Usually by half time of the Superbowl, the excitement about commercials is over, and the game is pretty much over. The only hope for the evening is the half time show. (Well, that and a large amount of food.) More often than not, I don't make it to the half time show.
The Superbowl halftime show has certainly had its ups and downs. Take for example Prince's performance including the bizarre phallic display when he was rocking his double-necked guitar behind behind a sheet with a light behind him so everyone watch got to see a very disturbing image that is unfortunately burned in my brain.
Ever since the infamous exposure incident during the performance by Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson, the halftime show has been dominated by older acts that have been on the safe side. (excluding Prince of course) Considering the demographics of the viewing audience of the Superbowl, it's probably a good idea for the committee that is in charge of selecting musical acts to find music that appeals to a variety of ages. They made a great selection last year with the Who. I didn't actually see the half time show, but based on previous experience I know that the Who can still provide an amazing performance. Besides, the Who has fans of all ages. (just check out the Zimmers, a group of octogenarians, who perform my generation, instrument smashing and everything.)
So what about the Black Eyed Peas? Will they be able to bring a show that will keep viewers from turning the channel? That is a tricky question, but I'll give you my opinion on it anyway. I'm not a huge Peas fan, but I do enjoy most of their music, especially if I can ignore the lyrics. They can usually put together music that can keep your attention, even if some of their ideas don't work out as well as they hope. (Check out Imma Bee. The biggest problem with this song? the 100+ repetitions of "Imma Bee" during the song.) They also have extensive experience with staging shows.
What about on the negative side? Well, the biggest issue is the fact that the Black Eyed Peas are a band that appeals to the younger demographic of the audience. This may lead to the "Every Superbowl Club" to regret buy 45th ticket for the big game. There is also a concern because of the Timberlake-Jackson fiasco that has kept the committee from picking younger acts for the halftime show. Will the Peas make a bad judgement call and try something embarrassing?
So here's my opinion on the matter. While the Peas have had legal troubles for questionable sampling practices, I don't recall hearing much about them getting in trouble for outrageous stunts or too many bad decisions. (I may be wrong on this particular item.) I think they know that this is a big opportunity for them to get exposed to a larger audience and have a great time at the Superbowl. I also think that the band will put together a great show and make sure their performance is top notch. There will probably be lots of technical difficulties with all the set up and take down that happens during the game so if something doesn't work out I plan to blame it on the rush. With that in mind I think the show will be worth seeing and will keep audiences from tuning out at least until the game starts up again.
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