The NFL likes its halftime shows more and more. What started with a change to the Super Bowl halftime presentation decades ago has switched into more specific contests. That includes Netflix Christmas Day games as well as playoff games.
For the upcoming NFC Championship between the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, which will be held at Lumen Field in Seattle on Sunday, January 25, at 3:30 pm PT, music fans might expect a great rock band from the area. Perhaps Pearl Jam performs or Heart. But no, the league and music promoters went in a completely different direction.
The halftime musical artist will be country musician Tucker Wetmore. If you are a devotee of TikTok, you might have heard his song "Wine into Whiskey." The tune charted on the Billboard Hot 100, and not just the country charts. Maybe his potential cross-over appeal is what the NFL liked best.
Tucker Wetmore to be the halftime show between the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams for the NFC Championship game
Ultimately, having Wetmore play halftime does make sense. He is from Kalama, Washington, 120 miles from Seattle. The assumption is that he is a Seahawks fan, so if the league is going to go with a lesser-known musical act, having one who is a fan of one of the teams involved in the game is the way to go.
Westmore also played high school football. He was a wide receiver at Kalama High and then played in college at Montana Tech. He didn't stay in football long, though, as he decided to make a switch to making country music. So far, the move has been a good one.
Maybe the NFL is simply making a brilliant decision in a world that seems ever more divisive. Seattle is seen as a liberal city, but country music has a more conservative fan base. The league is simply combining the two political sides. It's like Bob Marley bringing peace to Jamaica. (Not really, of course.)
Tucker Westmore's debut album, 2025's What Not To, peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on the Billboard country charts. His highest-charting single is "Wind Up Missin' You" in 2024, which peaked at No. 31 on Billboard's Hot 100.