David Cook would be my choice.
No one was trying to hurt anyone. When they heard music playing, they assumed that the show had started so that there was a massive push to get inside. Unfortunately, they only opened one or two doors, so there was nowhere for 99% of them to go. The people in the front were being crushed against the wall of unlocked doors, so that they’d have to push back with all their might so that they could breathe. She akined in to a giant wave moving towards the front, getting repelled by a large land mass, and then moving backward with even more violence.
She said that she was standing with her arms looped around her friends’ arms to either side of her. When the force moved forward, she was crushed into the person’s back in front of her and could feel people’s feet behind her stomping on the back of her calves, as they tried to find their purchase again. When it moved backward, she would have fallen had their not been a person immediately behind her. It was very difficult to keep your balance because the pushes of energy kept changing directions. That is why she had to raise her feet or else she’d get knocked down. And if you got knocked down in that crowd, there was no time or room to stand because there were just too many people.
When the wave shifted backward, she said that at times her arms were pinioned behind her so far that she thought that they’d break, but she knew not to unloop her arms from her friends, because she was too short and would be literally stomped to death.
So “stomp” in this context should conjure up an image of people trying desperately to find the ground with their feet because they were being moved forward or backward at the will of the crowd, and couldn’t get their balance.
They would never book her, but Lady Gaga would make an interesting and lively halftime show.
Also, could one reason they don’t book more modern bands be that they would cost too much compared to dinosaurs of yesteryear?
Halftime acts aren’t paid for the performance. They and their entourage are comped for all travel expenses. Apparently the bands and their managers feel the publicity is worth more than getting a paycheck for the 12 minutes on stage.
The stage was big, but there was still plenty of room for people on the field. I would imagine the amount of pyro on the field was the reason for no fans on the field.
I thought The Who did ok, but yes, they were far from perfect. Some of the people I was watching the game with had no clue about what songs they did and were pleasantly surprised when they recognized The Who’s music.
As far as acts from at least the 1980’s, I would like to see Metallica get a chance. Of the bands from the last decade, Shinedown would be an excellent choice with some good cross over appeal. I don’t see them being big enough to get the nod though. One band that is back touring together, is big enough, and has cross over appeal is Creed. Dopers would probably hate to see that one though.
So, can anyone refresh my memory as to what sporting event Green Day did play? As I was reading them as a suggestion, I could have sworn that they already did the Super Bowl. Could it have been a pre-game thing? Or am I confusing it with another sporting event? Either way, I’m sure I’ve seen them do about a 4 song set in connection with some sports venue.
edit Doing some more searching, I see that Green Day was part of the 2005 Super Bowl pre-game show.
I am very surprised they don’t get paid. These big name guys don’t need the money but I figured they would get $100k or so.
I was saddened and not impressed. I really like The Who, and thought they sounded terrible.
I’m not holding my breath, but I’d LOVE a Super Bowl halftime show with Nine Inch Nails. Or Tool. Make the censors stop breathing for 12 minutes 
I pretty much expected that the show was going to be about what it turned out to be yesterday. The Who have all these great songs but they sounded so blah yesterday.
My friends and I took a drink every time Pete Townshend did a windmill, that was painful.
And is it just me or is the drummer and Nigel Tufnel separated at birth?
That was former Broncos and Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe. The clip doesn’t seem to be on youtube, though.
I saw her a few years back with the “A Walk Down Abbey Road” Beatles tribute, and her voice is as strong as it has ever been.
Personally, I thought she looked fine as well, not that it matters.
In Daltrey’s case, I suspect his degraded voice may have a lot to do with cigarettes, coupled with the fact that he was always pushing his alto voice to sing Townshend’s tenor songs. You can get away with that when you’re young.
That’s why you have a green room. I’m a big Todd Rundgren fan, and he has the same problem getting started - has to yell the first two songs to get his voice in shape. But when it’s an important gig, or a program that is going to be very vocal heavy, he gets the screaming out in his dressing room before he gets on stage. His recent tour of “A Wizard/A True Star” he was in amazing voice, hitting all the notes at age 62 of an album he recorded 40 years ago.
They would, indeed, rock the mutha-fuckin’ house. Nobody would know them at the start, everybody would know them at the end.
Sadly, the world does not work like that.
PunditLisa: Yes, that’s exactly what I read. Funny thing is, I read it in a book where the author was trying to blame the whole thing on fanatical fanship. He didn’t prove it to me: the situation you described is identical to what he said, thus undermining his theory.
Roger never smoked…anything. Fact is, he’s allergic to smoke-- shows have been cut short because of smoke coming onstage from people in the front rows. His voice is trashed from years of singing Pete’s songs. How many times can ANY human’s vocal chords bellow the scream from WGFA–at the end of a 2-hour show–before giving out entirely?
Nah, that’s just old fogey-ism. Exactly the same thing every generation has said about the following generation’s music. There are probably more bands out there writing good songs than there ever has been, if only because the market has become so open, but it’s also become much more fragmented, with nobody looking to radio station playlists to tell them what to listen to anymore, and people discovering new stuff themselves through the internet. But I could make a compilation of “greatest hits” from 2009 that could stand up to any year in rock history.
Also, did somebody seriously suggest Dylan for the half-time show? That would be the least energetic performer I could think of.
Really? The Wikipedia article has Roger being “…expelled from school for smoking”. My memory of him smoking was (I believe) from “The Kids Are Alright”.
I thought the show cut short thing was Townshend getting pissed at somebody in the front row smoking a joint, annoyed that his music was being filtered into that person’s head through a drug haze.
Duran Duran
Okay, I’ll revise my statement about Roger’s smoking. Once he started taking his singing seriously he stopped smoking because he didn’t want to screw up his voice.
Can’t see it. I’m out of the demographic - I recognize the names but don’t know if I could recognize half a dozen of their songs if I heard them. Us stubborn baby boomers aren’t dying fast enough, we want our arena rock, dammit! (Though I think Lady Gaga and Elton John would be good, and I still love Foreigner!)
No “hope I die before I get old” comments? And was Roger Daltrey wearing a wig???
I thought they sounded OK, considering. They are a great, iconic band, after all, just seeing them perform was half the fun.
From the N.Y. Times review of the halftime show:
*"The Who hasn’t toured lately and doesn’t plan to for the moment. Townshend said in an N.F.L. news conference that he has “health issues” with his shoulder and his hearing. But the band didn’t coast through its 12 minutes — even if the pulsating recorded keyboards of “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” gave them a few seconds of respite.
Townshend put full force into his famous windmilling guitar chords — echoed by the light display — and in “Who Are You” he hammered on the strings with a fist. Daltrey belted as if he wouldn’t mind being hoarse for the next week or two. Their backing musicians hit hard, as Townshend and Daltrey pumped their fists."*
I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen a band get upstaged by the actual stage.