Maroon 5 allegedly struggling to secure Super Bowl support acts

The buzz surrounding Maroon 5 and the Super Bowl has been in full force since September of this year when several sources confirmed the alt act would be performing.

Despite frontman Adam Levine neither confirming nor denying their involvement, a petition was launched to get them to drop from it. Now, it’s being reported they can’t get anyone else to play it with them.

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According to Vulture, Maroon 5 have been struggling to recruit other artists to perform at the halftime show with them.

It’s also being reported that the lack of support acts is the reason they’re not confirming their involvement. Maroon 5 isn’t the main problem, however, as “no one wants to associate themselves with the NFL” following them blacklisting Colin Kaepernick for his on-field protests.

Previous reports stated the band were trying to get Cardi B to join them for their “Girls Like You” collab and her own melody of hits. However, Vulture states Cardi is a “no right now.”

Super Bowl LIII will air Feb. 3, 2019 from the Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Maroon 5 and the Super Bowl Halftime Show so far

Back in 2015, Maroon 5 were reportedly in “extensive talks” to play the 2016 Super Bowl Halftime show. While Coldplay ended up being the headliner (with support from Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson and more), this wouldn’t be the last time Maroon 5 and Super Bowl were mentioned in the same sentence.

In September of this year, several sources confirmed Maroon 5 will headline the Super Bowl LIII Halftime show. Maroon 5 have yet to confirm their performance, but that didn’t stop immediate backlash including a petition that has since garnered 40,000 signatures.

Even Rihanna spoke up, stating she turned down the same offer in support of Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers’ former quarterback. The NFL exiled him following protests where he took a knee during the anthem. Kaepernick and Rihanna are mentioned in the description of the aforementioned petition.

Within one week, the petition reached 20,000 signatures. A week later, that total has doubled.

In the petition’s description, it states:

“Kaepernick risked his career to take a knee for equality, and the NFL punished him for it. Until the league changes their policy and support players’ constitutional right to protest, no artists should agree to work with the NFL. Join me in asking Maroon 5 to drop out of the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show.”

The petition also points out Jay-Z turned down the 2018 Super Bowl Halftime show, reportedly in support of Kaepernick. They petition also explains Amy Schumer praised Rihanna and encouraged Maroon 5 to drop from the show. It also states other artists the band has worked with have publicly supported Kaepernick and they should too.

“Maroon 5 has made music over the years featuring artists from all genres, including Rihanna, Cardi B and Kendrick Lamar — all of whom have publicly supported Kaepernick in his decision to protest the violent racism sweeping the United States. Maroon 5 must do the same. The band has a chance to stand on the right side of history. If they don’t, they will be remembered for choosing to side with the NFL over its players.

“The band’s lead singer, Adam Levine, has not shied away from politics in the past. He has been a strong supporter of same sex marriage and LGBT rights. The band even changed the location of a show because the venue supported anti-gay marriage laws. If the band can take a stand for LGBT rights, they should do the same for these players.

“Colin Kaepernick has sacrificed his NFL career to call out violent racism in America, and players across the country have followed his lead. Rihanna, Jay-Z, Amy Schumer and others have refused to work with the NFL. Maroon 5: Americans look to artists and celebrities as leaders, and you have huge opportunity to use your influence to take a stand.”

A few days after the petition, Levine spoke about the rumors on The Ellen Degeneres Show.

When asked about the performance by host Ellen Degeneres, Levine jokingly responded, “What the hell are you talking about?”

“It’s a rumor,” he continued. “I can neither confirm nor deny the truth of this rumor. It’s definitely a rumor. And the rumor is a rumor that everyone seems to be discussing.”

While Levine neither confirmed nor denied, he made several hints alluding that Maroon 5 would obtain the coveted set.

“If it were me, I’d be excited, I’d be nervous,” he stated. “It’s like a billion, gajillion, bazillion people, and so if I were doing it, which can’t confirm or deny … I just can’t wait to watch.”

If Maroon 5 perform, it would be the band’s first Super Bowl appearance. Last year’s show saw Justin Timberlake headline for the second time, and Lady Gaga was featured in 2017.

What do you think of Maroon 5 and the Super Bowl Halftime show? Sound off in the comments!

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