Tag: Prince

The 13 Greatest Super Bowl Halftime Shows In History

~ Pulitzer Guy ~ Leave a comment

Note to Readers: I originally posted this article last year with the intention of refreshing the list every year as needed. Lucky for me, Rhianna’s performance didn’t crack the Top 13 so the countdown remains in tact. At least for now.

I love football in general, but the Super Bowl is something else entirely. It is more than football. It is football plus. Football plus crazy expensive commercials. Football plus a million prop bets. Football plus gatherings with friends and five layer bean dip. And maybe most importantly, the Super Bowl is football plus a halftime show extravaganza.

It wasn’t always an extravaganza. During halftime of the first Super Bowl in 1967, the University of Arizona Symphonic Marching band performed “The Sound of Music” and “When the Saints Go Marching In” in the shape of the Liberty Bell. To be fair, the show, titled “Super Sounds from the Super Bowl,” also involved two guys flying around with jetpacks (how do we not all have these by now?) and a weirdly large number of pigeons. In subsequent years the halftime shows expanded, but were more quirky than star studded. One year, for example, had an Elvis Presley-impersonating magician named — obviously — Elvis Presto.

But it really wasn’t until 1993 when Michael Jackson made the halftime show the must-watch event that it is today. It was a match made in pigskin heaven; one of the world’s biggest stars on football’s biggest stage and the modern halftime show was born. How did we not think about this before? The halftime show was no longer filler. It was now a thing unto itself. And playing in the show became one of the greatest achievements you could have as a musician.

This year we get a semi-comeback of sorts from Rhianna. The 34-year-old “Umbrella” singer has been keeping a relatively low profile while parenting (she had a baby in May with boyfriend A$AP Rocky) and working on her clothing line. So not only am I excited for Rihanna’s return to the music stage, but I’m also excited about the aforementioned prop bets which have been extended to the halftime show. (“Diamonds” is currently the odds-on favorite for first song, but I’m betting on “Don’t Stop the Music.”)

Before we get there, however, it’s worthwhile to do a quick look back at the 13 greatest halftime performances. So without further ado…

13. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira (Super Bowl LIV, 2020)

It’s hard to believe that when Jennifer Lopez and Shakira took the stage in February 2020, we were mostly unaware (or uncaring) that a virus was quickly spreading around the world and that within a month would turn our lives upside down. We were relatively carefree, and this show was all about fun. Shakira played the guitar and J.Lo rode in on a stripper pole. There was dancing, crowd surfing, a nod to bondage, a lot of horns, a Led Zeppelin sample, and Bad Bunny. The main critique of the show was that it was “too sexual” even though Adam Levine from Maroon 5 pretty much took off all of his clothes the year before. Given the pandemic years we have now endured, it is nostalgic to think back to times when our biggest worry was whether Shakira and J-Lo were too sexy for national television.

12. Janet Jackson & Justin Timberlake (Super Bowl XXXVIII, 2004)

Without a doubt, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s performance at Super Bowl XXXVIII remains one of the most memorable, although less for the performance itself and more for the “wardrobe malfunction” at the very end. But the show itself was pretty awesome. Janet and Justin were great, but what people don’t remember is that this show was full of guest appearances. Diddy appeared out of a haze of smoke, Nelly showed up in a small red car to sing “Hot in Here,” and most randomly of all, Kid Rock absolutely ripped through versions of “Bawitdaba” and “Cowboy.” In fact, I think if you look at time on stage, Kid Rock might have the longest set.

But all we remember now is that Timberlake “accidentally” ripped off Janet’s chest covering (I’m not sure what else to call it) as they wrapped the set. The debate of whether it truly was “accidental” continued for years since that show in Houston. There were FCC fines assessed that have been litigated forever, but maybe the most important discussion has centered around why Janet bore the brunt of the backlash while Justin’s reputation seemed unfazed. Regardless, it was an amazing show and it’s a shame that what most people remember is just the last two seconds.

