A George Strait Super Bowl? Country Fans React [Talkin’ Country]

January will mark 23 years since a country star took the stage at halftime of the Super Bowl. The streak needs to end.

The format — our format — is as popular as ever, with artists including Morgan Wallen consistently leading all-genre charts and Jelly Roll collaborating with hitmakers in hip-hop, rock and Christian music.

Legends like George Strait are worthy of that stage. The same is true for more contemporary hitmakers including Carrie Underwood, Luke Combs and Tim McGraw. Do any have the individual gravitas? What about collectively?

This week’s Talkin’ Country live stream asked the audience who should take the stage next February. A few names kept coming up, and we’re going to make the case for four of them here.

Join the conversation in the comments of a weekly live stream series that covers the most important issues in country music, with rare analysis and insight.

Who’s Performing at the Super Bowl This Year?

The NFL season is just one week old, but this conversation is worth having now, because it was almost one year ago exactly that Kendrick Lamar was announced as halftime performer.

Plus, there was some buzz about Taylor Swift having an open invite to take that stage about a week ago. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell seemed to like the idea, but honestly, she may be too big for the job.

Who’s worth it in country music? We’ve ranked four artists in order of least to most likely.

George Strait — Nothing would make the country fan happier than King George playing halftime, but the stack of reasons why it’s unlikely is too tall. He’s steady, not flashy and the job requires some amount of flash to keep from being a lull in programming.

A George Strait concert is not boring, but it might look lesser-than if it happened between two flame-throwing rock acts. That’s what the halftime performer is up against. Each half is sensory overload, and Strait just isn’t.

That’s a compliment, by the way. Life needs something you can count on. Honestly, we need that more than ever in 2025.

Jelly Roll — Jelly Roll is sensory overload defined. His live show is building toward a production value the Super Bowl requires, and he’ll bring people to the broadcast that might not otherwise tune in.

A Jelly Roll Super Bowl would also feature many famous friends, but it still feels too soon for him. Or maybe too late, if you think his snubbing by CMA voters speaks to a bigger problem.

Carrie Underwood — Carrie Underwood is NBC’s favorite country singer, and the Super Bowl is on NBC this year. Her Las Vegas residency proved she can build the production required for this stage, but does she want to?

That’s important to remember. The performance has to be worth something to the artist, because he/she is not getting paid. How can Carrie Underwood’s career elevate further than it already has? The answer is not clear.

Another issue is that NBC already has the Carrie Underwood fan tuning in, so what’s in it for them?

Post Malone — The most obvious path to a country music Super Bowl runs through Post Malone. His F-1 Trillion album featured duets from modern artists including Wallen and legends like Hank Jr. and Dolly Parton. He’d seemingly have his pick of friends to choose from!

He’s also wildly popular in pop and hip-hop, which is clearly appealing (see the last four selections). The odds of a country music Super Bowl rely on a star who nobody considered “country” five years ago.

Is this a cop out?

Maybe, but no country headliner has ever been the lone or lead performer at the Super Bowl. Shania Twain was joined by No Doubt in 2003. Before that was Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt and the Judds in 1994, when the show was just two years removed from relying on marching bands.

Frankly, there is no reason to have the 20-break be all about one person. Sampler platters typically water down a good thing, but they’re easy to promote, and when it comes to halftime performances it’s all about the marketing, not the actual show.