This Year's Super Bowl Halftime Show Promises to Heat Up Tampa

Diehard football fans might think that halftime entertainment is just an annoying diversion to keep fans in their seats while players get a well-deserved break for a few moments, don't tell that to The Boss. As the headliner for this year's Super Bowl Halftime Show, the hero of New Jersey is promising to heat up the stage and make Tampa sizzle.

Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band were officially announced as the main attraction for this year's Super Bowl Halftime Show. Staged by Bridgestone tires, the annual mid-game production has become almost as anticipated as the big game itself. The lights, fireworks and showmanship of the halftime show have traditionally been complimented by performances by legendary musicians. Springsteen and the famous E Street Band are, in fact, joining a tradition of super bowl halftime shows that have featured such greats as Phil Collins, Aerosmith, U2, Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones in the past.

While serious football junkies might wish to keep players on the field without a break for nonstop action, some 148 million viewers in the United States who look forward to the Super Bowl Halftime Show might disagree with their assessment. The mid-game production has become almost as much of an attraction as the gridiron action itself. In fact, it's now televised, along with the bowl game, to more than 230 countries and territories around the world. Super Bowl Halftime Shows have even had their share of controversy through the years thanks to an onstage accident involving Janet Jackson's wardrobe and Justin Timberlake in 2004.

Although wardrobe malfunctions won't likely accompany Springsteen's performance, this year's Super Bowl Halftime show does promise to be a big attraction. The legendary rocker has been entertaining audiences since the 1970s and continues to be a major draw for fans of all ages. He is best known for such edgy American rock songs as "Born to Run," "Born in the U.S.A.," "Thunder Road" and "Glory Days." Although The Boss and the E Street Band split for a time, they have been performing together quite a bit in recent history. Springsteen even captured some major headlines during Barack Obama's presidential run as a major supporter.

The Super Bowl Halftime Show tradition dates back to Super Bowl I, which took place in 1967 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The first performers might not have had the star status of The Boss, but they have gone down in history nonetheless. The first-ever halftime performers included the University of Arizona and Grambling State University bands, the Anaheim High School Drill Team and trumpeter Al Hirt.

This year's Super Bowl Halftime Show will, no doubt, be quite a bit different than the original performance back in the 1960s. Thanks to the production work of Don Mischer and producers Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment, this year's show is shaping up to bring down the house at Raymond James Stadium Feb. 1. There's even a chance that serious football fanatics will welcome the break in action just to see the legendary Boss on stage at halftime.