Super Bowl LX has come and gone, and it’s fair to say that the latest iteration of football’s most famous weekend was owned by ‘Hawks and Bunnies.
Through four quarters of sometimes tedious gridiron action (yielding a record-breaking five field goals from Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason Meyer), the grunge-city team and their “Dark Side” dominated the New England Patriots to the tune of 29-13.
Then there was the high-profile halftime show headlined by Grammy-winning all-star Bad Bunny, who hit the field at Santa Clara, California’s Levi’s Stadium with his medley of chart-toppers, plus symbolism-loaded scenes and set pieces. He also showcased guest artists Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, hosted blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameos from actors Pedro Pascal and Jessica Alba, and delivered a message of love and unity across the Americas before spiking his pigskin and setting off a ton of pyrotechnics.
Reviews were mixed, with the performance becoming something of a political lightning rod. Beyond that polarized discourse, the halftime show also left us wondering which heavy-music superstars could set it off during the next Super Bowl. The kind of act that — between their catalog of hits and headline-grabbing pre-game hype — is built to entertain not just a stadium filled with sports fans, but the millions of viewers tuning-in worldwide.
So, we invited Revolver readers to our tailgate to discuss the bands they want to see move from the heavy-metal parking lot into the big show. They ranked their 2027 starting lineup accordingly.
Rammstein
No matter who plays halftime, odds are pretty good that the stadium is going to be shooting out the fireworks during the finale. With that in mind, Revolver readers have come up with a pyro-obsessed suggestion for next year’s show: flames-blazing industrial-metal offensive line Rammstein, who would surely singe as many eyebrows as they would raise.
Whether or not the “Du hast” makers are even available to play is another matter — they haven’t performed live together since the summer of 2024.
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold fans have been lobbying for M. Shadows and Co. to take “the stage” at the halftime show for years — peep, for instance, the hefty signature count on this old Change.org petition from 2015 (in case you forgot, Katy Perry and the meme-ably uncoordinated “Left Shark” made the trip to Arizona’s Phoenix Stadium that year).
“This Means War” or “Seize the Day” seem like standout options that could speak to the players as spirited, jock-rockin’ anthems. Soaring through hits like “Hail to the King” and “Bat Country,” A7X might make a few conversions of their own.
Gojira
As one voter put it on our Facebook wall: “If they can rock the Olympics, they can rock the Super Bowl.”
Gojira are uniquely equipped for showcasing the glory of metal to a global audience, having performed their “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)” during the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in 2024. And they did so with heavy-artillery riffage, tons of pyro and eye-popping mock beheadings — all while performing from various decks of a historic French prison.
We’re not too sure whether the Parisian architecture and historical Easter egging of that Olympic performance would track well if recreated for U.S. football fans. That said, a giant inflatable space whale floating around a stadium while the band rip into a Mars-bound metal anthem? It’d be a hell of a sight, for sure.
An all-star salute to nu-metal
Are you ready… for some football?
One of the most intriguing options that caught traction in this week’s poll was a full-blown tribute to nu-metal starring some of the OG era’s biggest bands — from Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit, to Deftones and Slipknot, to Evanescence and the nu granddaddies themselves, Korn.
Multi-act medleys have happened in the halftime before — think 1998’s “Salute to Motown,” or 2022’s hip-hop celebration with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem — and a back-to-back-to-back rotation of classic bands delivering a steady shot of nu-banging career highlights could be an electrifying sight.
What’s making us smile the most on this, however, is the top-tier ridiculousness of Korn potentially mashing-up their signature “Blind” with Hank Williams Jr.’s old Monday Night Football anthem, “Are You Ready for Some Football?” All our rowdy friends would probably agree.
Metallica
Give us fuel. Give us fire. Give us the halftime show that we desire.
Many people felt that not getting local thrashers Metallica for this year’s halftime show in the Bay Area was a missed opportunity. But let’s get real: The world’s biggest metal band are tailor-made to rock any stadium setting they please.
Consider that their ongoing M72 tour routinely hits the same massive venues the NFL calls home (including both the Seahawks’ Lumen Field and the Patriots’ Gillette Stadium in 2024) — while putting butts in seats twice over, per the terms of their “No-Repeat Weekend” format.
With an iconic catalog of heavy hits identifiable to the budding headbangers in Gen Alpha to leather-lifer Gen X’ers and more, ‘Tallica are a people-pleasing juggernaut you could seemingly plug-and-play into Super Bowl halftime slots for the next 72 seasons and beyond.