Sting has been confirmed for a Super Bowl spin-off concert, while a new study has shown that over half of Republicans disapprove of the Halftime Show headliner Bad Bunny.
The Police frontman and solo artist is set to headline a Super Bowl-branded concert at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. The gig will be held on February 6, two days before the main Super Bowl kicks off at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Only just confirmed, the new set from Sting will be held as part of the broader Super Bowl LX Studio 60 event (as per Entertainment Weekly), and organiser On Location shared that it will be one performance in “a weekend of unforgettable music entertainment at one of San Francisco’s most iconic venues”. Other events expected for that weekend will include meet and greets with NFL stars too.
The ‘Every Breath You Take’ hitmaker previously took to the stage as a co-headliner for the prestigious Halftime Show back in 2003 – sharing the stage with Shania Twain and No Doubt, and breaking out a rendition of the Police classic ‘Message In A Bottle’.
The main headliner for the massive Halftime show in the upcoming edition will be Bad Bunny.
The Puerto Rican rapper, real name Benito Ocasio, was confirmed as the headliner for next year’s Super Bowl LX, at the end of September. The announcement soon made headlines, with many being divided over the three-time Grammy Award-winner (who has also taken home 11-time Latin Grammy Awards) being booked in for the coveted slot.
A new survey by Quinnipiac University has shown that there seems to be a strong correlation between people’s attitude towards the artist headlining the Super Bowl and their political affiliation.
In the study, nearly half of all participants said that they approved of Ocasio being booked as headliner, while 29 per cent disapproved and 24 per cent declined to share their opinion.
However, when it was broken down into a political light, the findings appeared much more telling, with nearly three-quarters of Democrats being all-for the performance, and over 60 per cent of Republicans standing against it.
The survey showed a split when it came to age and race too – with 65 per cent of Hispanic participants and 61 per cent of Black participants approving of the booking, and 64 per cent of those aged between 18 and 34 agreeing.
White respondents gave a 41 per cent approval rate, and people aged over 50 were less than 40 per cent in favour of the upcoming headline show.
.@QuinnipiacPoll asked about the NFL’s decision to have Bad Bunny perform the Super Bowl halftime show.
63% of Republicans disapprove, 74% of Democrats approve.
Overall, 48% approve, while 29% disapprove and 24% have no opinion. pic.twitter.com/n6eMRPuKlO
— bryan metzger (@metzgov) October 27, 2025
The news of Ocasio headlining arose shortly after he revealed that he would not be touring the US during his world tour due to fears over ICE agents raiding his concerts.
He also gave a touching monologue in Spanish while hosting Saturday Night Live, saying that it was a milestone moment for “all the Latinos and Latinas in the whole world”, before wrapping it up in English, and quipping: “And if you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”
The announcement of the Bad Bunny Halftime show has led to right-wing organisation Turning Point USA – which was founded by the late Charlie Kirk – announcing plans for an ‘All American Halftime Show’, which will be held at the same time and date as NFL halftime show.
On top of that, President Donald Trump called the booking of the Puerto Rican star “crazy” and claimed he had “never heard of” the rapper.
One of the President’s advisers confirmed that ICE would be present at the “shameful” concert, US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem reiterated those comments, and a petition urging for Bad Bunny to be replaced by country singer George Strait currently has over 96,000 signatures.
The NFL has defended Bad Bunny’s slot, with Commissioner Roger Goodell telling the press that the NFL were firm in their decision and reaffirming that the move was “carefully thought through.”
Jay-Z – who serves as the NFL’s music strategist via his label Roc Nation’s partnership with the league – has backed up Bad Bunny twice too. Earlier in the month he called the rapper “truly inspiring” and added that his team felt “honoured to have him on the world’s biggest stage”. More recently, he shared that he wasn’t convinced that the backlash was authentic, saying: “They love him. Don’t let them fool you”.
Little is known about the “alternative” concert being put on by Turning Point USA, although reps for both Willie Nelson and Carlos Santana have shut down rumours that they may be involved.
It is also highly unlikely that folk legends Joan Baez and Neil Young will be perfoming there too – despite what an AI-generated post circulating online may suggest.
