The Who set to (classic) rock the Superbowl Halftime Show

Daltrey and Townshend perform during a pre-Super Bowl press conference. (AP Photo)

Rock legends the Who will soon bring their brand of Maximum R&B to America’s maximum sporting event this Sunday at the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLIV Halftime Show in Miami, Florida. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend—the two remaining members of the original Who lineup—have announced the set list for the performance, which will feature a medley of the band’s biggest hits, including “Baba O’Reilly,” “Pinball Wizard,” Who Are You?” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”

“It’s a strange one,” Daltrey told the UK music magazine NME, referring to the football game’s halftime concert. “It’s an honor to do it, but it’s only 12 minutes! It’s kind of weird! I suppose it gives people time to take a slash and that’s about it.”

A quick visit to the Wiktionary reveals that a “slash” is a British slang term for a bathroom break. But before we all paint the singer as nothing more than an ungrateful Brit, it should be noted that although he does prefer English sports, he told NME that the Super Bowl will be an “experience, and it is an amazing game.”

With the Who’s Feb. 7 show at Sun Life Stadium, the band will become the sixth act in what has become a preeminent showcase for rock and roll’s Elder Statesmen. After a controversial performance from Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake in 2004, producers turned to classic acts that were reliably safer, including Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Prince, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. And so far, it’s paid off, with Prince’s silhouetted guitar/phallus being the only thing close to racy.

However, with the list of still-kicking classic rock acts growing shorter, their plan can only work for so long. Mede Nix from the dallasnews.com Sports Day blog suggested the Eagles for next year’s game in Arlington, Texas, and I could see U2 coming back for a sequel to their awe-inspiring 2002 performance at Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans, only five months after the attacks of September 11.

But as much as I love these rightfully legendary artists and love watching them perform, the Super Bowl halftime show will eventually have to take the risk and become relevant again. Which is a point that becomes even more clear when one considers the recent Grammy Awards ceremony: that night’s winners—including Beyonce, Taylor Swift and the Kings of Leon—are some of the biggest names in music today. They could all easily carry the 12-minute gig, and hopefully someday they will.