I like watching the ads and the game. Unlike most people, I’m also interested in the half-time show and the national anthem. Mostly, I’m curious how the singer will present the national anthem, and what tweaks they’ll do to it. I also like live music, so I’ll pay attention to the half-time show.

I’m not a tweed wearing patchouli splashed hipster who discusses obscure indie-bands in some sorta effort to win a pissing content on being anti-establishment. Nor am I some conservatory trained brat that discusses at length how Lang Lang is an overrated pianist and that any real musician would understand the proper interpretation of some obscure classical piece (and then gripe it wasn’t actually classical). I have no aspirations of being a professional musician. I simply enjoy music – I don’t really care what form or if it’s popular or not. I like major commercial labels, indy, and stuff played at smokey bars in scary areas of town.

I should know now to not expect much from the clowns that run these shows, but year after year has shown nothing but disappointments. I’m not sure what made this year so much more remarkable to me, enough to write about it. Perhaps the butchering of the national anthem. Frilly, showoff singing, while butchering the words. To the performer’s credit, at least she kept going. That ability is one of the big separators between amateurs and the pros’.

The halftime show was a disgrace. Hardware issues in performances happen, but at some point I must wonder what’s going on. In general, it sounded like whoever ran the mixing board smoked a bit much before the show, passed out, and managed to flop across the board leaving all the levels set randomly. One overly auto-tuned main singer, and then another that cut in and out all the while being out of tune. I almost wonder if some software error forced us to hear uncorrected audio.

I must admit to being partial to the 80’s costumes, but the dull lifeless performance put a sour taste in my mouth for a band I occasionally like… I’m not sure exactly why the Halftime shows continue to suck. I thought it was the continued usage of bands well past their prime, but today’s show throws that basic assumption in doubt as well. At this point, I’d rather see a college marching band… Maybe something about the huge stage takes a band like the Black Eyed Peas and zaps them of talent, leaving them a group of lifeless zombies stumbling through set after set.

I’m not a big fan of country, but maybe they should consider throwing country acts at it for SuperBowl 46. Hey, they’d probably at least get the words to the national anthem right…