Post Malone will appear during the Super Bowl LVII pregame show in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 11, but some vocal fans want to see him promoted to the halftime performance.
The Texan pop star will sing "America the Beautiful" ahead of the kick-off at 6:30 p.m. The pregame show will also include Reba McEntire performing the national anthem and Andra Day's rendition of the 19th century African American hymn "Lift Every Voice and Sing."
But fans want to see him perform during the halftime show instead of Usher.
Post Malone was excited when he announced his upcoming performance on Jan. 19. His post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, included two emojis and three exclamation points.
But some fans wanted to see him headlining the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show instead of the R&B star Usher.
"Why is Post Malone not doing the halftime show?" one person asked below the NFL's Instagram post. "Usher is 1,000 years old in music years."
There were dozens of similar comments.
"Posty should really be the halftime show," another Instagram user said. "The man has had more Hot 100 hits than the Beatles. He's universally loved and beyond talented."
Usher was announced as the game's main musical entertainment back in September.
"It's an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. I can't wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they've seen from me before," the singer said in an NFL press release. "Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen. I'll see you real soon."
X users were ecstatic about the announcement at the time and are still buzzing about it months later.
"I truly believe that Usher is going to end up having one of the best Superbowl performances we've seen," one person said on Jan. 17. "While i definitely believe usher does not need anyone to join him on stage during the superbowl to solidify a very incredible halftime performance, i would definitely not be mad if he got justin bieber up there with him to do the remix of somebody to love," another user said on Jan. 18.
The posts came after Usher closed out a successful 100-show residency at Las Vegas' Park MGM Casino with a sold out concert on Dec. 4.
The R&B star was announced as the main musical entertainment in September.
The R&B singer certainly isn't washed up, but it seems like Post Malone is a bigger artist these days, particularly with younger listeners.
All five of the singles Post Malone released as a lead artist in 2023 charted on the Billboard Hot 100. April's "Chemical" peaked at No. 13. Usher also released five singles last year, but only one made it onto that chart. "Good Good" featuring Summer Walker and 21 Savage peaked at No. 25.
Reba McEntire and Andra Day will also perform during the pregame show.
Since 2019, the NFL has worked closely with Jay-Z's talent agency Roc Nation to craft the halftime performances. The partnership began in part because the league wanted the shows to be more inclusive, Forbes reported.
The NFL faced a racial reckoning in 2016 when then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality. Other players began joining him. This angered many fans, including former President Donald Trump.
The league banned players from kneeling during the anthem in 2017 and said they could remain in the locker room during the song instead. But the policy was eventually reversed. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league was "wrong in silencing our players for peacefully protesting" in 2020.
Rihanna's halftime performance at last year's Super Bowl got mixed reviews. While fans thought the singer did a great job, many believed the theatrics surrounding her set were less impressive than in years past.
