Prepare for Disappointment Courtesy of the Super Bowl Halftime Show

There are only few days I look forward to more in the calendar year than Super Bowl Sunday. Despite its signifying the end of football season, it is a joyous occasion filled with heartwarming player stories, classic footage, good food, great drink and best friends. This year the organizers of Super Bowl XLV decided to toss a wrench into our game plan by diminishing one of the crucial elements to a successful Championship Sunday – the all-important halftime show.

How did they ruin this highly anticipated event? By thinking it was a good idea to involve The Black Eyed Peas. Yes, many of you already know this, but someone at the NFL thought it would be appropriate to book the – and I use this liberally - artists who brought us the smash hit “Let’s Get It Started” for the most highly sought after slot on television.

Now don’t get me wrong, I dig The Village People just as much as any nostalgia loving American, but the Super Bowl halftime show is no place for a poor man’s version of the disco greats. This isn’t some roller rink in Norman, Oklahoma or halftime at a Utah Jazz game; it is the Super Bowl and it doesn’t get much bigger. Maybe the Super Bowl was due for a flop after years of flying high since the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction. We have been spoiled over the past few years with Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Prince, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and last year’s performers The Who. Maybe it was time for the Super Bowl organizers to realign the quality control bar, (read: lower).

Do I have the perfect solution to this? Not exactly, but there are a number of artists that were passed over for the four piece that includes Fergie, Taboo and a couple of dudes who inappropriately added punctuation to their names. Let’s first think about some living legends like Bob Dylan and Neil Young. Sure, they couldn’t carry the show on their own, but put them together and let them create something memorable. If you want big rock theatrics what about AC/DC or Van Halen? I’ve seen all four of those artists live the last few years and they still have it.

You could even go as far to say that in a year where Indie Rock owned a significant chunk of the charts that putting a medley together with artists like Arcade Fire, The Black Keys and Mumford & Sons. And if you want to get even crazier, put an artist like Phish on there for the hippies. Sure, these options may not speak to the older generation, but I guarantee my aunts and uncles would like them more than The Black Eyed Peas.

Let’s also not forget hip hop. If you are going to put cookie-cutter, arena anthem schlock’s out there for the world to see, why not put something real on the television. Who had a bigger year than Kanye West? Yes, it would be a stretch for right wing aligned Fox to agree to do anything with West, but let’s worry ratings and not your constituency. And why not throw in some Jay-Z as well. If anyone has earned a spot on the worlds biggest stage its Hova.

So there you have it; my rant on why I’ll be watching the Puppy Bowl, Lingerie Bowl or Couples Retreat on HBO during halftime of the Super Bowl. If I’m forced to watch The Black Eyed Peas please remember one thing – I’ll need to be very, very hammered. Try to enjoy the game even if Fox doesn’t want you to.

Contact Us