beyoncé (31) in 2013, Bruno Mars (28) in 2014 — with guests the Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose founding trio were in their early 50s — Katy Perry (30) in 2015 and Coldplay (in their mid- to late-30s) in 2016. Lady Gaga (30) continued the trend in 2017 as did Timberlake (37) again in 2018 and Maroon 5 (mid-to-late 30s) in 2019.
The trend somewhat continued in 2020 when 43-year-old Shakira was joined by 50-year-old Jennifer Lopez, in the first halftime show produced in conjunction with Hov’s Roc Nation, which has programmed the gig ever since.
The Weeknd (30) was next up in 2021 and the first rapper to headline the show, Dr. Dre, then 56, took the stage at Super Bowl LVI in 2022 alongside Snoop Dogg (50), Mary J. Blige (51), Eminem (49), 50 Cent (46) and Lamar (34). Before choosing himself, Jay dipped into his Roc Nation Rolodex to book Rihanna (34) in 2023, then tapping Usher (45) for the 2024 show.
“From Reasonable Doubt to standing on the Super Bowl Halftime stage, this has been a journey,” Jigga said in a statement via the NFL. “Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world’s biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true.”
Next year’s Super Bowl halftime show will air on ESPN, ABC and Disney+, with Roc Nation once again executive producing the show and Hamish Hamilton directing.
Watch Jay-Z ‘s Super Bowl announcement below.
