Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers took the heart-shaped stage during the halftime-show of Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Arizona and rocked the crowds Sunday night, steadily, professionally and calmly, like playing before a spilling 70,500-seat University of Phoenix Stadium is an everyday event.

Tom Petty, 57, started his musical career in 1976 and never stopped, gaining a reputation as one of America’s most reliable artists. The Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer followed in the footsteps of previous halftime performers Prince, U2, Paul McCartney and Prince, not to mention the notorious 2004 “wardrobe malfunction” moment from Janet Jackson.

No sort of malfunctions were left unforeseen this year, as The Associated Press notes that each moment of the 12-minute set Petty & the Heartbreakers - Mike Campbell on lead guitar and Benmont Tench on keyboards - , were scheduled to spend on stage had been previously thought out and planned, so as to prevent another crisis.

The crowds of people that gathered around the heart-shaped stage (complete with arrow shaped like a guitar going through it, to resemble the band’s logo) had been assembled long before Petty’s scheduled performance and the lights shining like pretty fire flies during “Free Fallin’” were actually tiny flashlights distributed by organizers beforehand, the AP reports.

Other than these preparations, which were to be expected anyway, Petty and his Heartbreakers were as unassuming and cohesive during their gig as possible. They regaled more than 140 million viewers with classics such as “American Girl,” “I Won't Back Down,” “Free Fallin'” and “Runnin' Down a Dream.”

They didn’t need to do more either, as their music did all the magic, literally.

Pre-game festivities were highlighted by Alicia Keys, who performed previous hits such as “Go Ahead,” “Fallin’” and “If I Ain't Got You” as well as “No One,” from her new album “As I Am.”

Jordin Sparks, the 2007 winner of the “American Idol” talent-show TV series, a Glendale native and daughter of former New York Giants cornerback Phillippi Sparks, sang the national anthem.

After such an auspicious appearance at the Super Bowl XLII, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will next embark on a summer tour of North America.