If Britney Spears landed $1 million for her Pepsi-through-the-
generations ads, how much did U2’s rousing two-song Super Bowl stint
cost the NFL? Not a thing. According to a source, Mariah Carey, Paul
McCartney, and U2 didn’t get a dime for their live performances on
the Feb. 3 telecast, though the NFL did pick up travel expenses (and
it’s not like these folks fly JetBlue).

Interestingly, U2 weren’t the NFL’s first choice–Janet Jackson was
reportedly booked for the halftime extravaganza. Then, after the
Sept. 11 attacks, a group of team owners and league officials visited
New York City for NFL meetings and attended a U2 concert at Madison
Square Garden. Impressed by the socially conscious rockers and
concerned about setting the right tone for Super Bowl festivities,
they offered U2 the prime pre-Grammy gig–and in the process got a
stadium-size bargain.

Says one NFL insider: “We would have paid U2, but they didn’t want
any money.” (The band’s publicist had no comment.)

Josh Young - Entertainment Weekly

Related posts:

• Video Store Mag: U2 Super Bowl performance on DVDUSA Home Entertainment and NFL Films will pull off their own last-minute surprise when they street the VHS and DVD versions of New England Patriots Super Bowl XXXVI Champions March 5 (VHS, $14.95; DVD, $19.95), just 30 days after the Super Bowl. The program is now in its eighth year...
• The Mirror: U2 Game For Touring After BowlU2 are set to hit the road again this year just two months after vowing to take a year long break from the music business, I can reveal. The rockers are planning a few live dates across the world as part of an extended leg of their Elevation tour. BONO...
• Vertigo Tour Dates Vertigo - 4th Leg - Latin America & Pacifica 02.12.06 Monterrey - Estadio Tecnol?gico 02.15.06 Mexico City - Estadio Azteca 02.16.06 Mexico City - Estadio Azteca 02.20.06 S?o Paulo - Est?dio C?cero Pompeu De Toledo (Morumbi) 02.21.06 S?o Paulo - Est?dio C?cero Pompeu De Toledo (Morumbi) 02.26.06 Santiago De...