How Bad/Good was the Music at the Super Bowl?
 

Between the flubbing of the National Anthem and the horrible performance of the BEP's was this the worst Super Bowl for music?

Lea Michelle was pretty karaoke as well.

Thoughts?

Fixed that for you :)

Black Eyed Peas were horrible, it would have been acceptable had Fergie not molested Slash and ruined that song.

Christina messed up the national anthem.

And Lea was good, but I didn't like the arrangement of the song.

Live-in's comment during the halftime show was that we'd need a nip slip to make it interesting.

I never thought the Black Eyed Peas would be so boring.

I'm surprised that Christina was allowed to sing live. They usually pre-record the anthem.

I thought that the BEP performance was OK until Fergie decided to step outside of her range. She is not a belter, so I don't know why she kept trying to do it.

My thoughts, for what they're worth:

I didn't listen to Cristina Aguilera sing the National Anthem. I knew beforehand I would hate it. I can't remember the last time I heard the National Anthem sung or performed in what I would consider an appropriate way. I'm just too old-fashioned, I guess. News flash to the performer: Singing the National Anthem is not about you or about how "artistic" you can make your "performance." Give me a military band playing it any day.

I didn't hear Lea, either.

As for the BEPs, I had to leave the room. Literally. (I would have turned it off, but 10-year-old daughter wanted to see it.) The part I saw was awful, simply awful. Aside from the performance (and disclaimer: I find the BEPs very boring at best), they couldn't get the sound right. But then again, Super Bowl half-time shows typically baffle me. I really can't fathom why they bother.

Sometimes, I think I'm the only person in America who turns on the Super Bowl to watch the actual game, who frequently ignores the commercials, and who turns off the TV (or changes channels or leaves the room) during half-time.

Nope...but I do like some of the commercials, hates the 1/2 time show, and thought that Pittsburgh played one of the worst games they could play against a team they should have beaten. At least they made it a game.

I can only comment on halftime but I thought it was the best one in a while other than Fergie sounding like Kim from RHOA at times. I was glad that they somewhat catered to a younger fan base this year. Favorite part had to be when Slash came out.

I didn't think it was too bad. There was a crowd in the room so I couldn't really hear much of it, but they seemed to have sound and other technical problems.

Seems like the Super Bowl holds up a fistful of money and says, "OK, we're offering the chance to perform in the worst sound, lighting and audiences circumstances you will ever encounter, and we expect you to do a fantastic job." It's just impossible.
I did enjoy the dancers' costume lighting effects.

Did anyone hear about the seating fiasco where 800+ people didn't get their seats?

For me it would be Whitney Houston in Super Bowl XXV.

I thought the show was ok. They had serious sound issues, and the BEP probably aren't the best band to have live considering their reliance on electronic effects. I did think it was cool they were going back to the old style to where it was more then just one band doing a set of their best known songs.

amen Kevlar and I don't like Whitney but yeah....that is still the best.

I agree - Whitney set the bar pretty damn high.

Jennifer Hudson came pretty close, though.

The BEP were horrible. They are NOT a live band. For me, the best halftime show in recent memory was Prince. My Gawd, that was an awesome show!

CA singing the Anthem was a FAIL from the beginning. Lea Michele should have done the Athem as well, I thought she was decent. Hell, a Glee halftime show would have been better.

Slash and the lightup costumes were the best part of the halftime show. I was excited when Usher showed up, but then he didn't actually DO anything besides dance a bit and say 4 words.

Usher is a tiny li'l dude. If Prince ever has a garage sale Usher can wear his stuff.

Slash was definitely the highlight. The BEP weren't great, but I am glad they stopped the classic rock trend.

Thanks, I went back and fixed it too.

The glow in the dark people were the only good thing about that mess that the BEP's called a performance. I do sound for a church and I believe I could do better in that regard. What a trainwreck. I feel sorry for them because they are fairly good entertainers but were the wrong group at the wrong place. Kind of like Sha-Na-Na at Woodstock. Can only say, WTF were they thinking?

I can't recall ever being really impressed by Super Bowl music and so I guess I didn't think of this year as exceptionally bad.

