Super Bowl XLIV split the country. A lot of people wanted to see the Saints win, for the city’s sake more than anything else, but just as many wanted Peyton Manning to be crowned one of the (if not THE) greatest quarterback ever with his second Super Bowl win.

A pick six and 31-17 loss put that on hold, for a while anyway.

And the other thing that split the country was the perception of the halftime show: was it good? Bad? Great? Everyone has a different opinion. I thought it was fitting that The Who performed on CBS, the network that features them so heavily during the intros to all those CSI shows.  As for their performance, here’s my two cents:

1) Very cool stage. It was very modern, visually arresting, yet retro with the circular shape hearkening back to the old 45 rpm singles that were popular when Pete and Roger were in their prime. I thought it was spot on.

2) I worried for Roger as he prepared for “the scream” during Won’t Get Fooled Again. He’s in his 60s, he looks very professorial now with his little round glasses and scarf, but it sounded cool. Not as cool as on the record, or on CSI, but cool.

3) Pete Townshend looked a little drunk, but he was having a good time on stage, and delivered with his guitar. His voice? Well…he wasn’t lead singer, so who cares?

4) That was Ringo Starr’s son Zak on drums. Considering original Who drummer Keith Moon gave him his first drum set many years ago, it was fitting that he plays with the band now.  Keith’s godson is as close to kin as we’ll get, and he gave a very flashy performance.

5) The crowd loved it. This was true arena rock, in an era that has basically forgotten what it was. It’s not supposed to sound exactly like the CD! That’s what happens when you don’t lip sync to a recorded track.

Sadly, this is probably the only exposure to “live” Who music many people watching this year’s Super Bowl have ever experienced. My perspective: they’re a lot older now, but the kids are still alright.

–Brian

After watching Super Bowl 41, it is now obvious why the game needs to be played in a good weather city. Even those old school “Football should be played in the elements” guys like me now totally realize you need to have the best field conditions for the games and fans. I wonder how many people paid multiple thousands of dollars for tickets and packages to the game, only to hit bad weather and sit in a soggy stadium only to wish they had saved the money and stayed home. Answer? Probably none. I’ve been lucky enough to broadcast from two Super Bowl lead up weeks, and actually go to one game…and there is nothing like it. And remember, the rain was 60 degree precip…not 35 bordering on hail. So as much as we would love to see it a SNOW BOWL SUPER BOWL at the Ralph will never happen. Our local weather this weekend was also another reason why cold weather cities, even with a dome, are not big favorites of the NFL. Imagine just getting fans to the game in the weather we currently have.


As for the game, the rain did affect things a bit, but not to the point where it changed the outcome of the game. I do believe that every announcer blew it on the TV coverage. There was not one mention of the NFL’s role in providing slick footballs that got even worse in the rain. In the Super Bowl, there is a new fall put into play virtually every series, and every special teams play. Part of the reason is so they can give out so many game used balls to coaches, team captains, MVP’s, league dignitaries, etc. These balls are new, shiny, and slick, and are even worse in the rain. It is NO COINCIDENCE that many of the fumbles occurred on the first play after a change of possession (there were two fumbles in a row, twice). Those were brand new balls made slicker by the rain. I think the failure of Phil Simms to mention that was, while not egregious, was something that certainly should have been mentioned.


Bad weather aside, the NFL really is truly mediocre. The Bears couldn’t get off the field on defense. I don’t like rating people on one performance, but it is becoming obvious that Rex Grossman gets a big lift from playing the Packers, Lions, and Vikings 2 times each year. The guy just doesn’t have the look of a leader, or a winner. If it wasn’t for the Bills, I might only watch about 5 or 6 full kickoff-to-final gun games a year. College Football is sooooo much better.


The opening of the second half gave me flashbacks to BILLS-GIANTS Super Bowl 25. When they started running graphics of how long it had been since the Bears had the ball (counting in the time for the half-time show, it was eerily close to what the Giants did to the Bills. Message to any coach who wins a toss in a future SB…elect to kick. Take the ball in the second half.


Prince is a gamer. I first I thought some of it may have been taped, but he definitely wasn’t lip syncing. And his guitar playing was certainly live. Prince showed again that no matter how wacky or “out there” you may think he is, if you have the chance to see one of his shows, you gotta go. He could play for two hours, and if you are over 30 you may know all the words to every song. Brilliant move working in the opening of ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER…which many incorrectly refer to as a JIMI HENDRIX song. BOB DYLAN wrote it and first performed near acoustic it in ‘68. But the tripped out- psychedelic version by JIMI has become the standard. Even Bob has said he prefers it over his original.


By the way, my next blog will talk about what an overrated-pain-in-the-rear thing blogs have become. I mean I have 3 1/2 hours a day, 5 days a week to tell you things…what could I possibly have left over? But more on that next time. Cuz I probably won’t have time to talk about it on the air (get it?).