The Red Hot Chili Peppers joined Bruno Mars on-stage for Super Bowl XLVIII's halftime performance, a show that was generally received with rave reviews.
But then Internet users took a closer look at the photos and noticed the Peppers' instruments weren't actually plugged in. Conspiracy theories swirled: Did they do what many fans would consider the unthinkable by pantomiming a pre-recorded performance? Were they playing live, but wirelessly?
See also: A Clairvoyant Seahawks Fan Got His Super Bowl Tattoo Months Ago
RHCP bassist Flea posted a 700-word open letter to the band's website on Tuesday explaining the situation. His message was simple: The NFL simply wouldn't allow them to play live. Performing a pre-recorded track broke one of the band's cardinal rules but the opportunity to play a Super Bowl halftime show was a once-in-a-lifetime chance they couldn't pass up. Anthony Keidis' vocals were live, but the accompanying the bass, guitar and drum sounds were not.
"There was not any room for argument on this, the NFL does not want to risk their show being botched by bad sound, period," Flea writes.
He continues:
We had given this a lot of thought before agreeing to do it, and besides many a long conversation amongst ourselves, I spoke with many musician friends for whom I have the utmost respect, and they all said they would do it if asked, that it was a wild trippy thing to do, what the hell. Plus, we the RHCP all love football too and that played a big part in our decision. We decided that, with Anthony singing live, that we could still bring the spirit and freedom of what we do into the performance, and of course we played every note in the recording specially for the gig. I met and spoke with Bruno, who was a beautiful dude, a real talented musician, and we worked out something that seemed like it would be fun.
A source told Mashable that Mars' vocals and show-opening drum solo were 100% live, but would not specify whether the rest of his band played live or not. Their instruments, unlike the RHCP's, did appear to be plugged in, however.
Compromises like the RHCP's aren't all that uncommon though. According to an 2009 MTV article, Bruce Springsteen sang live at that year's Super Bowl XLIII, but his backup E Street Band pantomimed over a previous recording. Asked about the performance soon after that year's big game by Rolling Stone, E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt didn't exactly deny the charges.
We've asked the NFL to identify the last Super Bowl halftime performance that was 100% live top to bottom, but not yet heard back.
As for his Red Hot Chili Peppers' pre-recorded gig, Flea writes: "I would do it all the same way again."