<p>I liked the James Brown outfits</p>
<p>Am I the only one that didn’t really like the half time show? Some of the commercials were fun, though. </p>
<p>Loved the half-time show; my only complaint was that it was too short, and the football game was so damn long.</p>
<p>ETA: ALSO thought Renee Fleming’s Star Spangled Banner was the best I have ever heard. We should have opera singers do that more often.</p>
<p>Bruno Mars was very entertaining. I must admit my expectations for halftime were low based on past Super Bowls which I’ve usually been disappointed by.</p>
<p>I read an article this morning that captured what I think of Mars. He was compared to a good cover band. His songs are terribly derivative, but he was a safe choice and perfectly pleasant. </p>
<p>
Pretty much, I think. Bruno Mars reminded me a bit of Sammy Davis, Jr.–he’s a real “entertainer.” The Chili Peppers did what they do.</p>
<p>I thought Renee Fleming’s performance established, once and for all, that we need a better national anthem. Even she couldn’t make it sound good.</p>
<p>Bruno Mars combines the vocal qualities of Sam Cooke - give him a listen because they’re near identical - with a mix of dance moves that include James Brown’s wiggle and splits. The band’s dance moves are modeled on The Temptations. Terrific entertainment. I love that he’s maybe 5’5". Talent is who you are.</p>
<p>I could have done without Anthony and Flea.</p>
<p>You hit it on the head Kitty. Mars said a few years ago that he tries to emulate the fabulous G.F.O.S.; the Godfather of Soul, JAMES BROWN. Nice to see a young fella give a nod to history and a great tradition. HARDEST WORKING MAN IN SHOW-BIZ-NESS!!!</p>
<p>Fleming sounded a bit harsh, but I think it was pitched a little low for her. Her choice I’m sure and probably a safe choice. There could not be a worse venue for an operatic sound. She elected not to go for a pure operatic sound and elected not to sing the song just as it was written, so it was a bit of a hybrid. The cold and the sound system can do her voice no favors but she was still heads and tails about those who seem to set out to slaughter the song every year. </p>
<p>I thought it was weird that everyone talked about Bruno Mars as some big unknown. Really, now, how much bigger were Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, etc. when they did their Super Bowl shows? They were all were recent pop stars who had had a few recent hits and won industry awards. It’s not like Beyoncé or Janet Jackson were ever “legendary” a la the Who or Paul McCartney. Honestly, I liked the RHCP … 20 years ago – but they certainly aren’t anything approaching rock legends. I felt like it was digging up some band that had been popular 20 years ago. BM felt far more relevant and young and today. </p>
<p>I loved that Renee Fleming seemed to really be enjoying herself!</p>
<p>I’m trying to understand your post accurately. </p>
<p>You said Beyoncé wasn’t current and that Bruno Mars is more relevant at their respective Super Bowl performances?</p>
<p>Interesting. Very, very interesting. </p>
<p>Beyoncé has a large fan base. Her performing her Super Bowl show was not a “miss” or “digging anyone up”. Perhaps, digging Destiny’s Child is “digging up” and group, but they only sang one song together. </p>
<p>I thought the RHCP were embarrassing, but at least Kiedis didnt have a solo.
It also takes being able to play an instrument for a musician to impress me, unless you have the vocal skills of Ella Fitzgerald. </p>
<p>I don’t think the Chili Peppers would have been any more or less embarrassing 20 years ago. They are pretty much the same as they’ve always been, except Kiedis is a little beefier. At least they’re energetic.</p>
<p>I liked the RHCP…and think Bruno Mars made a good choice when he chose them as his back up band. I liked them 20 years ago, and I like them now. The show yesterday was a show! It was not some legend standing on laurels. It was a well executed show, in my opinion.</p>
<p>And it was WAY better than the game.</p>
<p>I agree that RHCP are stuck in a time warp, some musicians progress & broaden their appeal, others coast.
But they do have a lot of energy, especially Flea, Id like to see him in another band.</p>
<p>Here’s what I like about the Chili Peppers–it gives me hope that guys that ugly can be that famous.</p>
<p>Gotta give the man some credit. He had some great hair. </p>
<p>[Under</a> the Bridge](<a href=“Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge [Official Music Video] - YouTube”>Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge [Official Music Video] - YouTube)</p>
<p>I wish that the whole half time show was longer. </p>
<p>Pizzagirl, I love you, but your comparison of Beyonce and Janet Jackson to Bruno Mars at the time of their Superbowl performances is completely off the wall. Beyonce was at the time, and still is, the most successful female pop artist in the world, and she had had a succession of top hits going back to her teenage years with Destiny’s Child. Jackson had been a huge star for almost 20 years, and had four albums that sold over 10 million copies apiece worldwide. And both, of course, had close family connections with even more legendary artists, lending them something of an air of pop royalty.</p>
<p>Bruno Mars is a supremely talented guy on many fronts, not the least of which is songwriting. (I first noticed him when he had a co-write credit on Cee-Lo’s “F__ You,” which given how un-famous he was then pretty much meant that he had written the song. That was less than four years ago.) He has released two albums, which have done pretty well. But he is still very much an up-and-comer. In the 2013 US album sales figures, Mars’ current record, which was available for sale all year long, sold slightly more copies than Beyonce’s album sold in two weeks this December with no advance promotion.</p>
<p>I thought Mars was a great choice for the halftime show, because he has the goods, and he delivers, and he is very corporate-safe. He’s not one for burning bridges or turning his own psychodrama into performance art, and he clearly aspires to the broadest audience possible. But I can’t think of a less-established act to headline the Super Bowl halftime in the 20+ years since they started having these over-the-top musical halftimes.</p>