Maroon 5 star Adam Levine knew he had to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show because it's a dream he had long shared with his late manager and childhood friend Jordan Feldstein.
The talent manager, the older brother of actor Jonah Hill, was just 40 years old when he died unexpectedly in December, 2017.
Adam found it particularly hard to accept his loss because they had grown up together and pursued their professional goals side-by-side, so when he and his bandmates were presented with the opportunity to take centre stage for the 2019 American football extravaganza, he thought long and hard about what Jordan would have wanted them to do.
Despite the ongoing controversy surrounding the National Football League (NFL) over bosses' alleged treatment of sidelined quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the rocker eventually decided to accept the big gig, in part to honour Jordan's memory.
"I am here (preparing for the Super Bowl) because of me, and I am here because of the band, but I am here because of Jordan," the singer told U.S. news show Entertainment Tonight. "This was our thing, you know? This is what we wanted."
Adam believes Jordan's spirit helped to guide him into making the right answer for the band.
"Ultimately when looking at all this stuff (controversy) and needing him and listening for him, that was a huge factor in all of this - accepting this challenge (to perform) and a challenge it has been, obviously," he continued. "But I got it. At the end of the day, I know what he wanted me to do, and I know how he would have wanted me to do it. So, it's gotten me this far, you know? I feel like he is always with me somehow. He is there."
During the interview, Adam admitted the Moves Like Jagger hitmakers expected to face a backlash for agreeing to play the Super Bowl Halftime Show, instead of following the lead of stars like JAY-Z, Rihanna, and Cardi B and boycott the event to support Kaepernick, whose career has been derailed following his 2016 decision to kneel during the pre-game U.S. national anthem to highlight racial injustice and police brutality.
However, Levine suggested they were planning something to acknowledge Kaepernick's plight during their performance, although he stopped short of sharing any real details.
Maroon 5 will be joined onstage at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday (03Feb19) by rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi.
