What songs will Bruce Springsteen play at Super Bowl XLIII? Set list predictions!

January 30, 12:29 PMPop Culture ExaminerDominic Patten

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I'm not a betting man - OK, that's not completely true, but cut me some slack with the expression - but if I were I would have put some serious money down on the Super Bowl XLIII this Sunday in my old hometown of Tampa, Florida. Not on the game itself, where I think the Pittsburgh Steelers will beat the Arizona Cardinals, but on the real show - Bruce Springsteen's half time show.

Hey Boss fans, for more Bruce Springsteen - including his new album Working On A Dream, his Oscar snub, upcoming tour and why 2009 will be the Year of the Boss - click here.

The 59-year old Springsteen was very coy at a press conference in Tampa yesterday, saying only he didn't know a lot about football and one of the main reasons he agreed to do the show was to promote his new album. Up until a few days ago a number of betting sites like Sportsbook.com really were taking bets on what Bruce and the E Street Band would be playing in their 12 minute set. 

Those bets are now closed but here's how to even the odds out a bit for your own Super Bowl party. You see, there are three things we do know for sure about what Springsteen is going to play at Super Bowl XLIII

1. Sportsbook.com had various options like Playlist A - "Glory Days," "My Lucky Day," "Badlands," "Born to Run" to Playlist D - "Born in the U.S.A.," "Thunder Road," Rosalita," "My Lucky Day." Rolling Stone, who are on the ground in Tampa, let it slip that the winner was “Playlist H: Any Other Song Combination Not Listed.” Not only did that overload the prop bets on Sportsbook.com, but also it caused them to shut it down. Additionally, though, it gave away what the Boss would be belting out by determining what he wouldn't be.

2. With a stadium full of lucky NFL fans and a pumped TV audience of nearly a billion in 232 countries worldwide, Super Bowl half time sets are always anthemic and upbeat. The Boss told the New York Times that for him the Super Bowl is “a 12-minute party." That means neither ballads nor dirges. Which, in the case of Springsteen, takes about 40% of his 400 song catalogue out of contention. 

3. E Street Band guitarist Nils Lofgren, who has been recovering from hip replacement surgery and is a huge Cardinals fan, told the Arizona Republic that "I think the one you can count on is 'Born To Run.' "

OK, enough talk, narrowed and factored down by deduction, what is Bruce Springsteen going to play? We'll all find out when the Boss and the E Street Band jump on stage around 7:30/8 PM EST on February 1st at  Raymond James Stadium. But I say why wait until then? Here's the Pop prediction of  Springsteen's Super Bowl set list - 

Glory Days

My Lucky Day (which is Bruce Springsteen's current single from his new Working On A Dream album)

Born To Run

The one wild card might be that the incredibly tight band throws in a bit of  the 9/11 anthem "The Rising.” Otherwise, this, my friends, could be the winning touchdown. What's your Springsteen Super Bowl XLIII set list prediction?

Check out Bruce Springsteen's performance of "The Rising" at the We Are One concert for Barack Obama's Inauguration here