Photo by: Clarion
Packers won the Super Bowl. Ok, awesome. But here’s what you really missed: Lea Michele began the night’s entertainment by belting “America the Beautiful.” Then she tweeted about it, a big deal in the Twitterverse: “OMG THAT WAS AN OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE!!!!! SO AMAZING!!! WHAT AN HONOR AND A JOY!!!”
Thank you, Lea, for commenting on the amazingness of performing at the Super Bowl. If only Xtina Aguilera, who sang the National Anthem, or the Black Eyed Peas, the halftime entertainment, could do the same. Their performances were below par – like worse-than-the-Who-last-year below par.
This year’s Super Bowl was the first to break an annual tradition of classic rock performances from classic rockers. Call it hip-pop for the Facebook generation. Then call me greedy for wanting something more from the Black Eyed Peas to spice up the performance and hold my attention. Is it too much to ask for Fergie to offer up Nipplegate, part deux?
A sea of dancers dressed in white space suits may be fancy, but it’s not enough to carry a halftime show. Then again, as was the case with The Who last year, you also need more than just catchy songs. And, frankly, “Boom Boom Pow” doesn’t cut it – it’s so 2000 and late. Instead, try Prince performing “Purple Rain” actually in the rain. That, my friends, is the Super Bowl magic that the Black Eyed Peas should aspire to.
Thing is, the Peas aren’t a stadium act, let alone a Super Bowl one. If you were to check the list of Super Bowl halftime show performances page on Wikipedia, you’ll read names like Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers or Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Then you’ll see the Black Eyed Peas. A football field, unlike a radio, doesn’t have room for four performers who don’t play guitar – and when even one legendary guitar player shows up, he’s overshadowed by a voice even more fergalicious than Axl Rose’s.
Looking back on this year’s Super Bowl entertainment, we’re only going to remember one thing: a new Glee episode was on afterwards. And Glee, being the culture juggernaut that it is, did its own halftime show – combining “Thriller” and “Heads Will Roll” into the ultimate performance. I hope the Black Eyed Peas took note, because Lea Michele and the McKinley High School glee club schooled them.
