It used to be that the night before Thanksgiving — Thanksgiving Eve, as it were — was for college kids to get plastered back in their hometowns and then spend the next day wearing sunglasses while suffering through a meal at thekids’s table.
Not anymore. The NFL is taking it over, and they’re bringing U2 with them.
The Irish band — Bono, the Edge, and two other guys who didn’t get the memo on cool nicknames — will play at halftime during Netflix’s Thanksgiving Eve game between the Los Angeles Rams and Green Bay Packers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
NFL ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL THANKSGIVING EVE GAME BETWEEN PACKERS AND RAMS WILL BE STREAMED ON NETFLIX
“There’s a reason U2 has headlined stadiums for decades: they don’t just perform, they deliver iconic moments audiences remember forever,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said. “We’re thrilled that they’ll bring that same magic to the NFL stage on Netflix. It’s going to be an unforgettable night for football fans and Netflix members worldwide.”
I think people are generally okay with U2… unless, of course, they give everyone their new album for free, in which case the pitchforks and torches come out.
This news comes the same day that reports started making the rounds of Jay-Z picking himself to handle Super Bowl halftime show duties, something U2 happens to know a thing or two about.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers performed at Super Bowl XXXVI at the Superdome in New Orleans back in 2002. That was just five months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
One of the most memorable parts of the performance came when Bono showed off an American flag lining on the inside of his jacket while the names of victims were shown behind them.
This should be a good one, especially if Netflix doesn’t spare any expense when it comes to producing the show. U2 was the first band to play the Sphere in Las Vegas, so they know how to go big.