11. Paul McCartney (Super Bowl XXXIX 2005)

Paul McCartney’s set the year following Janet and Justin’s performance was equally amazing but almost the polar opposite in terms of presentation. Supposedly, McCartney was considered a “safe choice” following the “nipplegate” controversy, and although his show was less of a spectacle, it included a set list that may remain unmatched to this day. On an X-shaped stage, the ex-Beatle kicked off his set with “Drive My Car.” He then followed up with “Get Back,” before trading his guitar for a piano during a fireworks-laden rendition of Wings’ James Bond theme, “Live and Let Die.” Saving his best for last, McCartney signed off with “Hey Jude,” during which the 84,000 in attendance at Jacksonville’s Alltel Stadium all joined in for the iconic coda. The performance was both nostalgic and energetic and signaled the transition from contemporary pop acts to classic rock legends performing at halftime.

10. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar & 50 Cent (Super Bowl LVI, 2022)

SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, hosted Super Bowl LVI and if you’re going to be in Inglewood, then there is no better choice for halftime entertainment than Dr. Dre and friends. And the friends list was extensive. In addition to pre-announced performances from Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem, we were also treated to surprise appearances from 50 Cent (who rapped “In Da Club” upside down) and Anderson.Paak on the drums for Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.” From the opening when Dre appeared to play “Still D.R.E.” to Mary J. singing “Family Affair” to Kendrick’s modern classic “Alright,” the performance was not only the best seen in years, but also went on to win an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live), marking a historic first win for the halftime show in the category.

9. Gloria Estefan, Stevie Wonder and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (Super Bowl XXXIII, 1999)

I feel like the 1999 halftime show may be my most controversial pick because it looks so dated when compared to, for example, the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake show that was only 5 years later. Even the television production seems closer to the 1970s than the 2000s. But I love this one specifically because it is so 1999. I mean, what is more 1999 than starting the show with a ska and swing dancing set from Big Bad Voodoo Daddy? But that’s just the beginning. Then we also got a medley of Stevie Wonder hits, and an extreme tap dance from Savion Glover, which Stevie joined. And if that wasn’t enough, you can’t have a Super Bowl in Miami and not invite Gloria Estefan who came out singing in Spanish. This was one of those epic shows that reflected the time. The US in 1999 wasn’t in a war, and couldn’t foresee 9/11, weapons of mass destruction, social media, or a global pandemic. You could really have fun in 1999, and this show reflected that.

8. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (Super Bowl XLIII, 2009)

The best thing about The Boss is that no matter how many concerts he has done over his storied career, he always looks like he is having the most fun right now. So the 2009 halftime show was basically a regular Springsteen concert. Which, to be clear, is a very good thing. With Bruce, there isn’t a lot of spectacle, but this show did have some notable moments beginning with his admonition at the beginning to “step away from the guac” and “put the chicken fingers down.” He then tore through “Born to Run” and “Glory Days,” but the most iconic moment came when New Jersey’s favorite son slid crotch first into a TV camera during “10th Avenue Freeze Out.” And watch the end where Springsteen aggressively flings his guitar over his shoulder multiple times, does a back and forth comedy routine with a fake referee, and then closes by shouting, “I’m going to Disneyland.” Epic.

7. Michael Jackson (Super Bowl XXVII, 1993)

Honestly, I have a hard time ranking Michael Jackson’s performance at the Super Bowl in 1993. From a historical perspective, you probably can’t beat it (pun intended). This was the year the NFL decided they needed to up their game to keep people watching at halftime. Since the NFL doesn’t tend to go small, they tapped the King of Pop to put an end to the marching band era and set the bar for all future halftime shows.

That said, if you watch it, it is a weird performance. First off, like most Super Bowl sets, it’s only about 12 minutes long, but it takes MJ at least 3 minutes to get into the songs. In fact, when Jackson first shows up on stage, he stands there completely still for at least 45 seconds. Then, for someone with a catalog like Jackson’s, his song choices were odd. “Billie Jean” is great, but he kicked it off with “Jam,” and then played “Black and White,” part of “We Are the World” and then ended with “Heal the World” while a giant globe inflated in the middle of the field. And I’m pretty sure he lip-synched the whole thing. In the end, this one needs to be included because of the impact it had, but it just feels like it could have been so much more.

