Most Memorable Super Bowl Halftime Shows

We've got another Super Bowl and Super Bowl Halftime Show in the books. This year featured Coldplay, Beyonce & Bruno Mars in what was an okay performance. It wasn't outstanding, it wasn't terrible. The best part was when the three joined together for a "Fix You"/"Up&Up" performance that showed clips of previous Halftime shows (which for some reason left off Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake...hmm). Overall though, it just felt like something you'd watch at the VMA's or Grammy's.

So what are the most memorable Super Bowl halftime shows ever?

U2 (2002) - U2 were tasked with performing just a few months following the 9/11 attacks. And really, no band is better to handle that sort of moment. They were the first band to resume concerts in New York City with some shows at Madison Square Garden just a few weeks after the attacks. They delivered in a big way at the Super Bowl. It started out with an upbeat performance of "Beautiful Day." That led into the more somber "MLK," which is when the giant screen of the names of every victim scrolled upwards to the top of the Superdome. That led into "Where The Streets Have No Name," which picked up the pace again and left viewers feeling hopeful for the future. It culminated in Bono revealing an American flag on the inside of his jacket, a visual that still resonates. U2 were able to take viewers along for a ride through so many different emotions, which might never be possible again.

Prince (2007) - If any word could be used to describe Prince's Halftime show, it would be: electric. It was a rainy night in Miami, but that didn't stop him from putting on an energetic show, utilizing the weather to his advantage, even featuring simulated lightning on top of the stadium. He featured numerous cover songs that surprised and delighted people: "We Will Rock You," "Proud Mary," "All Along The Watchtower," and the more recent Foo Fighters hit "Best of You." He ended the night by playing "Purple Rain" in the rain, which became the signature moment that people remember. Since then the NFL has basically forced Miami to put a canopy over the seats for them to host future Super Bowls in the Dolphins' stadium, in case it were to rain. I guess the rich folks insanely spending hundreds-thousands of dollars on tickets can't handle a little water. Prince, however, went out there and showed that a little rain never hurt anyone.

Diana Ross Leaves in a Helicopter

Diana Ross (1996) - Diana Ross ran through a string of her Motown hits, but the memorable part was at the end when she declared that her ride was there. A helicopter came down onto the field and whisked her out of the stadium, in what is clearly the most memorable exit from the Super Bowl halftime of all time. The show left such an impression that the NFL went for a Motown/1960s theme in the a few of the shows after this one.

Michael Jackson (1993) - This was the first halftime show that truly went for being a major event in itself, something that would become talked about alongside the game in the following days. Jackson memorably walked out and basically just stood there to a roaring crowd for a while. He then performed some of his biggest hits ("Billie Jean," "Black or White") in a large scale spectacle that hadn't been done at any of the previous halftime shows. The set ended a bit cheesy with "Heal the World", but overall it kicked off the Halftime show as we know it today.

Janet Jackson featuring Justin Timberlake (2004) - This one doesn't even need an explanation. Its memorable for Nipplegate, and we've all heard the story. Of course, the whole reaction was overblown and showcased how ridiculous the FCC is.

Paul McCartney (2005) - Let's be real: if the NFL went by without ever having one of the Beatles play the Halftime show, something would be missing from its lore. Paul delivered a stellar set as he always does, and the show featured a healthy amount of crowd participation, ending with "Hey Jude" that featured the whole crowd singing along.

Bruno Mars featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers (2014) - Bruno Mars was one of the younger performers, as they usually get someone with a large back catalog of hits. Bruno rose to the occasion though, including a memorable drum solo, which probably gave him a number of new fans. The show made for a good mix of slower moments with high energy, while the Red Hot Chili Peppers proved to make a solid pairing with Bruno and his band.

The Rolling Stones (2006) - The Stones did what they did best, rocked the house with a rollicking performance that could probably put people half their age to shame. What was memorable about this is how the NFL & ABC aired it on a five second delay and turned off Mick Jagger's microphone for two songs with lyrics that were too "sexually explicit." The band agreed to that beforehand so it wasn't a surprise, but it just goes to show how worried networks had become about live TV after Nipplegate in 2004.

