Most fans use halftime of a football game to make a quick bathroom pit stop, grab another beverage and restock the snacks.
Not this Sunday.
This, of course, is Super Sunday, the day when the nation – fans and non-fans alike – gathers around the TV to watch the culmination of the NFL season. They call it the Super Bowl. Yeah, kind of pretentious, especially when you consider the fact that most of the previous 42 games have been anything but Super.
At times the telecast has gotten as much attention for the ads as for the action on the field.
Then a few years back, something happened at halftime that caused an uproar, and added a whole new element of intrigue to intermission. A new term was introduced into the lexicon.
Wardrobe malfunction.
Thank you, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Nice nipple ring, by the way.
Jackson’s momentary over-exposure caused shock waves across the nation. And it brought the Super Bowl halftime show to a new level. Or some would say a new low.
Some big acts have taken the stage for that compressed show. The Rolling Stones, U2, Prince have all performed. Last year it was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
But this year they are rolling out the big guns. At least for me.
Let’s just say it will be a “Boss” show. Yes, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform.
A confession here. I am an unabashed Springsteen fan. I know a lot of people have issues with his politics. I don’t care. I love him for the music. I grew up in a small town, where we sat around on the hood of cars, drinking warm beer on summer nights. Yes, I get Springsteen.
That’s why I’ll be glued to the tube at halftime Sunday night. I know there is a lot of marketing schtick involved in this. Springsteen’s new CD, “Working on a Dream,” hit stores this week. What a coincidence, huh? He also announced a new tour this week. He will be at the Spectrum April 28 and 29. Tickets for the shows go on sale Monday morning.
I can’t imagine how Springsteen will pack the “Magic” of one his legendary shows into a 12-minute halftime set. Some of his songs have lasted longer during live appearances.
I am guessing we’ll hear a couple of songs from the new CD. Maybe one from “The Rising.” That probably leaves one or two slots for his hallmark songs. So long as it’s not “Hungry Heart” or “Dancing in the Dark” I’ll be OK with it. I never actually much cared for the songs that gave Bruce commercial success.
I’d take “Incident on 57th Street” or “Rosalita,” but I doubt they’d fit into that tight window.
Maybe it will be “Born to Run.”
Or how about this, as a paean to all those deflated Eagles fans, maybe Bruce could do “Streets of Philadelphia.”
The game may or may not be Super. But I’m betting the halftime show will be all that and more.
Not this Sunday.
This, of course, is Super Sunday, the day when the nation – fans and non-fans alike – gathers around the TV to watch the culmination of the NFL season. They call it the Super Bowl. Yeah, kind of pretentious, especially when you consider the fact that most of the previous 42 games have been anything but Super.
At times the telecast has gotten as much attention for the ads as for the action on the field.
Then a few years back, something happened at halftime that caused an uproar, and added a whole new element of intrigue to intermission. A new term was introduced into the lexicon.
Wardrobe malfunction.
Thank you, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Nice nipple ring, by the way.
Jackson’s momentary over-exposure caused shock waves across the nation. And it brought the Super Bowl halftime show to a new level. Or some would say a new low.
Some big acts have taken the stage for that compressed show. The Rolling Stones, U2, Prince have all performed. Last year it was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
But this year they are rolling out the big guns. At least for me.
Let’s just say it will be a “Boss” show. Yes, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform.
A confession here. I am an unabashed Springsteen fan. I know a lot of people have issues with his politics. I don’t care. I love him for the music. I grew up in a small town, where we sat around on the hood of cars, drinking warm beer on summer nights. Yes, I get Springsteen.
That’s why I’ll be glued to the tube at halftime Sunday night. I know there is a lot of marketing schtick involved in this. Springsteen’s new CD, “Working on a Dream,” hit stores this week. What a coincidence, huh? He also announced a new tour this week. He will be at the Spectrum April 28 and 29. Tickets for the shows go on sale Monday morning.
I can’t imagine how Springsteen will pack the “Magic” of one his legendary shows into a 12-minute halftime set. Some of his songs have lasted longer during live appearances.
I am guessing we’ll hear a couple of songs from the new CD. Maybe one from “The Rising.” That probably leaves one or two slots for his hallmark songs. So long as it’s not “Hungry Heart” or “Dancing in the Dark” I’ll be OK with it. I never actually much cared for the songs that gave Bruce commercial success.
I’d take “Incident on 57th Street” or “Rosalita,” but I doubt they’d fit into that tight window.
Maybe it will be “Born to Run.”
Or how about this, as a paean to all those deflated Eagles fans, maybe Bruce could do “Streets of Philadelphia.”
The game may or may not be Super. But I’m betting the halftime show will be all that and more.
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