# Super Bowl Halftime Show **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 8, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090 "2010-02-08T01:16:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/41 "2010-02-08T05:20:19Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > _raises hand_ > > Inactive pilot, who’s favourite airplane is the Spitfire; who remembers the roundel T-shirts from the '80s and that The Who used them in the '70s. I’ll let him know, **Johnny**. He’ll be happy, and just might stand you to a beer, should you find yourself in our neck of the woods. (And if he doesn’t, I will, for knowing that.) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/42 "2010-02-08T05:57:29Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Queens of the Stone Age > Kings of Leon > Muse > Chevelle > Manchester Orchestra > Switchfoot > Breaking Benjamin > Flyleaf > Atreyu > 30 Seconds to Mars > Cage the Elephant > Shinedown > Sick Puppies > > Are they all good? Eh, most are ok, relatively similar sounds in a lot of them, but they are real artists, playing real instruments, and don’t sound like they’re gargling rocks and look like they’re going to stroke off any minute. On this list, the only one I’ve ever heard of is Kings of Leon, and I’ve only heard the name, I don’t think I’ve heard their music. Sure bands _exist_, but if they aren’t well known to a wide range of demographics, they aren’t going to play at the Superbowl. They’re going to need some kind of name recognition and catalogue of recognizable songs. > [@](#): > > Hell, several bands from the 90’s are still making new music and touring. > Green Day > Weezer > Pearl Jam > Linkin Park > Alice in Chains > Foo Fighters > > Any of these bands would have been better than the shit we got tonight. Agreed on that, but even these bands are mostly past their sell-by date. I acn’t think of any bands that are current, well known and vital. The closest we have is bilge like the Jonas Brothers. Maybe there’s a country act that doesn’t blow ass. Or how about Kiss doing a full makeup show with all 4 original members? Or a GnR reunion? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/43 "2010-02-08T06:13:12Z")
Barenaked Ladies, or is the name too reminiscent of the wardrobe malfunction? And now that I think about it, there really ought to be a band called Wardrobe Malfunction. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/44 "2010-02-08T06:16:50Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I think the reason they have to keep booking fossils is because there is a dearth of younger acts who are actually real musicians anymore. The most popular acts are lip synching dancers who can’t play instruments. There aren’t very many real _bands_ anymore. The music is all canned these days. Don’t really see why that’s a problem. Even for good musicians the Superbowl halftime shows seem to be at least partially pre-recorded anyways. Honestly, lip-syncing dancers kinda seem to be a better fit for this sort of thing then the current set of aging classic rockers. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/45 "2010-02-08T06:25:06Z")
Great art design. The set and lights were wonderful, one of the best technical shows I’ve seen at the Superbowl. The Who were… OK. The vocals were weak, and I don’t know the guitar well enough to really comment. The music (minus vocals) sounded good to me though, and the song choices were good. God, they’re old. They haven’t aged as gracefully as the Rolling Stones. Maybe they’ll book Bob Dylan next year. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/46 "2010-02-08T06:32:13Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > One of the folks with us was British, and he remarked that he wondered how many Americans would recognize there were RAF roundels on the cymbals. (They’re not just WWII roundels; the RAF still uses them today, though muted and not in such vivid colours, like other nations have muted their symbols and colours.) Hasn’t the RAF roundel been a symbol of The Who, like, forever? I’d suspect any American Who fan would recognize them. I’m only 30 and a fan only in a “these guys are historically important to rock music” sense, and I recognized it straight off. And thought it was a totally awesome way to decorate cymbals for a Who show! Your friend should check out [this article from 2007](http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/ready_aim_appropriate.php) that talks about how BBC America started using the roundel in its logo, and how it was wicked awesome. Sadly, I don’t get BBCA so I am not sure how long it lasted or if it was even really used, but your friend might be proud to know that the BBC tried to school America on the roundel for a little bit 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/47 "2010-02-08T06:48:27Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Btw, how did Carrie Underwood do on the _Star Spangled Banner_? I was in the bathroom and thought I heard suckage at the end. I thought she did fine, but yeah, that last note…I don’t know what happened, but she missed, right at the end. And KEPT missing; she didn’t adjust to the correct note. Otherwise it was great! ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/48 "2010-02-08T07:25:13Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > I thought she did fine, but yeah, that last note…I don’t know what happened, but she missed, right at the end. And KEPT missing; she didn’t adjust to the correct note. Otherwise it was great! Exactly! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/49 "2010-02-08T07:54:17Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > I thought she did fine, but yeah, that last note…I don’t know what happened, but she missed, right at the end. And KEPT missing; she didn’t adjust to the correct note. Otherwise it was great! Oh she hit the l[ast note](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSiRUSjSJnQ#t=1m36s) fine. She just fell off it at the tail end, right as the cameras stopped looking at her. And she caught it and ended the word pretty quickly. I was happy to know for sure that there was no monkey business or autotune-type thing under her. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/50 "2010-02-08T08:01:25Z")
