Monday morning quarterback: Super Bowl entertainment
AP Photo/Charlie Krupa
Oh say can you sing?
The game was pretty good but the entertainment? Uh, maybe not so much.
Twitter exploded pre-game yesterday after Christina Aguilera botched the lyrics to the National Anthem.
Here’s a link to the unfortunate performance.
She quickly apologized, saying she was “lost in the moment.”
“I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of its anthem still came through,” she said in a statement.
Former Falcons player Deion Sanders, a new Hall of Famer, came to her defense, tweeting, Y’all leave Christina alone. I was just informed that was the remix. The NFL was running behind so she was sweet enough to help us out.”
Then there was the half-time show. The Black Eyed Peas, in their blingy light-up costumes, accompanied by a legion of choreographed dancers lining up in formation on the field, certainly looked cool. They sounded sort of off, though, like they couldn’t hear themselves well enough to stay in tune.
“Visually, what the Peas did was amazing,” tweeted Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas. “It sounded like (crap).”
That’s not exactly what he said, but this is a family friendly blog.
Did the arrival of Usher and Slash salvage the half-time show? What did you think of the entertainment aspect of Super Bowl XLV?
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69 comments Add your comment
corrigo
February 7th, 2011
9:15 am
fergie rocked it and that’s all there is to it!
Tab
February 7th, 2011
9:19 am
I enjoyed the halftime show!! Blame the sound engineers, not the BEP.
Texas Pete
February 7th, 2011
9:21 am
The sound was definately off but I do give the BEP credit for performing live with that grand production. Had they sounded perfect with all that going on we’d be talking about another cheap lip sync performance. Slash was the performance high point of the night. He sounded near perfect on the guitar.
Rena
February 7th, 2011
9:23 am
I thought the halftime show was great!
Pete
February 7th, 2011
9:30 am
I’m not the biggest pop music fan, but for these events I try to give artists the benefit of the doubt. Bottom line though is Aguilera was bad. Not just flubbing the line, but she sounded terrible. The same with the Black Eyed Peas. The visual production was cool. It looked a poor man’s version of what we saw in the Olympics in Beijing. But they sounded terrible…..especially Fergie when they started doing covers. It was bad karaoke. They need to book bands that are talented enough and understand how to play live in that size venue or just let these entertainers lip sync. BTW – the Usher part was embarrassing.
Marietta_Gator
February 7th, 2011
9:38 am
This was by far the WORST entertainment of all Super Bowls.
Christina Awfulgetta, botched the National Anthem and should be shot.
The BEP was not good and “Fergie” was awful. Maybe she and Christina should make a album together–without autotune and see how people respond to their voices.
I hope neither EVER get asked back the Super Bowl
Deirdre
February 7th, 2011
9:40 am
Quoting from the American Idol Buzz blog: Tron: The Musical.
Tiffani
February 7th, 2011
9:47 am
Why was Christina Aguliera singing the national anthem anyway? Other than that horrid excuse for a movie Burlesque, what else did she have going on this year? As far as the BEP, i loved it! I could have done without Usher though…love him but he doesnt even move the same as he used to. Overall, I think halftime was great.
plh
February 7th, 2011
9:49 am
halftime show was flat out awful. fergie did a terrible impersonation of axl rose, the sound sucked, none of them could sing in tune, there was more yelling than singing….. i kept hoping for a wardrobe malfunction so that the producers would pull the plug.
stick with proven, tried and true, live performers. not pop musicians whose can only sound good thanks to the studio engineers.
bring back “the boss” next year!!!!
J
February 7th, 2011
9:49 am
Blame the sound engineers? You sound like an idiot.
clincher
February 7th, 2011
9:54 am
Terrible. What a let down from past years with The Who, Springsteen and Price. BEP is a joke. No wonder they put so much into the visual part of their show. They are not musicians…they are a studio production.
Mr. Ed
February 7th, 2011
9:59 am
Hopefully, the upcoming surgery to repair my left eardrum will be a success. It burst or rather exploded while Aguilera butchered the National Anthem last night. Why can’t these performers just sing the song with adding their own “spin”. Just sing it straight and save us the personal interpretation.
Sheesh.
Guy
February 7th, 2011
10:04 am
No one can say the entertainment was good. I understand its not the BEP fault completely but they sounded awful. They sounded out of tune when they were singing. Fergie’s mic was sometimes too loud. Usher was barely singing and it sounded like his music was playing in the background also. All in all some people behind the scenes are absolutely getting fired because it was all poorly run. Makes you realize how much editing goes into making their music sound good
Jim Warren
February 7th, 2011
10:05 am
Derivative, off-key, gimmicky.
