I only have a vague idea about who Alessia Cara is. I do know she was about four months old when Doug Flutie and the Toronto Argonauts defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 43-37 in The Snow Bowl, and also she makes all the sense in the world to be the headline act for the 2018 Freedom Mobile Grey Cup Halftime Show.

You don’t need to dig that deep into the social media or mainstream media world to find a legion of writers and fans bemoaning about how the CFL needs to find multiple ways to attract younger fans. Of course, one 3-5 song set at the half by Cara won’t transform the average demographic of a CFL game to resemble the sort of crowd that watches the X-Games, but it certainly is a step in the right direction.

» RELATED: Alessia Cara to perform Freedom Mobile Grey Cup Halftime Show

Now, for all you fans that hate this pick, I’m not going to get up on my high horse and condemn you for how you feel. But I will say this: You actually don’t really care that Cara is singing. You think you do, but halftime acts, just like new uniforms, new mascots (Gritty notwithstanding), and about 90 per cent of what people complain about on Twitter is just white noise that causes fleeting moments of outrage and then you just move on (Hey, did you see that Johnny Manziel gave his money sign celebration after throwing his first touchdown pass!?! How disrespectful for a guy who has yet win a game in this league! See, you don’t even remember who the halftime act is anymore).

If you’re upset about the Alessia Cara choice, my solution for you is at the half, if you’re not going to give it a chance, just YouTube the 2010 show with Bachman-Turner Overdrive, enjoy ‘Takin’ Care of Business’, and let Alessia take care of her business.

Speaking of Grey Cup halftime shows and YouTube, this column is really less about defending Cara (some of her videos have around 150 million hits; this decision feels like a no-brainer) and more about looking back at some of the greatest/strangest/worst halftime shows over the past 25 years or so. So please, kick back, open up your favourite glass of whatever, and enjoy this trip down musical memory lane. I have included as many links as I could find so I encourage you all to go down your own rabbit holes.

1991: Luba!

Wait, you mean you don’t remember this three-time Juno Award winner for Female Vocalist of the Year? (She won it in three consecutive years from 1985-87). Luba was the first pop singer to perform at the Grey Cup and her performance was a part of some sort of warm-up act for the 1992 Winter Olympics. If you listen above not only will you hear her sing but you’ll get a glimpse of famed two-man luger Bob Gasper!

1992: Celine Dion

Damn, I couldn’t find any links of her singing. This was a big get considering she makes around $500,000 a show for her residency in Las Vegas.

2004: The Tragically Hip

I’ll never get tired to watching Gord Downie sing ‘Courage’ (just over the 4:00 mark). Wait, I’m not crying! You are. I have no problem with the choreographed dancers you see surrounding bands at so many halftime acts, but I have to admit I kinda like seeing real fans and people rocking out. Check out the cheerleaders at around the 4:25 mark. Not only are they NOT doing any sort of pre-planned, well-practised dance routine, they’re just plain rocking out to the sound of the Hip. Good times.

2005: The Black Eyed Peas

Man, nothing says good ol’ Canadiana Grey Cup moment quite like Fergie singing ‘My Humps’. Hey, I started this column by embracing going with younger acts but wow, the 6:45 mark of this clip is a great defence for the more conservative music/football fan who just wants to hear Stompin’ Tom Connors at a Canadian sporting event.

2009: Blue Rodeo

Damn! I’m not the biggest Blue Rodeo fan in the world but they nailed ‘Lost Together’ at around the 4:50 mark. Again, loved watching the band surrounded by real fans from the game, in this case the majority being Saskatchewan Roughrider fans.

2011: Nickelback

Nope, too easy/predictable for my snark. If you like them, well I’m glad their music makes you happy. Far too much negativity in the world. Moving on…

2012: Gordon Lightfoot, Carly Rae Jepsen and Justin Bieber!

I could not find one single clip with the entire show but trust me, it’s easy to find any of the individual acts online.

I was “covering” this game live for TSN 1050 so I was on the field with Dave Naylor watching Justin Bieber. Midway through Bieber’s performance I looked at Naylor and said “I don’t get it.” I was born in 1975, what else do you really expect?

I’m totally comfortable with the fact that this particular show wasn’t meant for me. The contrast of artists was jarring as the night went from “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” by Gordon Lightfoot to “Call Me Maybe” (Carly Rae Jepsen) to “Boyfriend” (Justin Bieber). This was a musical all-you-can-eat buffet where none of the food made any sense when they were on the plate together.