Halftime

OK, so Springsteen’s half time show was so awful that all his efforts to inoculate himself against fan criticism only makes the disappointment greater. As if he knew it would be terrible, and he was just covering himself ahead of the show. He joked that he was promoting an album, which is why he finally did the show. This was like the Sex Pistols reuniting for their “Filthy Lucre” tour.

Once upon a time, U2 seemed to have just gotten away with ironically referring to themselves as a corporate band, Springsteen is the same, but he utterly lacks the guile and irony to have it both ways: to espouse working man’s integrity and to make a quick buck.

Speed was indeed the problem.
Springsteen presents himself as not just selling out by giving really long shows in which he seems physically wiped out by the end. This makes the show look and feel like heart-felt work. The halftime show did not allow for that kind of balancing act, and so it looked just like a quick buck.

You could say he refrained from playing “Born in the USA” for fear that it would come across as just a nationalist anthem at the Super Bowl. OK, so he gets something for that, but the gratuitous Disney endorsement just left one with a sick feeling in the end.