Aerosmith, Britney Spears, 'N Sync, Mary J. Blige, Nelly (2001) - This one isn't really memorable for the performances aside from when they were all on stage to join together and play "Walk This Way." It perfectly encapsulated the pop culture landscape of 1999-2001, while having something for everyone. It was an odd mashup, but one that actually worked.

And a shout out to Katy Perry, Missy Elliott, and Lenny Kravitz. While the jury is out, it did feature a few possible memorable moments: Left Shark, Missy Elliott returning to the public eye unexpectedly, and Katy Perry on a platform that "flew" around on a wire, which made for quite a stunt.

Best of SNL 40

Saturday Night Live celebrated 40 Years with a Sunday Night special...live from New York, of course. Overall it was an enjoyable show, and quite amazing to the crew that pulled it all together in what was probably a pretty crazy week. The show was big on nostalgia with plenty of clips from 1975 to the present.

My one gripe is that there weren't quite enough sketches, yet there were three musical performances. And one of them was Kanye West and his Auto-Tune...yawn. So if you tuned in expecting to see 3 hours full of new versions of your favorite sketches from the 1970's to now, you were kind of out of luck. Here are the best moments:

1. Wayne's World. Possibly the most famous recurring sketch was thankfully brought back to life towards the end of the special to deliver one of their always fun Top 10 lists. The best was when they ran through the list of musical performers. Three of The Beatles, U2, Nirvana, Beyonce & Beck were some named. And of course, Garth mentioned how he thought Beck was a better performer than Beyonce. Cue Kanye West jokes, which he was in on, having "security" hold him down.

2. Weekend Update. Tina Fey, Amy Poehler & Jane Curtin came together for a funny and entertaining version of the SNL staple. It featured some tributes to classic SNL characters portrayed by former stars who have since passed away (such as Emma Stone playing Gilda Radner's "Roseanne Roseannadanna"). Stefon made an appearance, and he and Seth Meyers are parents now! But the highlight goes to Curtin: "I used to be the only pretty blonde reading fake news. Now there's a whole network devoted to that." Then the Fox News logo pops up.

3. Jim Carrey. This was technically before the show, but Carrey asked Matt Lauer & Savannah Guthrie if he could ask them something. His question: "Where are you hiding Brian Williams?" Lauer awkwardly responded, "Oh, look at the time." Carrey followed with, "In his defense, if the helicopter in front of me gets hit, I'm taking the story." Perfect!

 

4. Celebrity Jeopardy. Will Ferrell & Darrell Hammond did battle again as Alex Trebek & Sean Connery and it was just as good as it always was. Kate McKinnon also did her perfect Justin Bieber impression, and Norm Macdonald brought back Burt Reynolds.

5. Martin Short & Maya Rudolph (as Beyonce). They paid tribute to the musical sketches of SNL, with perfect use of a fan on Maya-Beyonce. It featured Will Ferrell & Ana Gasteyer as their desperately trying to be hip church singers, The Culps. Adam Sandler brought back Operaman and the Blues Brothers showed up.

6. Justin Timberlake & Jimmy Fallon Opening. The dynamic duo did a musical rundown of the most memorable characters in SNL history. Molly Shannon showed up as Mary Katherine Gallagher and then Rachel Dratch appeared as Debbie Downer to bring down the mood just a little bit as only she can. Always remember - Feline Aids is the number one killer of domestic cats.

7. Ellen Cleghorne. Jerry Seinfeld did a segment which we see a lot of on SNL, taking questions from cast members & others sitting in the audience. He called Sarah Palin Tina which provided an amusing skit between the two. But, Larry David and former cast member Cleghorne were the best, with it going something like this:
Cleghorne - "Why aren't there more black women?"
Seinfeld - "On the show?"
Cleghorne - "No just in general. There should be black women popping out of drawers." Jerry agreed that there should be more, and then she asked where they were on his show Seinfeld. Burn!