Christina did look like a complete mess, though...that part was exceptionally bad.

Sorry. Hate it. Hate it. It's about Whitney and what a good singer she is. Just hate it. :o

I guess I really don't like soloists -- especially pop stars -- singing it to begin with. I'd rather have a choir or a band. This is more my style. Or this.

In a word, *yawn*

Being both ancient and traditional, I'd rather hear the National Anthem sung by a military performer, or someone like the NYC policeman after 9/11. I also feel that it's only respectful to put your hand over your heart or at least not fidgeting.

And silly me! I thought that, when it was announced that the Declaration of Independence was going to be recited, that the Declaration was actually going to be read without editorialization! After reading it aloud every Fourth of July, I knew that some would think it boring, or that only a portion would be read. I never dreamed that a portion would be read, and then other thoughts would be inserted! I don't care whose thoughts were used, there are certainly many people who think that they actually heard the real Declaration.

I guess I don't get why they recited it anyway - what was the point? Football is nowhere near as noble as the Revolutionary War.

I guess I missed the Declaration being read. Was this before everything, or was it mixed in with the anthem, etc?

lol! But Usher is still yummy.

Usher is fugly. Very fugly. Hmm, I don't know who fits the fubar description more, Usher or Matt Damon.

I'm with you on this one. Give me technique, not belted, not flat, no vocalizations. Give me crisp diction and give the piece the honor it is due. Pop stars should stick to their domain and let classically trained singers do the rest. Just my two cents.

The sound wasn't great but I LOVED the dancers in their white light up suits. It looked awesome.

Now here's a novel concept... how about the people at the game singing the National Anthem. Remember when we used to do that??? EVERYBODY used to sing.

^^ I think people do still sing along. Every game I've been to has some people sing along.

the sound was horrible, 400+ people didn't get seats, Jerry charged people 200 bucks to stand outside the stadium plus 1000 bucks to park...what else could happen last night that Jerry Jones could possibly overcharge for?

Indeed! The best rendition of the national anthem I've heard was from a boys' choir at a baseball game a couple of years back. There was harmony, tempo, and no freaking "how hold can we hold the note on 'freeeeeeeeeeeeeee'".

Everyone would sing? Before my time... Now, some people don't even bother to stand. :rolleyes:

I thought the cast of Glee did well with the National Anthem at the World Series.

Jordin Sparks did a pretty version a few years ago, too.

That's what they do here! The athletes and people in the stadium (and at home!) all sing the national anthem. Love that!

a contrarian view
 

I guess I've got a contrarian view when it comes to professionals singing the anthem. I just watched Christina Aguillera's (sp) performance last night (DVR'd the game) and, flubbed words notwithstanding, think she did well. He voice is soulful and compelling. Mix in a teleprompter next time, and she's good to go in my book.

To the bigger issue, however, if the country is an alleged "melting pot," then isn't it everybody's anthem? I think the performance inflections of professionals from different cultural backgrounds, give meaning to the supposed diversity of the country. My favorite renditions were probably Whitney Houston's Super Bowl performance in 1991, Marvin Gaye's rendition at the '82 NBA all star game, and Jennifer Hudson (don't remember the event).

Converserly, while I may not care for how a country-western star might sing it, I can at least appreciate that it's a style that may bring enjoyment for others; diversity writ large, in a way.

I just never buy the argument that there is supposedly only one preferred way to sing the song. Because if there is, who gets to decide whose way that is?

You know, I remember making exactly that same argument to my father when I was college-aged. Now here I am, sounding just like my father. :o

Duh. I do. :p

Seriously, I can agree with this, up to a point at least. Much as my own sensibilities would be spared offense, I think it would be wrong to insist on a particular preferred way of performing the song, and I can appreciate the diversity that is represented in different styles, even if I don't appreciate the performance itself. But that doesn't mean I can't have my preferences, my likes and dislikes.

You GOT THAT RIGHT.

Modern groups are horrible in general. So overproduced that very few can perform live. Even with autotune, BEP sucks.

"Blonde Snooki" sucked the big one and was horrible as she tried to sing about 20 octaves in one shot.
That is all.

The End.