# Madonna is Ageless - S.B. Halftime Show
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [February 6, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978 "2012-02-06T14:21:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/1 "2012-02-06T14:21:54Z")
recap of her performance and a 720p video at the end.
> **[Did Madonna put on the greatest show on Earth? Singer suffers only a small...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2097020/Madonna-Super-Bowl-halftime-2012-Singer-suffers-small-slip-up.html)**
>
> She said she had to put on 'the greatest show on earth, during the greatest show on earth' and Madonna certainly didn't disappoint. The singer put on an impressive show during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl XLVI football game between the New...
I haven’t seen this level of creativity from Madonna in awhile. Last night was musical theater performance at its best. The choreography with that many dancers must have taken months to rehearse.
Is this woman ageless or what? She’s still got a great voice. Her duet with Cee Lo was really good. _Like a Prayer_ has always been one of my favorites.
I’m so glad Madonna did so well. GaGa better watch out because the original Material Girl still got game. 😉
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/2 "2012-02-06T14:44:05Z")
Madonna’s newest release _Give Me All Your Luvin_. Very good IMHO
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cItHOl5LRWg)
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/3 "2012-02-06T14:52:37Z")
Up front: I’ve never been a Madonna fan. Even when she was in her prime, her music did nothing for me. I understand, she was HUGELY popular, so she didn’t need a thumbs-up from me.
So, you can take my opinion with a ton of salt.
What did I think of her performance? I’ll try to judge Madonna on HER terms, not mine. I never thought she was much of a singer, but obviously, millions of people have disgreeed with me over the past 30 years.
I think her voice was ragged. I’m not comparing her to other singers I prefer, I comparing her to her younger self. She didn’t sing all that well.
She also had some sloppy choreography, and looked at least twice like she was going to fall.
That said, the woman knows how to put on a big show. The effects and the big disappearing act were fun. If she’s planning a big tour this year, she probably earned a lot of buzz, and sold a lot of advance tickets.
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### Author:  [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/4 "2012-02-06T15:02:14Z")
I was underwhelmed myself, but I too was never a big fan to start with. Her dancing was terrible. I know she was super nervous, or so she said, but she looked like she was going to fall the whole time and even did trip up at least once.
She looks great for her age though.
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### Author:  [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/5 "2012-02-06T15:02:38Z")
Madonna’s voice is to me more or less irrelevant. I never listened to her songs for the thrill of a pure, clear, golden tone projected to the very back row of a stadium. Her voice is neither good nor bad.
There is no one like Madonna. (well, there are now - imitations). I thought she looked FABULOUS, and just beautiful. She did not actually fall down on stage. I loved her costume, I loved her songs, and I’m shocked it was over so soon. Is that normal, a short halftime show? (can’t remember from past years, but I do believe Paul McCartney and Tom Petty droned on for a longer time?)
I will say, I was puzzled by the frizz haired guy in a toga. I know he was demonstrating some new ‘sport’, but why he was in the halftime show with Madonna is beyond me. And all I’ve heard and read so far this morning about the halftime show is some pig onstage flipping the bird.
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### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/6 "2012-02-06T15:08:43Z")
> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> The choreography with that many dancers must have taken months to rehearse.
Madonna got to Indy about Tuesday last week, so change “months” to “about 4 days”. I doubt she flew the Indianapolis volunteer backup dancers out to wherever she lives these days to rehearse with her.
It was a decent halftime show (certainly better than the Black Eyed Peas last year), but there wasn’t anything special about it. Her lipsyncing wasn’t terribly off, and she didn’t fall off the stage - that adds up to a success these days.
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### Author:  [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/7 "2012-02-06T16:24:03Z")
I thought it was boring as hell. I was actually wondering if she was having a physical/medical issue, since her moving and dancing was so stiff and uninspired. The drumline was the best part.
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### Author:  [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/8 "2012-02-06T16:27:56Z")
> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> recap of her performance and a 720p video at the end.
> [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2097020/Madonna-Super-Bowl-halftime-2012-Singer-suffers-small-slip-up.html](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2097020/Madonna-Super-Bowl-halftime-2012-Singer-suffers-small-slip-up.html)
>
> I haven’t seen this level of creativity from Madonna in awhile. Last night was musical theater performance at its best. The choreography with that many dancers must have taken months to rehearse.
>
> Is this woman ageless or what? She’s still got a great voice. Her duet with Cee Lo was really good. _Like a Prayer_ has always been one of my favorites.
>
> I’m so glad Madonna did so well. GaGa better watch out because the original Material Girl still got game. 😉
We must have been watching different broadcasts. First off, the song medley was lip-synched. Second, her choreography was not only hampered by her increased age, but also by the stiletto heels - there was almost no foot movement, and the ‘highlight’ was an ‘aided’ cartwheel/somersault. Finally, the inclusion of other singers (Cee Lo, Mia) shows that she does not have the fan base or name recognition to carry even a 15-minute spot.
By far the lamest Super Bowl Half Time show I can recall…
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### Author:  [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/9 "2012-02-06T16:28:38Z")
> [@salinqmind](#):
>
> I will say, I was puzzled by the frizz haired guy in a toga. I know he was demonstrating some new ‘sport’, but why he was in the halftime show with Madonna is beyond me.
Can’t answer the why part, but it’s called [slacklining](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slacklining), and it’s incredible difficult to do well. I’ve got some friends who do it, and I was pretty impressed by the guy.
I thought it was one of the better halftime shows in quite some time. Say what you will about Madonna as a singer - she can bring the spectacle like nobody’s business. And that was quite a spectacle.