Oh…and so was halftime.
KelR
February 7th, 2011
10:05 am
I figured since the half time show was so awful in my opinion that I had officially reached old age. But if this is what constitutes popular current entertainment, I prefer to be thought of as old and square and will wear that title with honor. That was almost painful to sit through. And Christina’s urban yodeling wasn’t any better.
rawdawg
February 7th, 2011
10:09 am
Worst halftime show ever….BEP were just terrible. They are proof why music sucks so bad today. Flash over substance is what they are all about. PLEASE get someone who is not all about flashing TV heads and idiots dancing around on stage.
Spanky
February 7th, 2011
10:10 am
Crap is still crap, no matter who else shows up! LOL!
Tucker
February 7th, 2011
10:20 am
Super Bowl halftimes have become cartoonish interruptions of the presentation of the game.
worm
February 7th, 2011
10:23 am
WORST half time show ever..
ADL
February 7th, 2011
10:24 am
I didn’t listen to the National Anthem (only turned the sound up for the commercials), but it was painful to watch. Her theatrics and singing style are completely wrong for that song. It’s not hard to go back to previous games and find someone who can sing the song right, and sing it well.
And Deion, you can shut the %@#$ up. You may be in the Hall of Fame (certainly not for leading the league in tackles), but if you want to apologize for anything you need to apologize for that shirt and tie you wore yesterday!!!
BEP= Terrible!!
February 7th, 2011
10:26 am
Who writes their sings? My five year old can write that garbage. “I got a feeling….Yeah, a feeling like we can’t sing!
Crap Eyed Peas
February 7th, 2011
10:27 am
Who was the trannie singing with Slash?
mcgoo
February 7th, 2011
10:27 am
well, there really are no words to how bad the national anthem was.
the visual of the half time show was good, but sound was bad. and usher……that was just a waste of money. i like him, but he never sings when he performs anymore. he just dances.
better luck next year!
Crap Eyed Peas
February 7th, 2011
10:28 am
Usher…. just pathetic… learn to sing live!!!!
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Seriously?
February 7th, 2011
10:38 am
Both the anthem and halftime performances were awful. Christina is actually usually fairly decent live, but her “look at me! look at me!” performance last night was embarrassing. It’s hilarious that Vegas was actually taking bets on how long she was going to stretch the anthem out.
The Black-Eyed Peas were just awful. On the one hand, you have to give them credit for doing it live and (at least in Fergie’s case), without a lot of processing. But Fergie is apparently completely tone-deaf. She’s been like that in every performance I’ve ever seen her in. It’s funny, because you can tell from her body language that she thinks she’s nailing it, but she’s so pitchy that most vocal processors couldn’t even clean it up.
The really sad thing about it is that, with American Idol and all of the rest of the “performers” who make up the music industry these days, people have forgotten what a competent, talented vocalist sounds like. Studio Wonders like Fergie who only sound good after thirty takes and a boatload of signal processing are the norm.
Helen Kolodey
February 7th, 2011
10:39 am
I don’t know why the National Anthem isn’t just played by the Marine band or other group. Then, we wouldn’t have it butchered by singers who want to put their own “spin” on it. It should be sung in a respectful style, which we very seldom see. Most of these “stars” want to jazz it up or put a sexy, breathy, style to a song that represents so much to so many people. That’s my opinion.
jeas3
February 7th, 2011
10:40 am
Despite the fact that Christina Aguilera flubbed one of her lines, I thought she sounded great – unlike the Blackeyed Peas whose sound engineers didn’t do so well. For those of you who are so quick to dwell on the National Anthem, how many of you could get out there and sing in front of that many people? She’s not the first professional to make a mistake, and she won’t be the last.
Jennifer W
February 7th, 2011
10:45 am
Prince=the best in recent times. Michael Jackson=the best..period.
AJC Negative Blogger
February 7th, 2011
10:45 am
I am MAD! THE WORLD SUCKS AND SO DOES ITS MUSIC! I WANT TO HAVE A GOOD DAY BUT THE BEP PERORMED AT THE SUPERBOWL LAST NIGHT SO I CAN’T. Someone needs to be fired! People who buy this crap music should lose their right to vote! Oh wait, the AJC sucks so why do I keep coming here and posting?
Ouch! I just got a hang nail. Who can I blame now for my misery? Oh yeah, I twitched when I remembered hearing Christina last night so it’s her fault!
AJC Negative Blogger
February 7th, 2011
10:47 am
I think the BEP rock! I am as lame as they are. Yippeee!!!!
