Dave James Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 I've been thinking a lot about this lately. As you probably know, the two remaining original members of The Who and two other guys who don't play bass or drums nearly as well as John Entwistle and Keith Moon will be performing during halftime at the Super Bowl. Although the chances are slim, all we can hope is that this will go better for The Who than it did for the Stones. Who needs another amped up, played too fast, get 'em while they last send up of a group's greatest hits? Not this listener. Who needs a bandstand surrounded by gyrating, paid- to-play young people whose parents might not even have been born when the Who was in their prime and whose exposure of to their music begins and ends with this show? Not this listener. But what scares me the most, what's been keeping me up nights is the possibility that Pete Townshend, who will be 65 years old next May, might see fit to end the show by smashing his guitar to pieces. Frankly, I can't imagine anything more embarrassing. I hereby petition the gods of rock and roll. For the sake of dignity, do not let this happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 Boy, they must have offered Townshend and Daltry a really huge pile of money to do this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 I just have to wonder what goes through Daltry's head while singing My Generation now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man with the Golden Arm Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 I just have to wonder what goes through Daltry's head while singing My Generation now... i hope it's that microphone that he swings around all-the-fuggin-time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenny weir Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 Boy, they must have offered Townshend and Daltry a really huge pile of money to do this. Don't be ridiculous! The fact they're still going around shows where their heads are at. And BTW, they played at the "after party" of the Australian GP here in Melbourne last year, so playing the Super Bowl 1/2 time ain't no big sellout or change by their current standards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 At least not a big change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 None of this worries me in the least. I've seen every Super Bowl telecast (not to mention a few NFL championship games before that), but I only watch the game (and some of the ads). I haven't watched the pre-game show in many years (and I try to avoid hearing the annual butchering of out national anthem); but the thing I'm most careful to make sure I miss completely are the halftime shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 This is why God created the mute button. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quincy Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 (edited) The NFL is so hip to what's happening in music that I expect to see (if I live that long) Radiohead play Super Bowl LXXV. Bring back Up With People! Edited February 3, 2010 by Quincy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 This is why God created the mute button. Not to mention the Puppy Bowl and Lingerie Bowl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Son-of-a-Weizen Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 I just have to wonder what goes through Daltry's head while singing My Generation now... 'If Pete doesn't hurry up and cut the crap with those #@%*! windmills, those 3 tubes of BENGAY won't do squat and he'll be whining on the plane!!!' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave James Posted February 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 Hey, Dan. Welcome back, man. Hope things are going well for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vajerzy Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 Hey, I'm looking forward to this.....after Timberlake/Jackson Nipple-gate, they're playing as safe as possible. At least they can still play and get around- I hope I'm like that in my mid-60s. Springsteen, Tom Petty, Paul McCartney....kids my son's age (28) like the "oldies".....I vote for AC/DC next year.....or Organissimo.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILLYQ Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 Hey, I'm looking forward to this.....after Timberlake/Jackson Nipple-gate, they're playing as safe as possible. At least they can still play and get around- I hope I'm like that in my mid-60s. Springsteen, Tom Petty, Paul McCartney....kids my son's age (28) like the "oldies".....I vote for AC/DC next year.....or Organissimo.... Of course, the SB is on CBS so what's left of the Who will play all three 'CSI' theme songs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van Basten II Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 What you got to wonder are the demographics of the show, if they want to attract mostly 40+ white males then it makes sense to schedule these kind of bands. If they are lacking in 20-25 segment, then they'd be shooting themselves in the foot by bringing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 I don't know whether this is coincidental or not...but EA Sports changed their "music" for Madden NFL 10 this year. There was a little blurb about it that I read (somewhere) that said "as our core demographic ages, we are adjusting the music to more accurately fit our target audience". So, Madden NFL 9 had a bunch of nu-rock stuff like Audioslave, Queens Of The Stone Age, plus a whole bunch of hip-hop type stuff, etc. Madden NFL 10 has turned the clock back and focuses now on bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, etc. So I'm guessing the "target audience" at this point for Madden would be the "first video game generation", people who were around 9 years old when the first Atari came out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave James Posted February 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 I'm sure there's a sizable group of people out there in who actually enjoy these half time extravaganzas, but I'll be damned if I know any of them. I have never found a single person who thinks these shows are anything other than horrifically bad, if not downright embarrassing. But, as the expression goes, no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public. If you're old enough to remember the old Orange Bowl half times featuring the likes of Anita Bryant, it's easy to see that only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim McG Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 Hi Dan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 I don't know whether this is coincidental or not...but EA Sports changed their "music" for Madden NFL 10 this year. There was a little blurb about it that I read (somewhere) that said "as our core demographic ages, we are adjusting the music to more accurately fit our target audience". So, Madden NFL 9 had a bunch of nu-rock stuff like Audioslave, Queens Of The Stone Age, plus a whole bunch of hip-hop type stuff, etc. Madden NFL 10 has turned the clock back and focuses now on bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, etc. So I'm guessing the "target audience" at this point for Madden would be the "first video game generation", people who were around 9 years old when the first Atari came out. Still younger than me... But honestly, no one I've talked to has ever said that they do anything but completely skip the halftime show. One wonders why they even have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van Basten II Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 The one with Springsteen last year was the first one in ages i remember watching. Heck i only learned about the Nipplegate the next day only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DukeCity Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 (edited) But what scares me the most, what's been keeping me up nights is the possibility that Pete Townshend, who will be 65 years old next May, might see fit to end the show by smashing his guitar to pieces. Frankly, I can't imagine anything more embarrassing. Oh, I'm sure it will happen. As I understand it, PT donates the smashed guitars for various charities to auction off. He has commented that the value of the guitar increases dramatically as soon as it becomes "As-Smashed-By-Pete-Townshend." But, yeah, the whole prospect of that show is disheartening. Edit to add: HEY, that's my 1,000th post!!! Edited February 3, 2010 by DukeCity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papsrus Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 Good to see you back Dan. What would be a good half-time show (given the audience, which is pretty much everyone)? They could put some thought into it and draw on the two cities involved. New Orleans is a no-brainer. Indy? ... Screw Indy, just get some New Orleans marching bands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Ptah Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 Reading the list of Super Bowl halftime performers over the years, big pop or rock stars were not used as the entertainment until the later 1990s. Before that, University marching bands were often booked, or easy listening artists or even gasp, jazz artists. The following Super Bowl halftime performers may be of interest to those on this forum: Ella Fitzgerald (1972), Woody Herman (1973), Mercer Ellington and the Ellington Orchestra (1975), Pete Fountain and Al Hirt (1978--Al Hirt had also performed in 1967 and 1972), Pete Fountain and Irma Thomas (1990), Tony Bennett and Arturo Sandoval (1995). Those performers were usually part of a package of other acts. Not until the 2000s was it firmly established that a big rock or pop star would be named as the halftime performer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 Just give me a few healthy whippets, and one guy who is really good at throwing frisbees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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