Chapter 198: After the Super bowl

I woke up with a 'slight headache'. "What a rookie mistake..." I murmured and took some pills.

Leaving the room, a voice came right beside me.

"Good morning, Jake."

"For God’s sake, Sarah, want to kill me of a heart attack?" I said, placing a hand over my heart after the scare she gave me.

She just gave me an amused smile and continued,

"Everyone is safe," she added.

People went a bit overboard with the Patriots’ victory last night (maybe I encouraged it a little too much). I think Spencer will be grounded by Carly.

"I thought you would be more reproachful for us outlaws," I smirked.

"Although I don’t endorse underage drinking, I’m not hypocrite enough to condemn something I’ve done myself. Besides, there were several adults making sure your friends didn’t do anything stupid."

I nodded and went down for breakfast at the hotel bar.

When I got there, Pepper was at the table with several newspapers.

"Morning, Pepper," I said.

"Morning, Sarah and Jake," she greeted, then tossed something at me.

I caught it, and when I looked, my eyes widened. "Peps!! It’s a Super Bowl ring! How could you toss that like it’s nothing?!" I said, indignantly.

I put it on my finger and said in the famous voice, "my precious."

Wait... The Two Towers has not been released yet...

Then I sat next to her and kept speaking like Sméagol.

"Jake," she said.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up," she said flatly, turning on the TV.

"Rude!" I exclaimed.

On TV, the Today Show:

Matt Lauer looked straight into the camera with a reflective tone. "Good morning. It’s Monday, February 4th, 2002. If you’re just waking up, you might still be thinking about last night’s stunning Super Bowl."

He paused briefly and smiled. "And yes — the New England Patriots pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NFL history, defeating the Rams in a dramatic, last-second finish. Tom Brady, a name many Americans are just learning, is now a champion and the MVP of the Super Bowl."

Katie Couric, with a composed expression, added:

"But that’s not what people are talking about this morning (aside from Patriots fans), nor what’s being shown on the front pages of the newspapers. Most headlines today are dedicated to what many are calling the greatest halftime show in history," she said, looking at Matt.

"It was already one of the most anticipated performances ever. The debut of the current chart-topping sensation, last year’s Personality of the Year, Marshmello. Many of us, me included, speculated which song he would choose — we couldn’t have been more wrong."

Katie took a breath, her voice filled with emotion. "Hard to tell which one was the most impactful. 'One More Light' was one of the most moving performances I’ve ever witnessed, if not the most. Chester’s voice — as unbelievable as always. I’m a big fan of his.

I was there last night. The lyrics, the voice, the symbolism of each light turning on in the stadium... we couldn’t have had a more powerful tribute to the victims of the attack."

"I was there too," Matt said. "And just when you thought the moment had peaked, Marshmello delivered another unbelievable moment. We are talking about three of the most popular artists nowadays. The princess of pop, Eminem — who needs no introduction — and Marshmello."

"There’s also something symbolic about Eminem singing with Britney. He’s mocked her a few times in the past.

We’re talking about giants coming together and advocating for peace in turbulent times. All three stepped out of their usual styles to make it happen." He added.

Katie nodded and continued, "We’re talking about four powerhouses — of rock, pop, hip-hop, and electronic. One hell of a debut Marshmello made."

Matt leaned back slightly, his tone steady but filled with awe. "It wasn’t just a performance. It was a moment. To see these artists — from different worlds — come together with a message of unity, it was historic."

Katie nodded again, her voice thoughtful now. "And we’re already seeing the impact. The halftime show is being replayed across multiple international networks.

In countries like France, Japan, and Brazil, primetime slots have been dedicated to a rebroadcast of the performance. Stations are translating commentary, local newspapers are featuring the images of the show on their front pages, and even music critics are calling it a turning point for what live television can achieve."

"It’s not just trending in the U.S., it’s trending globally," she added.

I turned off the TV.

"Our team will have a field day at work, with everyone calling, asking, demanding interviews..." Pepper commented.

I replied, "Just give them a good bonus at the end of the day."

I read some newspapers:

The New York Times Cover split into two main columns: Left (larger): “A Nation Reflects: Marshmello’s Halftime Hits Emotional Chords Post-9/11” Right (smaller): “Patriots Win First Super Bowl Title in Last-Second Thriller”

USA Today Large photo of the dark stadium with lights and names Headline: "From Grief to Glory: Super Bowl XLVI Honors and Shocks a Nation" Subheadline: Marshmello leads emotional halftime tribute, Tom Brady’s story begins

Le Monde (France) “Les États-Unis pleurent au rythme de la musique” (“The United States cry to the rhythm of music”) Subheadline: “Un show du Super Bowl devient un hommage national inattendu.”

The Guardian (UK) “Historic Moment in Super Bowl's Halftime”

“I really took most of the headlines...” I murmured.

I picked up one of the newspapers — it looked more like a tabloid — and pointed to a small corner headline. "It says: 'Is Eminem got Mellow?'

"Puhaa, send this one to that MF," I told Pepper while laughing. "It still amazes me that I convinced him to sing 'kumbaya crap'."

Yeah, he calls 'Where Is the Love?' that (not really wrong...)

"Probably your stunt helped," Pepper said, quoting me. "'You're 29 years old, it's about time you show you're more than just an angry kid to the world,' and then you pulled off the mask and finished, 'I'm 14 years old, by the way.'"

I revealed myself to him when we had a private meeting: me, him, Dr. Dre, Britney, and Pepper.

Pepper continued, "Your 'Rolling Loud' proposal seduced him too. Creative control, headliner status, limited censorship and can vetoed names."

"And about the Las Vegas Motor Speedway?" I asked.

"We can announce the deal now," Pepper replied. "Even making it clear that we won’t use it to bring the Patriots to Vegas — that could have interfered with the team’s campaign."

Yeah, that would be really difficult, if we wanted (leaving Boston and choosing Vegas)

"Speedway easily has capacity for 250,000 people per day," Pepper continued, "and we can expand it even more. The interval between each festival would need to be between one and two months — for setup, teardown, maintenance, and logistics — meaning March, May, July, September, November, and maybe December due to Vegas’ climate. Something like five or six mega festivals per year is possible."

I added, "We already have Tomorrowland for EDM, and we're moving forward with Rolling Loud for hip-hop. The next would be Rock in Vegas, then reviving Lollapalooza — a mix of rock, indie, and pop — and maybe one focused solely on pop."

"The Valhalla, Paradise, Xanadu, Elysium — for musicians," I mused aloud

Pepper just ignored me and commented, "We already had deals with big casinos and Hotels for sponsorships and collaborations, and Vegas city is more than eager to host permanent mega festivals."

We went back to LA as today is Freddie birthday