6. Katy Perry (Super Bowl XLIX, 2015)

If you like spectacle in your halftime show, Katy Perry’s 2015 performance is hard to beat. Perry enters on the back of a giant Tiger (or Lion) and yells, “Super Bowl, are you ready to roar!” Unlike Michael Jackson’s song selection, Perry hit all the highlights with a set list that included “Roar,” “Dark Horse,” “I Kissed a Girl” with Lenny Kravitz, “Teenage Dream,” “California Girls,” “Get Your Freak On” and “Work It” with Missy Elliot. If that wasn’t enough, she ended the show strapped to a mechanical shooting star for “Firework.” And of course, there was Left Shark, whose interesting dance moves immediately went viral. This was 12 minutes of lights, color, special effects, and a lot of dancing in high heels. What more could you ask for?

5. Beyoncé & Destiny’s Child (Super Bowl XLVII, 2013)

I think you could make a reasonable argument that Beyoncé should just do all the Super Bowl halftime shows. Beyonce in 2013 was at the top of her game (arguably still is), and the production value of this show was off the charts. (At one point there was a guitar with fireworks shooting out of it.) And there were the songs. She went through some of her biggest hits like “Crazy in Love,” “Love on Top,” and “Baby Boy.”

And that was all before Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams shot out from underneath the stage for a long awaited Destiny’s Child reunion. Together, the trio performed “Bootylicious,” “Single Ladies” and “Independent Women.” The 2013 production was so extravagant that half the lights at the Superdome went out, creating a 33-minute, 55-second blackout shortly after. Mic drop.

4. Madonna (Super Bowl XLVI, 2012)

Once the Super Bowl started tapping A-list artists, you knew it was only a matter of time before Madonna made an appearance. If you’re the type who wants your halftime show to be a little over the top, then this one was for you. Madonna arrived at Indianapolis dressed as a Greek goddess on a throne carried by Spartan soldiers. From there, we were treated to a graphic stage, slackline stunts, a Roman theme, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., and Cee Lo Green. At one point, Madonna climbed on one of LMFAO’s shoulders.

Madonna’s song choice was on point. After her entrance, she launched into longtime favorite “Vogue” before being joined by LMFAO for a “Party Rock Anthem”/”Sexy And I Know It” infused take on her 2000 hit “Music.” We even got a little controversy when M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj joined her onstage for “Give Me All Your Luvin’” and M.I.A. gave the crowd the middle finger. However, Madonna’s epic “Like a Prayer” finale, aided by Cee Lo and a huge robed choir, ensured that the 12-minute spectacle ended with the focus right back on the music.

3. Lady Gaga (Super Bowl LI, 2017)

If anyone was going to match the anticipation of Madonna’s performance, it would surely be Lady Gaga. Gaga is one of the most eclectic artists in history, and everyone tuned in to see what her halftime performance would unveil. Truth be told, she played it relatively safe, but that didn’t take away from the fact that this was one of the most visually stunning and vocally impressive halftime shows in Super Bowl history.

She opened with a medley of “God Bless America” and “This Land Is Your Land” from the roof of the Super Bowl stadium, and then launched herself from the heavens down onto the stage, singing dance-pop favorites “Poker Face,” “Born This Way,” “Just Dance,” “Telephone,” and “Bad Romance.” And to close, her stage exit is probably the best the show has ever seen: She mic dropped, caught a football toss and hopped off a staircase into nothingness. No bowing, no waving. That’s how you end a show.

2. U2 (Super Bowl XXXVI, 2002)

U2’s Super Bowl XXXVI show deserves a high ranking not only because the performance was great, but also because of what the performance meant. Less than five months after 9/11, U2 brought the heart-shaped stage from their Elevation tour to the gridiron, and the Irish rock band found a way to make this performance both strong and emotional.

