The Controversy Red Hot Chili Peppers Couldn't Escape For Their Super Bowl Halftime Show

In September 2013, the NFL announced that all-round song-and-dance-man and pop superstar Bruno Mars would be performing at the following year's prestigious Super Bowl halftime show. The choice of Mars, who was just 28 at the time, was slightly unusual. Though he was in his first flush of international fame following the release of his 2010 debut album "Doo-Wops & Hooligans," the NFL had developed the habit down the years of booking mostly veteran acts such as Prince, Madonna, and the Rolling Stones. Still, some critics praised the selection, arguing that Bars' reputation for great live performances made him an ideal performer to take the slot.

Mars nevertheless looked to assuage those unfamiliar with him or his style of music with the announcement that alternative funk metal band Red Hot Chili Peppers would be appearing alongside him at the halftime show as his special guests. When the day of the show came, Mars himself was generally well-received by critics, with BuzzFeed describing his performance as "dazzling." Meanwhile, the outlet criticized the Chili Peppers, who performed their 1991 hit "Give It Away," for being somewhat "unnecessary." 

And there was one aspect of their performance that drew the ire of eagle-eyed viewers, who soon pointed out on social media that instruments of bassist Flea and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer were unplugged — they were miming. The revelation caused a furor among their fans, who had expected them to replicate the kind of raucous performance they were known for on tour. Outlets noted that miming at the Super Bowl is not unusual, but their set was certainly marred by their decision to mime so openly.

In response to the criticism, Flea penned a now-deleted open letter on the Red Hot Chili Peppers website, which confirmed the band's musicians had faked their Super Bowl performance. However, he remained defiant about their reasoning. "When we were asked by the NFL and Bruno to play our song 'Give It Away' at the Super Bowl, it was made clear to us that the vocals would be live, but the bass, drums, and guitar would be pre-recorded," the letter begins. Flea said he understood the NFL's reasoning — "they only have a few minutes to set up the stage, there [sic] a zillion things that could go wrong and ruin the sound" — and noted that "there was not any room for argument."

Flea went on to explain that the band had always mocked the idea of miming and "take [their] music playing seriously," but practicalities around the big-budget show meant that they were forced into a corner. With the advice of other musicians that the gig was still worthwhile, they went for it. "We decided that, with Anthony [Kiedis, the RHCP frontman] singing live, that we could still bring the spirit and freedom of what we do into the performance," Flea wrote, noting that the Super Bowl backing track had been specially performed and recorded for the event. Regarding the decision to leave their instruments unplugged, he admitted that they didn't want to mislead viewers, and that "[it] seemed like the realest thing to do in the circumstance."

Super Bowl halftime show scandals are nothing new. Indeed, a decade earlier, the world watched on as Janet Jackson's right nipple was exposed at the end of her performance. The incident was watched by over 100 million people, and the star faced a significant backlash. For weeks after the "wardrobe malfunction," Jackson made the media rounds to apologize profusely on every platform she could. While many people claimed to have been offended by the incident, others argued that it was unintentional and that she was being unfairly maligned.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are known to perform shirtless. As well as the criticism they had attracted as a result of their music being pre-recorded, some noted the double-standard of allowing men to perform with their nipples exposed with no comment, whereas a female performer who lets a nipple show by accident gets pilloried. "Super Bowl Exposes Super Hypocrisy on Breasts vs. Chests" read a HuffPost headline at the time. Not that this is RHCP's problem, of course, but it's one that wider society seems unlikely to overcome anytime soon.

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