Nevada Gov. Wants AC/DC for Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show

Super Bowl LVIII is set for Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, on Sunday, February 11, 2024. If Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo had his way, he'd bring some serious rock star power to the Halftime Show.

When asked at the NFL/Las Vegs Super Bowl LVII Host Committee press conference last week who he wanted to see perform at the Halftime Show, Lombardo said, "AC/DC!" The Las Vegas Review-Journal noted that Lombardo added, "I was going to yell it out ... But yeah, I'm serious. Bring 'em back."

The announcement of the Halftime Show headliners will come down at some point this Fall. The Halftime Show, of course, is produced by Jay-Z's Roc Nation and is sponsored by Apple Music. NFL executive vice president of club business/major events/international Peter O'Reilly noted that the league will work with Roc Nation closely to determine a performer(s) that will be "the right fit at this time for this market."

The last time a legit rock act performed during the Super Bowl Halftime Show was in 2014, when the Red Hot Chili Peppers performed alongside Bruno Mars. Before that, the last time a rock act was the primary performer was The Who in 2010.

AC/DC performing at the Super Bowl would certainly be a great moment for the legendary band. In October, they're performing at Power Trip at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif. The performance will be a triumphant return for the band with singer Brian Johnson. Johnson, of course, was forced to step away from AC/DC in 2016 due to issues related to hearing loss. He would rejoin the band in 2020 for their album Power Up, which served as a tribute to late guitarist Malcolm Young. Thanks to some new in-ear technology, Johnson was able to resume his singing duties with AC/DC.

Other bands booked for Power Trip include Guns N' Roses, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica and Tool. If a rock act is tapped for the Super Bowl Halftime Show, surely Guns N' Roses and Metallica would be top contenders. Both bands are currently on tour, so they'll be in tip-top shape for the high-profile gig.

The AC/DC catalog can be split into two parts: The Bon Scott years and the Brian Johnson years. For the sake of our latest list, we're going to focus on the Brian Johnson years.

Johnson was officially announced as the new singer for AC/DC on April 15, 1980. Back then, he faced the daunting challenge of following Scott, who had died suddenly in February 1980 just as AC/DC was enjoying international success from their latest album, Highway to Hell.

Not only did Johnson rise to the occasion, but he also helped lead AC/DC with the release of their monster hit Back In Black, which is one of the highest-selling albums of all time moving over 50 million copies worldwide and 25 million copies in the United States alone.

Over the course of the past four decades, Johnson has become one of rock's most iconic and easily recognizable voices ever. His official return to AC/DC in 2020 after a nearly four-year absence due to hearing loss issues was one of the bright spots in an unprecedentedly dark year.

In his honor, here's our ranking of the top 25 Brian Johnson AC/DC songs.

AC/DC announced in February their new European tour dates. This marks the first tour from the band since 2016.

The "Power Up" tour will kick off on May 17 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany and will wrap on August 17 in Dublin. Currently, it's unknown whether AC/DC will expand their tour to other continents, but stay tuned.

In a brief statement from the band, they confirmed the lineup for the tour. Brian Johnson will be on vocals and joined by Angus and Stevie Young on lead and rhythm guitar, respectively. Matt Laug, who played with the band at Power Trip in October 2023, will be on drums.

As for bass, AC/DC has recruited Chris Chaney "to carry the torch for Cliff [Williams]." Williams retired shortly after the 2016 tour, but he appeared on AC/DC's 2020 album Power Up. Williams also performed at Power Trip with the band.