The will.i.am and Fergie-led group performed live in front of an estimated 50,000 at Three Rivers Stadium prior to the Pittsburgh Steelers–Tennessee Titans game. The “Oprah Show’s” 24th-season opening block party was tape delayed and performed on a closed-off Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. Opening with a cover of “I’ve Got a Feeling,” the act was interactive with a synchronized dance routine involving the audience of 20,000 attendees.
“Talk about group participation,” said will.i.am, “this was the greatest performance I’ve ever been a part of.”
With no time to revel in the moment, it was off to Pittsburgh where an audience twice the size of Chicago’s was on hand for NFL opening day. The nationally televised NFL premiere was kicked off by yet another performance of “I’ve Got a Feeling” followed by the Peas’ other No. 1 one hit, “Boom, Boom, Pow.”
Not only was it a good night for the Black Eyed Peas, the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers won 13–10 in overtime.
The Steelers hold a league best six Super Bowl trophies and still have 20 of the 22 starters remaining from their last championship run. Head coach Mike Tomlin is the second African American coach to win a Super Bowl after Tony Dungy accomplished that feat in 2007, but Tomlin is the youngest coach to ever win the big game.
Next, the Steelers will face Lovie Smith and his Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Smith is one of just three African American head coaches to appear in the Super Bowl. The Steelers–Bears matchup could easily be a preview of Super Bowl XLIV in February 2010. –lenn durant
