Halftime

So, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band played a bunch of condensed hits an a commercial for their new album at the Superbowl, and what can I say? It was a halftime show.

 

Certainly, it wasn't as good as Prince's spectacle a couple years back (Prince is Prince, though, and I am Jere), but it was a crowd-pleaser. It was a distraction to give people in the stadiums and at home something to look at for 12 minutes (because the bathroom break can't last the whole 12 minutes). I always thought "Glory Days" sounds better when it's played with the horns higher in the mix than the 80s synths on the studio version, which is good. I would've prefered a spirited "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)," but I guess the line "Papa says he knows that I don't have any money..." might've hit a little close to home these days (?). The song still makes me deliriously happy, though.

 

I was horrified when Springsteen's crotch power slid at me in HD, though. Thank God the halftime wasn't in 3D!

 

Anyway, I got up this morning and started wondering who they could pull in to play next year. My mind drifted as far as... New Jersey, where Bon Jovi would be another solid candidate for the job. They're in that class of bands that can play an arena without alienating older parents out there. I mean, who doesn't love singing along to "Livin' on a Prayer" (most especially in Rock Band!)? But then I wanted to be more creative than walking down the block from Springsteen's origins and came up with a couple others...

 

I don't know how well he is, but I bet David Bowie could put on a helluva halftime show ("Rebel, Rebel!" "Heroes!" "Changes!" "Life on Mars!" The possibilities are endless!). I only read a headline of a rumor that he would be suiting up as Ziggy Stardust sometime, and that was the last Bowie-related thing I've read in awhile, though.

 

Another possibility: Elvis Costello. He's come a long way from that time that he got banned from SNL, and his talk show has proven him to be a pretty gifted emcee (in the "host" sense, not in the hip-hop sense). I can imagine him doing a convincing "hits" set with "Pump It Up," "(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding," some surprise cover, and whatever.

Also, I can imagine the Foo Fighters filling the slot. Actually, I'm fairly surprised they haven't yet. God knows they always wind up on the Grammys in one form or another a couple weeks after the game. They're heavy enough to keep the football crowd amped but safe enough to not offend the families watching. In the same ballpark is Coldplay, I suppose, though I can't think of a more thoroughly boring halftime show.

 

I guess it's all better than Up with People, though.