Super Halftime Show
Monday, February 5th, 2007I know I’m more than a bit biased about this because of my 80’s childhood and the fact that “Purple Rain” has always been on my top ten list for best albums ever - but Prince’s super bowl halftime performance was totally freakin’ awesome. The man is a legend - and not in the same tired and bloated way that, say, Paul McCartney is a legend.
Prince is mysterious figure, a formidable talent, and never afraid to experiment with his music. He’s deeply religious–a Jehovah’s Witness–but instead of feeling limited by his faith, he channels his spirituality into creativity and an abiding love of life in all its sensual glory. His performance at the ball game was just fun. He didn’t come out raging, heaving, and overdoing it like the usual sequined diva or combo of aging rockers.
He was just…himself. He played and sang some of his Purple Rain material and worked in a couple of covers, joking about the rain and throwing in a cute musical smirk with his selection of “Proud Mary”. (It’s not a true medley unless you utter the words “left a good job in the citaaaay…” at high tempo) Ending with the song “Purple Rain”, asking the crowd to sing the soaring “woooo-ooo-oooo-ooo” while swaying in the pouring rain was just lovely. I know, the monsoon was just a lucky coincidence, but it was a lot of fun to watch.
Definitely one of the best halftime performances ever - a demonstration that it’s better to showcase a real artist and seasoned performer instead of mashing together a few big names into an ill-conceived variety show.