Janet Jackson was originally scheduled to perform, but after that World Trade Center attacks, the NFL decided that U2 would be a more appropriate choice. They did not disappoint. The band only played three songs: “Beautiful Day,” “MLK,” and “Where the Streets Have No Name.” During the latter two songs, the names of those who were killed in the attack were projected on a giant screen across the Superdome. At the end of the performance, Bono opened his jacket to reveal an American flag in the lining.

1. Prince (Super Bowl XLI, 2007)

Although “best of” lists like this are inherently subjective, you’d be hard pressed to not acknowledge Prince’s 2007 as the best we’ve ever seen. It had it all. He powered through his own classics like “1999,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” and “Baby I’m a Star.” He did mashups of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and Foo Fighters’ “Best of You.” He was backed by a brass marching band, and wielded a purple guitar in ways only Prince could wield a guitar. He closed the performance with the most perfect rendition of Purple Rain that included an epic guitar solo in the rain while the stadium sang along in falsetto.

Prince didn’t need to enter on a tiger like Katy Perry or fall from the sky like Gaga. The story goes that in the 40 previous years of the Super Bowl, it had never rained. Whether it was divine intervention or dumb luck, Prince created his own spectacular.

#51 Beloved by Toni Morrison (1988): As Yoda Would Say, Love or Hate. There is No Like. Hmm. (alternate title: I Did Not Love It. Controversy?)

~ Pulitzer Guy ~ 5 Comments

Hamilton
The cast of Hamilton

[Editor’s Note: Pulitzer Schmulitzer! is where we count down our favorite Pulitzer Prize winning novels for fiction according to the unpredictable and arbitrary whims of yours truly. To learn how Pulitzer Schmulitzer! started and read about the methodology or complete lack thereof behind the rankings, look no further than right here. If you want to see what we’ve covered so far, here you go. Now, on to the countdown.]

There was a busy and sad news week in April – led by the death of Prince – where you might have missed the fact that the US Treasury Department decided your wallet has too much testosterone so they’re booting Andrew Jackson off the $20 bill and replacing him with Harriet Tubman. If your third grade history class is a little fuzzy, Tubman was one of the most important figures in the movement to end slavery. Now, not only is she the first woman to appear on US currency in more than a century, but she is also the first African-American ever to appear. And Andrew Jackson, the man she is replacing, owned slaves. Karma’s a bitch.

What you might have also missed if you were endlessly looping every Prince album from 1980’s Dirty Mind through 1987’s Sign o’ the Times (which, if you haven’t done, then you should right now), was that the original plan wasn’t to replace Jackson, but rather to replace Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill. That’s not happening anymore because, well, Hamilton. Controversy? Not really.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, Hamilton is the Lin-Manuel Miranda written Broadway phenomenon; an unlikely sounding hip-hop musical about Alexander Hamilton, one of the lesser-known founding fathers of America. The numbers are staggering. After a successful off-Broadway run, it took in over $60 million before it opened on Broadway in August 2015; it’s sold out through January 2017; the album, which reached number three in the rap charts, is the highest selling cast recording for 50 years; tickets for even Monday evening shows can fetch up to $2000 for the best seats; and it just collected a record-breaking 16 Tony Award nominations.

But Hamilton is more than just numbers. It has been called historic and game-changing and, honestly, everyone seems to agree. Hollywood stars, hip-hop royalty and politicians of every persuasion have turned out in droves to see it. President Obama took his daughters, Bill Clinton has seen it, as has Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon and Madonna (though she, according to cast members, spent most of her time glued to her phone). Jay-Z and Beyoncé posed with the cast after the show. One night JJ Abrams, the director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, came and asked Manuel to write music for a scene in the film.

But its not just famous people that love Hamilton. Little kids love Hamilton and make cute little kid YouTube videos. Finicky critics love Hamilton. Ben Brantley, the New York Times critic, wrote, “I am loath to tell people to mortgage their houses and lease their children to acquire tickets to a hit musical. But Hamilton… might just be about worth it.” And even more finicky (finickier?) and sometimes hard to please teens love the show. How do I know? Because I’ve got one.

