Not that I had much hope for this year’s halftime show anyway, but Prince was a real let down. Did he forget his own shit? Or was it just too lame for a Super Bowl?
You’re probably looking for Cafe Society?
it was so appropo for Miami though, it was raining too, I liked it 
And uh interesting curves to that guitar, and in shadow behind the sheet, so Prince.
CoG888, did you see the same show I saw? I thought he killed that show. He comes out in the pouring rain and gale force winds, and just blows the shit out of the stadium. Let me assure you, there is no song in modern rock and roll, hip hop, and pop that Prince can’t cover if he wants to. It’s not a mark against him that he mixed it up a little with some other songs other than his own, and it’s not like he doesn’t have any of his own to choose from - he has a discography of what, 35 albums at this point?
And his own shit isn’t lame, either. Tell me something - do you know much of Prince’s music, or are you one of his critics who aren’t familiar with any of his music other than “1999” and “Purple Rain?” If you know all of his stuff and still don’t like him, fair enough. If you have only a passing knowledge of the breadth and depth of his recording history, well, your ignorance is showing.
Off to Cafe Society.
It’s cool when Prince does covers because he doesn’t need to do covers. He could have played his own better-known songs instead of those two and he chose not to.
At least he didn’t play “Hey Jude” again.
My question: What exact demographic were they trying to appeal to, having Prince play the superbowl? In addition, since he’s back to using the name Prince (no more TAFKAP), why does he still use the symbol? Just thinks it looks cool?
I personally would rather have seen the Foo Fighters themselves, rather than that cover he mixed in with all the others - most of the people I saw the game with agreed.
I want to note that I have plenty of respect for Prince, I just don’t particularly like his music. And yes, I’ve heard much more than the popular singles.
I thought it was pretty ho-hum.
He does a killer solo, too…without his hands on the guitar.
I’m just sayin’…
You realize that he was hitting the strings to get a sustained tone and removing that hand then playing the actual notes on the fretboard with the other, right? Or have you never seen someone play an electric guitar?
Demographically speaking, I’d say a good chunk of Prince’s audience is late 30s- early 40s who grew up on his music (i.e. me).
I think him doing “Best Of You” was a nice little nod to the fact that Foo Fighters covered “Darlin’ Nikki.”
I thought it was a good performance. Prince really is a talented musician. I mean he’s amazing at guitar and every other instrument he plays. On my Victor Wooten dvd, Wooten compliments his bass lines and says that Prince was a personal influence, coming from someone as talented as Victor Wooten that really means a lot.
So, does anyone think we’ll get Lionel Richie next year?
Exactly. I’m glad I’m not the only one who caught that.
Prince was effing amazing. Great show. One of the best half-time shows ever, and I’m not even a hard-core Prince fan. I’d put it a close second to U2’s show a couple of years back. I’m from the Twin Cities, and saw him play at First Avenue downtown before he was famous, and you could tell even then that he was an amazing talent. And I saw him on tour after Purple Rain came out, and holy cow, it was the best concert I’ve ever been to. The encore was a 35-minute medly that just kicked so much ass.
But yeah truth be told - it’d be cool to have the Foo Fighters next year. Saw ‘em last summer with Tom Petty, and they friggen’ rocked.
If we get Lionel Richie I might just shoot myself.
He used the symbol instead of his name during a contract dispute with Warner Brothers Records (they had obtained a trademark on his name, and he felt they were trying to use that to control the artistic content of his music). This dispute lasted from 1994-2000 – he’s been back to using his given name for about 7 years now. If you just heard about it, maybe haven’t been paying attention.
The guitar in the shape of the symbol was custom made for him, to his specs. Presumably it’s just the way he likes it, so he wants to keep using it. (Musicians, from symphony pianists to violinists to rock guitarists, are widely known to be very picky about the instruments they use.) Besides, he spent a lot of money on it, why shouldn’t he keep using it and get his moneys worth out of it?
t-bonham:
I’m quite aware of the issues with the contract dispute, him changing his name to the symbol, and the fact that he’s now changed it back. My question, if you read closely, was since his name is no longer TAFKAP, why does he still use the symbol? Did it pre-date the name change?
And of course the guitar was custom made. And since he’s still using the symbol to represent himself, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t still use the guitar… but why is he still using the symbol?
You fucking kidding me?!?!?
That was “guitar sync”?
Cite?
I mean, I’m no Prince fan, though my wife is, but he’s a FUCKING EXCELLENT guitar player, and I’m speaking as a guitar player.
If he synced that and I could prove it, I’d get probably at least two blowjobs out of the deal…
IMHO: best halftime show EVARRRR!!!11111111111111eleven
The halftime show was pretty cool. Whoever decided to cut to the stadium shots that showed the lightning in the background when the stadium lights went off was a genius. That was one of the most incredible shots I have ever seen.
And don’t forget a fantastic singer. Everyone knows about Mariah Carey’s dolphin-friendly vocal range, but how big do you think Prince’s range is? He sings everywhere from way down low to way, way up high. He would be a musical genius with just the guitar, singing, or songwriting alone, but he excels at all three (not counting all the other instruments he plays). Nobody has to like him, but in my opinion, he’s a musical force of nature.
Frosted Glass, was that real lightning? I thought it was a television special effect.
In the Prince biography “Possessed” they give the whole symbol story:
–It was originally used in 1992 as an album title
–Prince announced the next year he was changing his name to the symbol (which he never actually followed through with legally). He never explained why, but the most common theory is that any contracts he signed as “Prince” (such as his record deal) would no longer be valid.
–He said in 2000 he would return to using “Prince” as his name.
I hope it was real, but it looked too generic for me to believe it was. If it was real, someone deserves a raise for that cut.