For the game, viewers got to see this year's underdogs, the New Orleans Saints, defeat the Indianapolis Colts to gain their first Superbowl victory. The ads during the Superbowl quite possibly the only time commercials aren't met with impatience and annoyance featured children and animals resorting to violence for Doritos, grown men transforming into the likes of Betty White and Abe Vigoda because of a hunger that only a Snickers bar could satisfy, and a handful of other brands employing the expected call to machismo.
As for the halftime show, the audience was treated to The Who's Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend's performance of a medley of some of band's most iconic songs. The pair took their place in the center of a circular stage that lit up with different patterns of colored lights and pyrotechnics as they went through selections from "Pinball Wizard," "Baba O'Reilly," "Who Are You," "Won't Get Fooled Again" and the finale of the rock opera "Tommy" (1975).
After the 12-minute performance, many viewers found themselves questioning the choice of an over 40-year-old band with only two surviving original members for the Superbowl halftime show. Professional and blogosphere critics alike complained that younger, more current artists should have been chosen and that the remaining members of The Who were too old to continue performing. Some even called the show sad and pathetic.
Andrew Dansby of the Houston Chronicle, for one, speculated, "Had The Who of 45 years ago been transported to 2010 by time machine, the band likely would have been too edgy to have been successfully vetted for this event." He then went on to say that The Who's performance was the "musical equivalent of having your food chewed for you." Rolling Stone magazine reported on its readers' reactions to the halftime show, noting that some "felt that The Who showed their old age in the performance, and a small minority claimed that the band onstage wasn't the Who at all since they were missing drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle."
Yet, despite a few moments when Daltrey and Townshend sounded out of breath, watching The Who perform Sunday was not, as commentators would have you believe, like watching two escapees from an old folks' home on stage. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Daltrey's voice was just as strong as it was in his prime, and Townshend and Daltrey still sounded fresh on guitar and harmonica. The duo looked like they were having a blast as Townshend bounced back and forth across the stage.
I think the difference in opinion between those who enjoyed the halftime show and those who did not derives from a fundamental difference in our individual criteria for entertaining musical performances. Often, these expectations are tied to the genre of the performance. In pop music, the staging, costumes and choreography play as big a role as the music does in live performances. In rock, classical, jazz and others, however, this is often not the case. Musicians come out in jeans and t-shirts there's nothing too elaborate about the stage and there are no backup dancers to distract from the band or ensemble. The focus is on the music, and that's all audiences need to go home happy.
There are, of course, exceptions to this rule. There are pop artists who can deliver a great set in a stripped-down setting. Likewise, some rock bands rely on video displays, an intricate background or bizarre costumes and makeup to enhance their live shows.
Still, I know that I would be bored sitting through an entire Britney Spears or Beyonce concert if it lacked the impressive choreography and flashy outfits that we have come to expect from current Top 40 artists. But I could spend hours on end watching the Pixies stand on stage in their street clothes completely free of visual gimmicks and play through their discography.
To those bemoaning the absence of young stars, provocative outfits and scantily clad, nubile backup dancers in the Superbowl halftime show: you clearly weren't paying attention. The Who's music, and not the production surrounding it, was the show. Just because that music wasn't performed by attractive teenage celebrities who are still going through puberty doesn't make the performance any less exceptional. The Who do not need any of that excess or superfluity to shine the music stands for itself.
