Super Bowl Halftime Show 2016: Coldplay Odds, Info for Panthers vs. Broncos

The Super Bowl is always about more than just the football. Between the extensive pregame show, the thousands of parties across the country, media day (this year’s was deemed Super Bowl Opening Night) and the musical acts, the actual pigskin takes a back seat.

In fact, Cam Newton and Peyton Manning may not even be the biggest stars in Levi’s Stadium Sunday with Coldplay, Beyonce and Bruno Mars set to grace the halftime stage and Lady Gaga preparing to sing the national anthem.

This being the Super Bowl, there are a number of prop bets outside of who will lift the Lombardi Trophy, and the halftime show is featured prominently in a few of them.

Before digging into the odds, which are courtesy of Odds Shark (as of Thursday at 9 p.m. ET), Coldplay held a press conference that may interest bettors looking for any clues they can find about the concert.

However, the seven-time Grammy Award-winning group didn’t offer much insider information outside of the reveal that the band’s favorite Beyonce song is “Single Ladies.” Laken Litman of USA Today passed along this takeaway from lead singer Chris Martin: “Martin didn’t actually divulge what the plan is with Beyonce. Secret safe for Sunday. He did say that the NFL asked the group to incorporate the past, present and future since it is Super Bowl 50.”

Martin also said “The Denver Panthers. Put that in your paper,” when asked who he was cheering for in the game, per Litman.

The fact the NFL asked Coldplay to include past, present and future music is relevant to the first halftime prop bet:

Song	Money Line
Adventure of a Lifetime	+200
Fix You	+350
A Sky Full of Stars	+450
Viva la Vida	+500
Clocks	+750
Head Full of Dreams	+1000
Paradise	+1000

This is a nightmare for bettors who prefer to be well-informed and take most of the guesswork out of their gambles. After all, there is limited research to be done on this since the Super Bowl is so different from normal concerts. Even set lists of past concerts won’t help much with Sunday’s show that is limited in time.

Coldplay can only afford to play pieces of various songs if it wants to get as much in as possible and still have room for Beyonce, lest the entire Internet melt down because it didn’t get enough of the superstar. There will clearly be a focus on the band’s hits, and the first song will be no different.

“Adventure of a Lifetime” jumps out as a recent radio favorite, but this is not a Coldplay concert where everyone tuning in and attending is likely a fan of the band and its entire catalogue. Martin and company want to immediately hook in as wide a range of people as possible, and it is a safe bet this isn’t the song many automatically think of when discussing Coldplay.

“Clocks” is a popular tune with a well-known stretch of opening chords that would capture the attention of those in the stadium and watching worldwide, and “Paradise” is an upbeat song that would pump energy into the stadium. 

However, the prediction here is “Viva La Vida,” as arguably the band’s most famous song. It was even featured in Pepsi’s teaser for the show:

If that wasn’t enough of a clue, it is fitting Coldplay starts with a classic, especially in Super Bowl 50, when there will be such an emphasis on history.

Coldplay is not the only performer to inspire a prop bet at the Super Bowl. Beyonce’s footwear was apparently of some interest to Las Vegas as well: 

Color	Money Line
Black	+150
Gold/Brown	+250
White	+275
Silver/Grey	+475
Any Other Color	+700

Black seems like too obvious of a choice for her footwear, and white seems too boring for someone who consistently puts on an energy-packed and electrifying show. Josh Lipton CNBC suggested black shoes just aren’t exciting enough for Beyonce either:

She could go with silver for the Lombardi Trophy, but gold has been a predominant color in the lead-up to the big game. After all, 50 is the golden anniversary, and the league has not held back. Everything from logos to hats to Cam Newton’s pants have featured gold, and that will not change Sunday.

Even during the halftime show.

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Outside of Coldplay and Beyonce, there is an entertaining prop bet for those who enjoyed Left Shark stealing headlines from Katy Perry in last year’s Super Bowl halftime performance: 

Bet	Money Line
Yes	+1500

From an entertainment standpoint, it just seems more amusing to take the gamble and say yes, Left Shark will appear. For the hopeful, the NFL already spotted it in the Bay Area in the week before the game:

There are two trains of thought here. For one, Coldplay may not want to be upstaged by a dancing shark, which could mean the end of Left Shark’s reign. However, if Coldplay isn’t afraid to share the stage and headlines with a megastar like Beyonce, Left Shark is certainly in play. 

Plus, the organizers have to remember how popular Left Shark was last year. It inspired shirts, memes and more memories than the majority of the game itself, and Perry even thanked the beat-challenged fish for her Emmy nomination:

What better way to keep people tuned in during halftime than trotting out an audience favorite?

It would certainly leave fans talking well after Newton or Manning walks off the field with a Super Bowl title.