The Super Bowl halftime shows rarely thrill me. I think the lighting, production and staging of these shows is usually incredible, year after year. But to be honest, the last time I think I saw an artist that really impressed me with their performance was when Prince killed it. But this year rocked.
Lone Star Focus
I liked when Lady Gaga announced that if she was playing, it would be her show, with no special guests. I thought she was smart, I thought she just may up the ante. I think my wife said it best after this year’s performance, “Beyoncé and Madonna, you’ve been served notice.”
I firmly believe the NFL dropped the ball in 2016 by having the game played in the Bay Area, without having a single band from a San Francisco hood representing. Metallica, Santana, Journey, the Dead and even Huey Lewis were all left on the sidelines while a British band, a funk performer and a Black Panther-esque demonstration left viewers baffled.
All those acts are great by themselves, but together it seemed like a Made for TV event that left me sad as opposed to entertained. I didn’t cringe as I did when I saw Madonna do her horrible cheerleading song a few years back. Instead, I looked on in sheer delight as this star just did her thing.
A subtle hint to the masses (by playing a Woody Guthrie number) went right over the heads of the many who were expecting a controversial political showcase. It was just a classy, well-executed performance of hits done with an over-the-top production, executed by the best in the biz.
300 Points of Light
Who doesn’t love new technology? Gaga is not interested in going where others have before. She wants to take it to the limit in ways nobody has thought of. The Intel drones was a great concept. The execution of a show of this size with no rigging points (the NFL wanted to open the roof of the stadium during the event) was perfect, especially with the artist flying in herself.
Some naysayers were quick to point out, “Hey she’s stealing Pink’s thing!” Pink nipped that in the bud, immediately tweeting, “Let’s celebrate a woman who has the guts to jump off a roof and stand up in the first place. Who cares if I flew first? ‘Cause I didn’t! Cirque and Peter Pan have been in the air for years!”
Being There
I attended the game. The halftime experience is totally different live, very confusing for the locals to witness, depending on where you are sitting. Of course, the show is shot for the 112 million TV viewers at home, not the 72,000 in the stadium.
The first time we saw Gaga was when she was lit flying in from the rafters. Once down on the stage, from my view, the artist was a dimly lit ant in a sea of less-lit dancers. The audio was horrendous, so we couldn’t follow the music. But while the local audience has no idea what’s really happening live, the spectacle of it all is still unbelievable. The 12 minutes of flashing lights and pyro made for some spectacular visuals.
The best “tech nerd” moment for me was before the show. I walked by all the carts full of All Access set pieces lined up outside the stadium, modular and ready for rapid deployment. I felt like I was walking past a Mad Max movie set. Tribe designed these cool angular pieces that were reminiscent of futuristic monkey bars, draped with dancers and the pop star. Kudos to the set company for the smooth execution of erecting this set in mere minutes.
I will say one thing about the lighting. In a sea of hundreds of Sharpy type pencil beams, I noticed a dozen floor lights with fat bright beams that cut straight through all the others, emitting a fan reminiscent of old search lights. I had no idea until LD Bob Barnhart told us that these were the new Vari-Lite VL6000 Beams.
What a way to debut a new fixture. Just like the Intel drones used in the opening of the halftime show, you can’t buy that kind of exposure.
For Nook’s video introduction to the March 2017 issue of PLSN, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP96nctIUF4.
For PLSN’s features on the halftime show and Vari-Lite fixture, go to pages 42 and 78.
To object to Nook’s opinion on Madonna’s show — others on the PLSN staff think she nailed it in 2012, just as Lady Gaga did in 2017 — send your gripes to Nook at nook@plsn.com.