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/10 "2012-02-06T16:31:00Z")
> [@Munch](#):
>
> Madonna got to Indy about Tuesday last week, so change “months” to “about 4 days”. I doubt she flew the Indianapolis volunteer backup dancers out to wherever she lives these days to rehearse with her.
There’s absolutely no reason they’d have to come out and rehearse with her, though. A lot of rehearsing is done without the main people being present. All you need is the same person training both, and a few days worth of rehearsals to make sure it all fits together.
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### Author:  [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/11 "2012-02-06T16:34:38Z")
> [@Kolga](#):
>
> Can’t answer the why part, but it’s called [slacklining](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slacklining), and it’s incredible difficult to do well. I’ve got some friends who do it, and I was pretty impressed by the guy.
>
> I thought it was one of the better halftime shows in quite some time. Say what you will about Madonna as a singer - she can bring the spectacle like nobody’s business. And that was quite a spectacle.
I thought that was the best part of the show. That routine would be hard enough in a padded gym, he pulled it off live in front of millions and stuck the landing.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/12 "2012-02-06T16:35:51Z")
I agree those dancers must have spent a lot of time rehearsing. Its tough choreographing that many people in one dance. They probably had a stand in doing Madonna’s part step for step like she’d do it.
Then she came last week and only had to learn her steps. She really needed a couple more days rehearsal. That one misstep (stepping up on that step) wouldn’t have happened and she would have looked more confidant on stage. Madonna’s always been a great dancer.
Michael Jackson and Madonna were the two great dancer singers from my generation.
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### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/13 "2012-02-06T16:37:24Z")
I thought the staging was impressive, but the music was blah. _Vogue_ doesn’t stand the test of time, and her new stuff was very superficial. Madonna’s best days are behind her.
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/14 "2012-02-06T16:42:50Z")
She looked and moved like a 50-year-old woman who’s in good shape. Let’s not start another “this celebirity never gets older!” thing, alright? Let’s let that die with Dick Clark, who looked good for his age before the stroke but wasn’t ageless either.
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### Author:  [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/15 "2012-02-06T16:44:52Z")
> [@phungi](#):
>
> By far the lamest Super Bowl Half Time show I can recall…
This year was watchable and didn’t involve somebody that looked like they escaped from a retirement community.
Since the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction:
Paul McCartney. Definitely family friendly. Otherwise, not all that exciting. Looks like he shouldn’t be doing too many tours.
The Rolling Stones. Geriatric. Not a bad show but they should have been put out to pasture decades ago.
Prince. Entertaining but not on par with this year’s show.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Decent set, but there were some weird audio issues. Otherwise, nothing new or surprising. Still working the family-friendly post-Janet Jackson thing.
Bruce Springsteen. Good show. Who’s going to complain about the Boss?
The Who. Kind of painful to watch this one. They sounded and looked like old men trying not to screw up too badly.
The Black Eyed Peas. Amateurish sound production (though not their fault). The auto-tuner was also acting up. Slash, while a good guitarist, looks like he’s seen 1000 better days.
So, you haven’t seen many Super Bowl half times lately or your estimation of “lame” comes via rose-colored glasses.
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### Author:  [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/16 "2012-02-06T16:59:02Z")
“Like a Prayer” =/= World Peace
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### Author:  [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/17 "2012-02-06T17:00:43Z")
She could have improved the dancing if she weren’t wearing stilettos on what appeared to be variable height surfaces. I looked at the photos and I couldn’t even see a platform (it may have been cleverly hidden in the shoe design) which means her foot was arched at a pretty severe angle, which is pretty painful while dancing, not to mention when you are 50 with decades of wearing heels behind you. I’m more than 20 years younger than her and regularly wear 5 inch stiletto heels (my beloved louboutins!) and am damn impressed with what she managed to accomplish in those shoes without falling flat on her face. I could totally see her delicately handling the bleachers, though. Stairs are always a killer, I can’t even imagine having to trip up and down them at a certain speed.
New song is pretty good. I liked the spartan/egyptian outfit.
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### Author:  [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/18 "2012-02-06T17:02:16Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#):
>
> This year was watchable and didn’t involve somebody that looked like they escaped from a retirement community.
>
> Since the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction:
>
> Paul McCartney… The Rolling Stones… Prince… Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers… Bruce Springsteen… The Who… The Black Eyed Peas…
>
> So, you haven’t seen many Super Bowl half times lately or your estimation of “lame” comes via rose-colored glasses.
I saw all these, and recall that they all _sang_ rather than _lip-synched_… Thus, Madonna = lamest I have seen in quite a while…
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### Author:  [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/19 "2012-02-06T17:06:05Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#):
>
> I thought the staging was impressive, but the music was blah. _Vogue_ doesn’t stand the test of time, and her new stuff was very superficial. Madonna’s best days are behind her.
It doesn’t stand the test of time? I still like hearing “Vogue,” “Like a Prayer,” and even “Material Girl” when it’s on the radio. I don’t even consider my self a huge Madonna fan but she’s had several catchy songs that are still catchy today.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2012, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madonna-is-ageless-s-b-halftime-show/611978/20 "2012-02-06T17:07:56Z")
For any new fans wanting to dip into Madonna’s music. Start with _The Immaculate Collection_, that’s her early hits through 1992. Madonna GHV2 is her hits from the 90’s. I keep hoping for a complete box set release someday.
Madonna has always been a performer more than a singer. Her videos are all really good.
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