How about something like [Rodrigo y Gabriela](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5VFWA2YKdo)? They could rock the house. ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Medlo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hi\_Medlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Medlo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/51 "2010-02-08T12:54:26Z")
I was disappointed with the show, mostly because I’ve seen the tape of their performance at the Isle of Wight from about 1972 on Paladia recently. I think the short format really hurt, too. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/52 "2010-02-08T13:05:03Z")
Moon used to have the RAF symbol on T-shirts, I think he was the only one who did that. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/53 "2010-02-08T13:16:52Z")
Better than the Stones were a couple of years ago, but not that interesting. They seemed to go off their timing during Baba O’Riley, and I thought they wobbled a little later in their set, too. Townshend’s voice was pretty bad. Daltry sounded okay, although my brother texted me that he looked like “an aging lephrechaun.” The stage setup did look great. ---
**Author:** ![Piker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@Piker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Piker)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/54 "2010-02-08T13:19:17Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I think the reason they have to keep booking fossils is because there is a dearth of younger acts who are actually real musicians anymore. The most popular acts are lip synching dancers who can’t play instruments. There aren’t very many real _bands_ anymore. The music is all canned these days. And get off of my lawn! There are plenty of real musicians nowadays. I would claim that, because of the Internet and the indie rock boom, this past decade was the best for rock music since the sixties. What you mean to say is that there is a dearth of arena rock bands. And you would be right, there is. Thank god. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/55 "2010-02-08T13:25:04Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I think the reason they have to keep booking fossils is because there is a dearth of younger acts who are actually real musicians anymore. The most popular acts are lip synching dancers who can’t play instruments. There aren’t very many real _bands_ anymore. The music is all canned these days. That has something to do it. But I think it also has a lot to do with the bookers wanting acts with a lot of cross generational appeal and artistic cred and who, most importantly, are not likely to pull a Janet Jackson. Sure the Rolling Stones is still a bad ass band, but Mick Jagger is NOT going to whip out his dick or say the F-word or do anything to raise the ire of the FCC. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/56 "2010-02-08T13:49:04Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > I thought she did fine, but yeah, that last note…I don’t know what happened, but she missed, right at the end. And KEPT missing; she didn’t adjust to the correct note. Otherwise it was great! That’s kind of what I thought. I wasn’t sure though since the rest of it sounded fine. I thought maybe the house was pulling odd acoustical tricks on me. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/57 "2010-02-08T13:51:30Z")
I didn’t mind it. Sure they’re getting old. They got off to a bad start but improved throughout the mini set. Other future possibilities: Mellencamp? Billy Joel? Van Halen? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/58 "2010-02-08T14:26:04Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Btw, how did Carrie Underwood do on the _Star Spangled Banner_? Very disappointing. Oh, her voice sounded good enough but there was no wardrobe malfunction. Bummer. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/59 "2010-02-08T14:32:10Z")
> [@Piker](#): > > What you mean to say is that there is a dearth of arena rock bands. And you would be right, there is. Thank god. You’re right in the sense that there’s no one today who’s the equivalent of the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin or the Eagles. Yeah, there’s the Nickelbacks and Daughtrys of the world who can fill arenas, but I’d liken them more to the Journeys and Foreigners of yesteryear. They’ll have a nice string of hits over the course of 10-12 years and then fade from view. I can’t imagine that they’ll be as widely revered in 30 years as The Who is today. As you mentioned there are a lot of great indie acts out there like Wilco, Animal Collective and Neko Case, but those aren’t really hitmakers, nor do they produce the sort of loud, high energy rock that’s de rigueur at the Super Bowl. Of the current pop acts, the Black Eyed Peas are the only ones I’d be excited about seeing at the Super Bowl. They’re a few notches above most everything else on the Top 40, have a good high intensity sound and put on a kick ass live show. But since they’re under 40, I’d imagine they’d have to sign a mile-long contract and put their children up as collateral to ensure there’s no wardrobe malfunctions. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090/60 "2010-02-08T14:34:49Z")
That was really bad. I’m surprised to hear folk who claim to have liked the Who when they were something being anything other than disappointed by that. I would have preferred any number of my memories untainted by the sight of Pete’s pasty white gut… I’m an old guy - and I loves me my tunes from the 70s and 80s. But seeing these old guys faintly resemble what they used to be is just sad. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-halftime-show/528090.md?page=4)