AJC Negative Blogger
February 7th, 2011
10:48 am
Usher rocks too! hahahahaha
Rocky
February 7th, 2011
10:51 am
A bunch of none singing NO talent crap for the biggest event of the year…
Don’t let negro’s pick the people or the tunes they screach out next year…
They all need a drug test before they perform for America..
Sports Fan
February 7th, 2011
10:52 am
Persons like Christina Aguilera don’t deserve the honor to sing the National Anthem. Quality singers that know and RESPECT the Anthem should be singing it as it was written to be sung, not those that like to add their freak changes to it! Don’t let show off idiots like her touch it!
AJC Negative booger
February 7th, 2011
10:55 am
Don’t volunteer to sing it if you don’t know the words! Period!
MountainDawg
February 7th, 2011
10:58 am
That yodeling mess isn’t singing anyways. As for the half-time show, it stank too (save for Slash).
Steelpacker
February 7th, 2011
11:06 am
Let’s stop the culture of celebrity when it comes to the National Anthem and only have it performed by a military band who will give it the respect it deserves.
StanOfSac
February 7th, 2011
11:08 am
I have run sound for various projects for 30 years, and that was the worst effort I’ve ever seen at a major event. They were fiddling with the music and individual vocal levels almost 10 minutes into the 12-minute show. Half the BOP mics were off at the beginning. All that should have been ironed out in the sound checks. Simply very poor execution — and no excuse will work when you have the money and time they had. It was amateur at best. Too bad, because the show looked pretty well-rehearsed. But the fluctuating levels (especially on Fergie’s mic) were major distractions. Get a pro to do the job next time…
mcgoo
February 7th, 2011
11:09 am
we arent celebrities/singers who are TRAINED to sing in front of that many people. she has done tons of concerts and should not fluke like that…i agree that she is not the first and wont be the last, but that is her job.
Big G
February 7th, 2011
11:09 am
Rocy you are an AXX.
StanOfSac
February 7th, 2011
11:10 am
Anybody know what sound crew did this gig? I want to avoid them…
dark30
February 7th, 2011
11:13 am
Grumpy old-ish man chiming in, but as many have said the BEPs problem is not just the bad sound mixing on Super Sunday, but that they are a shallow, gimmicky studio band not meant to see live. Unless jumping around to songs about partying and, um, having a good time, “sung” via obnoxious AutoTune is what you desire. Is this “band” really what consitutes pop music these days? No wonder I turned off the radio years ago. And this brings up the age old question – who are they going to ask to play events like this? There’s a reason nearly every recent performer is a throwback to the 60s/70s/80s: they really played and sang their own songs, kids. I fear the future when the NFL drags out “hip” bands like BEP who can’t pull off an event like this.
Dutch
February 7th, 2011
11:14 am
It’s had to be difficult to remember anything with that awful noise that had to be coming into her ear piece – there is a difference between singing and screaming.
Joie
February 7th, 2011
11:16 am
Really would like to see our professional athletes. the coaches, and legions of staff attending the palyers do the right thing when the National Anthem is played. You look directly at the flag during the entire song and put your hand over your heart. Millions have died to give us the freedom to earn the millions of $$$ they all do.
Captain America
February 7th, 2011
11:23 am
The entertainers in the white body covering tights looked like the little “you know what” from Woody Allen’s movie- Everything you ever wanted to know about ………
AJC Negative Blogger
February 7th, 2011
11:25 am
Rocky prefers that Rosanne Barr represent all that is white, I mean right with America at such events!
Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired
February 7th, 2011
11:29 am
@Rocky – Newsflash Dude….Negro’s don’t determine who will perform at the Super Bowl annually. So be careful what you say when it is obvious that you don’t know what you’re talking about……ignorant statements don’t become you Dude and they don’t make you appear to be smarter than you really are!!!!
Steelpacker
February 7th, 2011
11:45 am
Why can’t we all just get it wrong, I mean get along?
Phil
February 7th, 2011
12:17 pm
I thought the National Anthem and the Halftime show sucked big time. Why is the National Anthem supposed to be entertaining. It’s supposed to honor the country not the singer. Christine (like many singers) made the song about drawing attention to her performance more than the Country. Just sing the song!!!! Stop glorifying yourself with your rendition. I prefer a Military Band at all events.
The halftime show was nothing more than an a bunch of noise, irritating noise. I tried to grab a nap during the halftime show and couldn’t due to the racket! Who comes up with the entertainment anyway? Dallas is a Country Music City. Why not have music that is complemintary of the Texas heritage? I’m not even a CW fan but I would have loved that over what they had.
Nick
February 7th, 2011
12:23 pm
FERGIE RUINED SWEET CHILD O MINE AND I CAN NEVER FORGIVE HER!!!!!!!!