Viva la vida football: Coldplay will headline the Super Bowl 50 halftime show.
The NFL confirmed the news — which had been reported by several sources — Thursday night.
“We are so excited and honored and thrilled to be playing the halftime show,” band front man Chris Martin said in a video. “It’s going to be wonderful and hope we see you there.”
The NFL said the Super Bowl 50 halftime show is still being planned and there will be multiple acts.
According to a press release from Pepsi, which sponsors the halftime show, Martin “is designing a show that will echo elements of the NFL’s On the Fifty campaign — honoring the past, recognizing the present and looking ahead to the next 50 years, including other special artists.”
Coldplay’s new album, “A Head Full of Dreams,” is due out Friday.
The band is known for such hits as “Yellow,” “Clocks” and “Viva la Vida,” as well as a string of best-selling albums. (No, “Yellow” does not refer to the color of referees’ flags or the first-down line you see on TV.)
On Twitter, some made snide jokes about the news, citing Coldplay’s reputation for pretty songs with few rough edges.
Rumors were rife as to whom would take the stage for this, the golden 50th Super Bowl. Among the suggested artists: Bruno Mars, who performed in 2014; Beyonce, who performed in 2013; and pop band Maroon 5.
Up With People, who performed in 1976, 1980 and 1982, was not mentioned.
Super Bowl 50 will take place February 7, 2016, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