8. Betty White & Bradley Cooper Kiss. The Californians went way too long, and there were so many other sketches they probably could have done instead. It did however feature a fun performance from original cast member, Laraine Newman. And it also had a long kiss between Betty White and Bradley Cooper, which wasn't just a peck on the lips. That's something you might never see again!

Kanye West: Douche

Kanye West was at it again at the Grammy Awards, a few years after interrupting his first victim (Taylor Swift). He ran on stage after Beck won for Best Album, only to run back down to his seat. It seemed like a joke at first, by poking fun at himself. Great. Then he goes on E! and starts ranting that it wasn't a joke, saying Beck should give his award to Beyonce and to "respect artistry". Beck responded by saying he thinks Kanye is great and talented. I don't really listen to Beck much, but its nice to see someone so humble & naturally talented win.

Even his wife Kim Kardashian was incredibly uncomfortable during the whole ordeal, forcing a smile. I mean, he made Kim Kardashian uncomfortable on camera. And she did a porn!

Personally, I think Kanye West should heed his own advice to respect artistry and creativity. Its 2015 and he is still overusing Auto-Tune (since he can't sing) 17 years after it was first used by Cher as a gimmick in 1998. Real artistic & original there, Kanye. And what is his obsession with Beyonce? I'm surprised more people don't find it odd, especially Jay Z and Beyonce.

I think Shirley Manson of the band Garbage said it best by writing to him, You are making yourself look like a complete twat. 

New U2 Album Being Revealed At Apple Event

The updated U2 iPod from 2006

It's been 5 and a half years since U2 last released an album, 2009's No Line On The Horizon. That is about to change, as rumor has it U2 will be releasing some information about the new album, with the date of release soon.

According to the New York Times, U2 (Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr, Adam Clayton) will be at the Apple event September 9th. Apple will be revealing the iPhone 6 that day, which should go on sale shortly after. Now the rumor is U2 will be streaming the entire album on the iPhone 6. One can assume the album will then be released shortly after that. They may also be performing their new single at the event. This all comes with little hype or warning, which worked for David Bowie & Beyonce among others. 

There may be more in relation to Apple, but that is being kept under wraps. The music industry has changed with album sales at an all time low, and artists are finding new ways to get music out there. We can possibly expect some unique new thing U2 and Apple will be trying to improve the listening experience in the digital age. The album will be released in an "innovative" way according to some. We'll find out soon what innovative actually means. 

This isn't the first time the two have linked up. Their hit song "Vertigo" was featured in the memorable silhouette iPod commercials in 2004 and 2005. Apple also released a Special Edition U2 iPod in 2004 and video iPod in 2006. 

Solange Attacks Jay Z

Solange and Jay Z After The Fight

Well file this under bizarre news for the day. Solange Knowles, sister of Beyonce, and Jay Z walked into an elevator at the Met Gala and all of a sudden Solange started punching and kicking at him before someone who was with them pulled her away. Um..okay then! Video footage was leaked by TMZ (watch below), and pictures of them leaving clearly show an angry Solange and startled Jay Z. Now while it is kind of messed up someone would release this assumed private moment to the world, I don't feel too bad about it. When Beyonce had her baby they closed off the hospital wing for her and inconvenienced people. If you're going to use your celebrity for that, then don't complain about something like this leaking out to the public. You take the good with the bad just like everyone else in life has to. Suck it up and move on.
  
Jay Z stood there and took it which must take a lot of restraint when someone attacks, even if you know them personally. Of course it helps when you have a bodyguard with you. Beyonce was somewhere in the back staying the hell away. Solange has a mean right hook, and her first hit in years. The bodyguard also hit the emergency stop button on the elevator. But, we live in a world of cameras...of course people were going to find out. Solange must have been pretty pissed off about something that he did...I don't think she should be taking pointers from Chris Brown though!

There's a "Jay Z got 99 problems and Solange is 1" joke in there, but I'm sure that will get played out on Twitter enough.

