"It's flipped out," Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler said. "It's going to be absolutely nuts," said Chris Kirkpatrick, a member of the pop group *NSYNC.
"We definitely have to be on point. Everything has to be good." Aerosmith and *NSYNC won't be the only talent on hand at Raymond James Stadium. Sting and Styx will take part in the pregame show, Ray Charles is will sing "America the Beautiful" and Backstreet Boys will follow with the National Anthem. Collective number of albums sold, according to Billboard: about 111 million.
"We've come a long way from the University of Arizona marching band," NFL publicist Steve Brener said. The marching Wildcats, along with the University of Michigan's band, were the halftime entertainment at the first Super Bowl. Both Aerosmith and *NSYNC said they were looking forward to the halftime show, although it would seem an unlikely pairing of hard-rock veterans and fresh-faced vocalists.
"At the end of the day, it's about a good song, and those guys have some good songs," Tyler, 52, said of the *NSYNC quintet. "The yin and yang of it all makes it so beautiful." The halftime show will feature each band taking turns singing two of its songs before coming together for Aerosmith's 1975 classic "Walk This Way."
"Originally, we were going to sing each other's songs," said Kirkpatrick, 29, conjuring the bizarre image of *NSYNC thundering through "Sweet Emotion" while Aerosmith harmonizes "Bye Bye Bye." The pregame show, hosted by actor Kevin James from "King of Queens," will salute Florida's entertainment opportunities.