My daughter Lily started listening to the Hamilton soundtrack right before Christmas. I’m not entirely sure what the impetus was to make her queue it up on Spotify, but I am sure that once she started listening to it she couldn’t stop. Within a fairly short period of time, she knew every word to every song. She knew every cast member, including ensemble cast members and backups. She even enlisted her little sister to accompany her in a cute little video.

Which brings me to Beloved from Toni Morrison, the 1988 Pulitzer Prize winner and probably the most controversial novel on the countdown. Just as Frank Bascombe from Independence Day was the anti-Lemmy Kilmister, Beloved is the anti-Hamilton. People love or hate this book in equal numbers.

Set in Ohio in 1873 after the end of the Civil War, Beloved tells a lot of stories with a lot of voices, but the central one belongs to Sethe who is living in a farmhouse with her youngest daughter Denver, and her mother-in-law Baby Suggs. There is almost no way to explain this book without giving away the plot (ergo, SPOILER ALERT), but their house is also home to a sad but very angry ghost, who everyone believes is the spirit of Sethe’s baby daughter, who, at the age of 2, had her throat cut under appalling circumstances. We never know this child’s full name, but we – and Sethe – think of her as Beloved, because that is what is on her tombstone. Sethe wanted ”Dearly Beloved,” from the funeral service, but had only enough strength to pay for one word. Payment was 10 minutes of sex with the tombstone engraver.

Not surprisingly, a haunted house doesn’t make for the greatest home environment. Sethe’s two young sons have run away from home by the age of 13, and Denver, the only child remaining, is shy, friendless, and housebound. To add insult to injury, not long into the book and with the ghost in full possession of the house, Baby Suggs dies in her bed. Insert sad emoji.

But characters – and stories – such as these don’t exist without some significant trauma in their past, and Sethe’s past comes front and center when Paul D – one of the slaves from Sweet Home, the Kentucky plantation where Baby Suggs, Sethe, Halle (Sethe’s ex), and several other slaves once worked – arrives at their home. They fled Sweet Home 18 years before the novel opens, and when we begin the flashbacks, we see why. If there is such a thing as a good slave owner, then Mr. Garner, the original owner of Sweet Home, might qualify. He treated the slaves well, allowed them some say in running the plantation, and called them ”men” in defiance of the neighbors, who want all male blacks to be called ”boys.” But when he dies, his wife brings in her handiest male relative, who is known as ”the schoolteacher,” and, as is often the case with people whose nickname is “the schoolteacher,” he is a total asshole.

Throw in the schoolteacher’s two sadistic and repulsive nephews, and from there it’s all downhill at Sweet Home as the slaves try to escape, go crazy or are murdered. Sethe, in a trek that makes the Snake’s journey in Escape from New York look like a stroll around the block, gets out, just barely; her husband, Halle, doesn’t. Paul D. does, but has some very unpleasant adventures along the way, including a literally nauseating sojourn in a 19th-century Georgia chain gang.

So Paul D. and a shit ton of baggage arrive at Sethe’s home, and surprisingly, he appears to make things a little better. He forces out the ghost, and even gets Denver out of the house for the first time in years. But never forget, this is a Pulitzer winner which means that, chances are, this isn’t a story where things are going to work out for everyone in the end. And sure enough, on the way back home with Denver, they come across a young woman sitting in front of the house, calling herself, of all things, Beloved. Paul D is suspicious (duh) and warns Sethe, but she is charmed by the young woman and ignores him.

Not surprisingly, inviting a random 20 year-old who shows up out of nowhere calling herself the same name as your baby daughter who died tragically turns out to be a poor decision. Beloved gets in everyone’s head and sooner or later has sex with Paul D in a shed. He feels horrible and is racked with guilt, but when he tries to tell Sethe about it he instead tells her that he wants her pregnant. Lesson: just no.