The Rolling Stones Headlining Glastonbury 2013

The rumors have been confirmed, as The Rolling Stones will headline the 2013 Glastonbury festival along with Mumford & Sons and the Arctic Monkeys. The festival was not held in 2012 due to the London 2012 Olympics, as well as to let the fields heal. The 2011 festival was headlined by U2, Coldplay and Beyonce.

The Rolling Stones haven't played an outdoor music festival since the infamous Altamont 1969 concert that was fraught with violence when the Hell's Angels were hired as "security", which led to the stabbing death of a fan. After the huge success of a peaceful Woodstock, Altamont signaled the end of the idea of a peaceful free music festival. It shook the Rolling Stones up enough that they stopped appearing at outdoor music festivals, until now.

Some rumors have said this would be their last performance as a group, but I have doubts about that. Come on...its the Rolling Stones. How many times have we heard rumors about a final performance? Get yer ya-ya's out and get ready for what should be a great show. Glastonbury will be one stop on their tour, other dates have yet to be announced. Rumors currently say that the tour could have 18 or more dates in North America, with some in Australia a possibility as well. AEG Live is expected to announce the dates sometime in April.

What songs would you like to see them play in a set list? I hope they break out some that haven't been performed much or at all lately. "Lady Jane", "She's a Rainbow", "Look What The Cat Dragged In", "Saint of Me", "As Tears Go By", "Highwire" and "Till the Next Goodbye" would be on my wishlist. I also hope they continue to play their two new songs from GRRR!, "Doom & Gloom" and "One More Shot". "Doom & Gloom" would easily make my top 10 favorite Stones songs, I love the energy of it.

Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime Show 2014

Beyonce may or may not have knocked the Superdome power out with her high energy Super Bowl XLVII Halftime show, but people are already talking about the Halftime show for Super Bowl XLVIII. It will be the  first outdoor cold weather Super Bowl for the NFL, from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

Many people in the media have speculated that there will be no halftime show due to the possibility of snow wreaking havoc on it, but organizers are saying that is NOT true. There will be a halftime show, and there are already some names floating around.

There is speculation about the possibility of going to someone from the NY/NJ area, which has obviously produced many music superstars. Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys, Billy Joel, Jennifer Lopez, and Lady Gaga to name a few. Apparently on the NFL Network, they suggested that U2 is being considered for the show. They would be my choice if I had any say, which I sadly do not.

U2 previously performed at the Super Bowl XXXVI Halftime show in 2002, just a few months after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Many consider it the greatest halftime show of all time. They gave fans both excitement and reflection as a tribute to those who lost their lives, with victims' names rising up to the ceiling of the Superdome as the band went from 'MLK' into 'Where The Streets Have No Name', ending with Bono showing the American flag inside his jacket. They also have another connection with the NFL, performing along with Green Day to re-open the Superdome the year after Hurricane Katrina.

If there is anyone who can do an outstanding job while being tasked with the first ever outdoor cold weather halftime show, it would be U2. Bono & U2 thrive on that. Plus, they're aiming to release a new album in the fall with a tour to follow, and there is no better promotion than performing live in front of 90-100 million people.

Its still very early, and the list of potential performers is probably large, but it is fun to speculate.

Noomi Rapace & The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones have released their new music video (watch below) for the song "Doom and Gloom" off their career-spanning hits set "GRRR!" which was released last week. The new video stars Noomi Rapace, known to Americans for her roles in the hit films Prometheus and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. She also starred in the Swedish versions of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy as Lisbeth Salander.

Props to The Rolling Stones for still kicking ass after 50 years and releasing a fairly imaginative music video to an energetic new song. The video features a scene with ZOMBIES, which automatically makes it great in my book. The Stones will be playing a few concerts soon in London and the New York area, and rumors are they might play more dates in 2013. One such rumor is that they'll be one of the three headliners for the Glastonbury Festival in 2013, which makes its return after taking a year off. It was last headlined by U2, Beyonce and Coldplay.

They also released their first official app to the iTunes store. Looks like they'll be rocking beyond their 50th year. Mick Jagger still just wants to know, "Baby won't you dance with me?"