Super Bowl Halftime show was near perfect
By Dan Salem
The Super Bowl Halftime show was outstanding, with sexy sharks, a giant lion, and one fully digital stage. But was it perfect, and does it top “Nipple Gate?” Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.
TODD:
Now that all the on-field, game discussion has died down, it’s time to delve into the real excitement from Super Bowl Sunday.
The halftime show.
What an extravaganza!
I’m not normally one who’s fond of halftime theatrics. I usually find them to be pointless drivel. However, Super Bowl XLIX (49) was quite an exception. Katy Perry did the damn thing.
I did have a few issues with what went on, but let’s start with the positives. Walking out on some sort of gigantic lioness was badass. I don’t know any other way to describe it. I couldn’t tell what it was made of or how the people below were controlling it. The whole event was how the halftime show should be started.
The projections on the floor were also amazing throughout as the show swapped between locales and sets.
I also liked the finish, which had Perry floating away on a star surrounded by booming fireworks. It culminated the greatest spectacle I’ve seen in a while.
Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; A general view of recording artist Katy Perry performs during the half time show in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Of course, not everything was sunshine and daises, or in this case, stars and fireworks.
Could the Lenny Kravitz cameo have been more wasted? He sang one half of one chorus and that was it! It almost seemed like he was only forced into action to make Katy’s song not seem like it was about two women kissing.
The Missy Elliott sighting had better execution, but it sounded worse. I know the acoustics for giant shows like this always sound poor on television, but it seemed especially true for Elliott’s turn.
Then there were the dancing sharks and beach balls, which, I mean…we can’t all be winners.
DAN:
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I’m not ashamed to admit, I was glued to the Super Bowl halftime show. It was an over the top, trippy thrill ride that finally kicked things into the digital age we all know and love. I have one MAJOR complaint with the show and several issues with your complaints.
First, my issue. That was the television coverage of Missy Elliott’s performance with Katy Perry. The floor projections were amazing, for the VERY brief time they showed them on television. What the hell? You roll out a fully digital stage, with each piece being an individual screen, then choreograph the video show that fills the entire football field to the music, yet only show it for the first ten seconds. I for one had zero interest in seeing Missy Elliott up close for more than an instant, but was waiting for them to go back to the wide shot of the entire video board.
At the very least, NBC needed to provide and advertise an online broadcast of the wide shot of the show. I wanted to see how the entire football field, turned interactive video board, transformed to the music. I wanted to watch the hard work that was only teased to the television audience. I get it, being in the stadium offered this unique experience. Showing the actual artists is critical on TV. But how about some balance? You took something cool and then tucked it away in a corner.
Everything else about the Super Bowl halftime show was awesome. Don’t you dare talk down to those sharks! They were so silly and fun, singing along to the music and attempting to dance. The beach balls were creepy, at first frowning and then sort of smiling. But if that’s what it takes to get the cool sharks, I’m all in.
I loved the giant lion creation and loved the Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott cameos. A cameo should be short and sweet. Both were. Ultimately this halftime show was about Katy Perry and the digital age come to life. Throwing it back with the set design was a great touch. All in all an excellent halftime show and one of the few I’ll actually remember.
Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Recording artist Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz perform at halftime during Super Bowl XLIX between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
I’m not sure it is possible to top “Nipple Gate.” An uncensored breast on network television is once in a lifetime. But this Super Bowl spectacular will be remembered for a giant lion and the “More you Know” star. It set the bar high and I like it.