There's no question that Beyoncé Knowles is, at this point, the champion pop star of our time. It's the chief reason (along with her long-awaited relaunch onto the pop charts) for the decision to have her headline the Super Bowl XXXXVII.
Seriously, the list of promising halftime show headliners is dwindling.
All of that noted, I have to say that the diva's performance wasn't as amazing as I was expecting. That, by no means, suggests it was bad; I'm not even sure that exists in her vocabulary. However, considering the venue (the most watched televised event of the year, bar none), I was expecting balls-out, knock my shoes off insanity. Honestly, it was quite tepid.
My biggest issue was with the song choices. While the "Love On Top" intro was promising, the set list left a bit to be desired. I mean, where was "Run The World", for instance? Yes it flopped hard, but the sheer bombast of it begged for an epic Super Bowl appearance? The inclusion of "End of Time" was kind of puzzling, as was "Halo"; surely the more iconic "Irreplaceable" could have been substituted, if this was to be a survey of her career. The songs she did perform had many recycled elements, most notably the wall hologram thing that she did at the Billboard Awards in 2011 (and killed it, might I add). There really wasn't anything new or fresh brought to the table, which was very disappointing, considering this is her first major performance in nearly two years.
Also, I felt that the performance itself was way too short. I mean, Michael Jackson was on stage at the Super Bowl for nearly a half hour, and Madonna's halftime show last year felt that long. She has more than enough chart-topping material to create a mini-concert. And then, where was the new single? I can't have been the only person expecting Beyoncé to deliver the first single from her upcoming album, and guarantee a number-one hit.
Speaking of her career, the biggest surprise was the inclusion of Destiny's Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Rumors about their appearance were kiboshed by Williams herself, but that was clearly a way to diffuse the leak. They looked excellent together, and there was a clear effort to make them look like a unit, and not Beyoncé's background singers/dancers (although "Single Ladies" slightly defeated the purpose, but oh well).
I was disappointed because I know Beyoncé can deliver a killer, epic performance, and for whatever reason, it just wasn't there for me. I'm glad she performed, though, because there aren't many who could headline a Halftime show.
Here's to hoping she knocks our socks off at the Grammys next week.
Check her performance out below:
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