Who knew a group of people could transform themselves into an army of Greek troops five minutes after a lead-changing touchdown?
The halftime show – aside from the two rival teams, the chicken wing dip, and the commercials – is the most anticipated part of the game. However, more often than not, the halftime show is usually a disappointment, and there is seemingly no way to fix the outbreak of bad intermission performances.
In general, the halftime show is unrepresentative of actual artistic talent. Rather, the show serves as a nostalgic look at the bygone talent and popularity of the performing artist or artists.
Madonna's performance was no exception.
Even though the show was high-energy, and arguably one of the most entertaining in a few years, the theatrics and over-the-top transitions were a bit on the tacky side.
The medley of popular hits commenced with Madonna's dramatic entrance onto the stage heralded by the entrance of the Greek hoplites. This merged into one of her most famous hits "Vogue," and flashed an entire stage production of the celebrities mentioned in her song. Photos of James Dean and Betty Davis sparkedthe crowd, as Madonna's backup dancers adorned the stage.
The whole presentation was flashy technological displays, completely detracting from Madonna's actual performance. Although people may enjoy these distractions, the focus should be on the artist and the raw talent.
Lately, the halftime shows have featured talent from the days of yester-year, including Prince, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, which could have been good displays of talent, but the medleys of their songs aren't a display of their shows. They are a shortened version of what could be good, but without enough time to display their worth.
Throughout recent years of Super Bowl halftime shows, the "lucky" audience has experienced shows with different genres of music. From rock to pop, no genre or performer seems to win over the audience. Take The Black Eyed Peas performance from last year, for example. All the gimmicks and theatrics in the world couldn't make Fergie sing well.
However, credit does need to be given to the producers of these shows. It is difficult to please everyone in the audience, especially without Janet Jackson-esque accidents.
The addition of rap superstar Nicki Minaj and English singer M.I.A. in Madonna's new song "Gimme All Your Luvin" with a posse of cheerleaders in the background gives Madonna the "fountain of youth" elixir that she needs to keep her career going, and to continue living vicariously through Lady Gaga.
The highlight of the performance was the entrance of a marching band led by conductor Cee Lo Green, with a lead in to "Like a Prayer" featuring an entire gospel choir.
However, the performers on stage were geared to all ages. Madonna reached out to the big-haired, retro '80s rockers, while Nicki Minaj and LMFAO had the youth on their side – a strategic move that the previous years' performances lacked.
The lip-syncing is also not a lot to look forward to. It's basically saying, "Here, we're completely lying to you and you all know it, we're not fooling you, but we're going to keep propagating this illusion anyways." Singing and showmanship has been what made Madonna's career in the first place, so lip-syncing should not be expected.
In general, the halftime show is probably the time where you should go eat your wing dip and collect your earnings from Super Bowl squares, not watch the second-rate displays of talent.
Email: vilona.trachtenberg@ubspectrum.com