Albeit, Sethe is initially elated so, to be fair, Paul D’s ad lib does put the breakup playlist on hold for a few. But when Paul D tells his friends at work about his plan to start a new family, they tell him the real story of how Sethe’s two year old died. I’ve given away too much already (and honestly would rather not discuss it), but suffice it to say that the news is too much for Paul D and he leaves. Without him around, Beloved consumes more and more of Sethe’s life until it reaches the point where it is clear that both cannot survive.

As I mentioned at the outset, people’s opinions on this novel vary widely. But regardless of where you think this book should sit in our literary countdown, there is little disputing that both the story and the writing are somewhat painful to get through, although I have a much harder time with the latter than the former.

Stories about slavery, especially good stories, are hard to read. On purpose. It was a brutal and lamentable part of our nation’s history, when very specific (and horrific) things happened to actual human beings. And being a book about that period, Beloved describes all of the beatings, whippings, rapes, killings, all of the families torn apart, individuals humiliated and lives wasted. As it should. And that may make the novel hard to read for some, but that isn’t a valid critique of the book.

For me, what made this book difficult to read wasn’t the story, it was the presentation. I’ll give you one example:

“In this here place, we flesh; flesh that weeps, laughs; flesh that dances on bare feet in grass. Love it. Love it hard. Yonder they do not love your flesh. They despise it. They don’t love your eyes; they’d just as soon pick em out. No more do they love the skin on your back. Yonder they flay it. And O my people they do not love your hands. Those they only use, tie, bind, chop off and leave empty. Love your hands! Love them. Raise them up and kiss them. Touch others with them, pat them together, stroke them on your face ’cause they don’t love that either. You got to love it, you! And no, they ain’t in love with your mouth. Yonder, out there, they will see it broken and break it again. What you say out of it they will not heed. What you scream from it they do not hear. What you put into it to nourish your body they will snatch away and give you leavins instead. No, they don’t love your mouth. You got to love it. This is flesh I’m talking about here. Flesh that needs to be loved.”

Look, Toni Morrison is a much much much (I could go on for a while) more talented writer than I am, so I’m sure many people will completely disagree with me, but I find passages like the above hard to read. And not in a good way. It is a little over the top. A little Faulkner-esqe (and we see where that got him on the countdown). A little too, well, much. As I read this book, I kept feeling that she was trying too hard to impress and that the story therefore suffered a teeny bit because of it (IMHO).

But regardless of the prose, I admire Beloved for what it aims to achieve: to make us remember a terrible part of American history. And by remember, I don’t mean in a generic “there was slavery in the United States” way, but instead that there were very specific (and horrific) things that happened to actual people. With many wide scale events such as war, racism, or the holocaust, it is easy to get lost in the numbers, to forget that individual people were affected or perished.  Beloved personalizes slavery, which makes it easier for people-in-general to identify with the subject. It elevates a terrible part of history beyond mere statistics.

And maybe that’s where Beloved and Hamilton share a common bond. We all learn about the War for Independence in school but in our heart of hearts, we don’t care. We aren’t really moved by it. Hamilton changes that because it shows us a period in history through the story of a single, albeit sometimes unsympathetic, man. Just as we really feel the horrors of slavery because of how we see it affected Sethe, we understand the sacrifices people made when establishing this country.

But, and this is a big but, delivery matters. Beloved will never be universally beloved because Morrison loses the reader (or at least some readers) with her challenging writing. There are no little kids making videos recreating scenes from Beloved. Miranda, in contrast, engages a whole new generation of people with his never-before-heard all-rap Broadway musical. Its accessibility enables the story. Hence that’s why Alexander Hamilton will remain on the ten-dollar bill while slave owner Andrew Jackson gets the boot.

Oddly enough, the very same week that equally universally beloved Prince died, I found myself at the Richard Rogers Theater in New York with Lily watching Lin-Manuel Miranda do his stuff. To tell the truth, I was a little concerned that there was no way the play could live up to the hype. I shouldn’t have been. I loved it. No controversy there.

Lily and Daveed
Lily’s selfie with Lafayette/Jefferson actor Daveed Diggs after the show.