Dee Snider Calls Out Hypocrisy of NFL’s Super Bowl Halftime Booking

J. Lo and Shakira. The NFL's announcement for the latest Super Bowl halftime show is probably not too surprising given the path they've taken in recent years, but one rocker is not exactly ready to sit back and "take it." Dee Snider laid out his thoughts on the booking in a series of tweets, criticizing the NFL from their regular season approach to stadium anthems and the choices they've made for Super Bowl performers.

"WTF!? @shakira and @jlo for this year's @nfl halftime show!? Once again the great heavy music that rocks the stadiums week after week, game after game is completely ignored. I guess we don't shake our ass enough!!," Snider begins in his stream of posts.

After cooling down a bit, he clarified, "My point about this years @NFL halftime show isn’t a slight on @shakira or @JLo, it’s frustration that week after week rock is the go to music during games but gets no respect when it comes to the Super Bowl! And I don’t think I’m popular enough for that slot. But @Metallica..."

He continued, "Hey @NFL! Your go-to songs at EVERY game are metal: Enter Sandman, Cum On Feel the Noise, Thunder, Crazy Train, We're Not Gonna Take It, We Are the Champions, Final Countdown, I Wanna Rock, We Will Rock You, Welcome to Jungle. NONE of those bands have EVER played half-time show!"

The last five Super Bowl performances have been Maroon 5, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Coldplay and Katy Perry, with Coldplay being the closest to a "rock" performer that has played, and even then arguably being upstaged by support from Beyonce and Bruno Mars.

Speaking of Mars, his 2014 performance with special guests Red Hot Chili Peppers was the last time a widely credited rock artist of significance appeared at the Super Bowl halftime show. You have to go back to 2010 with The Who as the last time a rock artist headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

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