My friends and I are continuously outraged at the debacle that is the annual Superbowl halftime performance. Nothing turns me away from the TV faster. As I review the history of these performances I see two that were enjoyable, U2 and Prince. Apologies to those who enjoyed Bruce Springstein, but I have never been a fan. No apologies to those who enjoyed The Who, because I like Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, two acts that Roger Daltry actively tried to sabbotage. The rest have been simply awful and unwatchable and I don't know how the NFL, with its near unlimited resources can routinely do such a terrible job with this. Next Superbowl is of course no exception with the recent announcement that the awful Madonna will be performing. Which brings me to another rant-worthy issue: Hey NFL, mix in an American every now and then! Since 2000, 7 of 13 headliners were non-American, or as I call them irrelevant to Football. This includes Shania Twain (Canada) and Madonna (Malawi, British, anything but USA).
HISTORY
Superbowl halftime performances really changed starting in the late-80s, when real musicians started headlining. Before that they were marching bands or "Up With People," whatever the hell that is (I'm glad I don't remember that because it sounds like they may be affiliated with "Hands Across America" or "Wham"). The shows really took on their modern flavor in the early 90s. The theme has mostly been trying to appear cool and relevant, while at the same time not excluding the mostly elder fan base who can actually afford to see the performance live, at the stadium. In order to bridge this gap between timelessness and modern relevance they have either (A) brought in popular acts who are somewhat past their prime (see The Who, Bruce Springstein, U2), or (B) brought in numerous performers to support the headliner (see Black Eyed Peas with Slash, or Phil Collins with Christina Aguilerra). So rather than try to re-engineer the NFL's template let's just stay with that formula and demonstrate, with relative ease, how easy it is to do better than Madonna.
The Eagles
Run DMC
Pat Benatar
Beastie Boys
Metallica
Bon Jovi
ABBA
Blondie
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Peral Jam
Fleetwood Mac
Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, George Strait, Lyle Lovett, Dwight Yoakum, or any number of outstanding Country & Western singers who have been ignored (Shania Twain does not count)
George Thorougood
38 Special
Bob Seger
Kool and the Gang
Harry Connick Jr (only if played at the N.O. Superdome)
Toby Keith with Taylor Swift, with an obligatory duet by Tim Mcgraw and Faith Hill
Point is, this ain't rocket science. Right there are more than a dozen that I came up with from the top of my head. Any of these individually would be superior to Madonna. Any combination of these acts would be a more compelling show. And this coming from someone with zero interest or experience in the entertainment industry.
The only explanation for the NFL screwing this up, routinely, is that they simply do not think anyone is watching.
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