The 10 Unforgivable Sins Of Bruce Springsteen's Performance At The Super Bowl

http://new.music.yahoo.com ^ | Posted Sun Feb 1, 2009 7:13pm | Rob O'Connor in List Of The Day

[Lucky9teen]

You may find this hard to believe, but I am a Bruce Springsteen fan. I may not come across as someone who would enjoy his music, but from "For You," "Backstreets," "Darkness On The Edge of Town," "The Promise" to "The River," "Nebraska," "Tougher Than The Rest," "I Wish I Were Blind" and "Radio Nowhere," I can find plenty to recommend of the man's music. His new album Working On A Dream, the stillborn title track and "Outlaw Pete" aside, is the best thing he's cut in years.

But that half-time show at the Super Bowl--12 excruciating minutes--puts me in an indefensible position to the people who I've been trying to convert for all these years. Now they'll never listen to me.

Since this is LIST OF THE DAY, I will present to you in list form my reasons for why this was an abomination.

10) Bruce addresses the TV camera and tells everyone to drop the guacamole dip and chicken fingers to join him.
9) He opens with "Tenth Avenue Freezeout."

8) There were too many people on the stage.
7) Bruce had to sneak in the title track to his new album.
6) Bruce sneaks in a gospel choir for two minutes.
5) Bruce changes the reference from baseball to football in "Glory Days."
4) Bruce has a referee come out and declare it "Boss Time."
3) Bruce has apparently joined "Up With People."
2) He sticks poor Clarence on COWBELL.
1) Bruce makes me wish there had been a wardrobe malfunction.

[Reeses]

7) Bruce had to sneak in the title track to his new album.

Was Bruce & Co. paid to perform or did Bruce pay to be there to hawk his new album? I suspect the half-time show is a paid infomercial.

[DBrow]

“A good person working the board can compensate, but there is still a lag while he notices that he needs to crank up the volume.”

Crank up the preamp gain then use a vocal compressor, feed that to the soundboard mix channel. Electronics then keeps the level nearly constant and helps with feedback too.

This solves the problem of a performer zooming around the mic, as well as suddenly varying levels.

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

It seemed to my eyes that there were several occasions when Springsteen’s voice was croaking out the speakers but his face was nowhere near the microphone and/or his lips were forming something else. I kept thinking, “This couldn’t be a lip-sync, a really bad lip-sync, could it?” But after Yo-Yo Ma’s fake performance at the inaugural, nothing would surprise me.

His lurching slide on his knees across the floor (and smack into the camera) was one of the more ungraceful things I’ve witnessed on television, too. With too-tight clothes (and a shirt that kept riding up on him, did you notice him tugging it down every ten seconds?), it’s clear Bruce needs a few weeks on Atkins. I just hope he didn’t give the cameraman a black eye.

[Big Horn]

I muted the tv during half time....I just can't stand Bruce Springsteen and can't believe he still has a voice to sing with, the way he sings. His music sucks, imo, and we all know where he stands politically.

I like him less than that. How could anyone enjoy his so called music?

[dfwgator]

Bruce always sounds like he’s trying to pass a bowling ball when he sings.

[dfwgator]

That said, his voice has seen better days. Clarence can still play a mean sax, but how dumb was it to make him bang on a cowbell? ...

I guess Bruce Dickinson must have been in charge of the halftime show. After all, he puts his pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us, except once his pants are on, he makes gold records.

[rlmorel]

Bruce Springsteen makes me want to puke.

I went outside for the entire halftime so I didn’t have to listen.

[drjimmy]

Between the completely destroyed National Anthem, the pathetic refereeing, and the deplorable half-time show, I’m glad I watched the Puppy Bowl . . . it made more sense.

For someone who claims he didn't watch the game, you sure seem to have a lot of opinions on what took place.

[TruthHound]

http://www.cracked.com/article_15845_rock-10-all-time-worst-choices-super-bowl-halftime-performer.html

I think we have a new #2 bad idea. (Hard to beat #1)

Best: U2 and Prince.

[rlmorel]

[Mrs_Stokke]

Bruce what’s-his-name just looks like someone’s old, fat, drunk uncle making a fool out of himself at a wedding reception while the real band is talking a break.

That was pretty much my teenager's reaction -- "Mom, there's some really awful band on. I think they're called 'East Street' or something."

[Deb]

#11. Sliding into the NBC cameraman.

[Deb]

The new mics are directional and have no lag (or setting) time.

[Cvengr]

I thought he sang fairly well to be lip synching.

[laweeks]

“For someone who claims he didn’t watch the game, you sure seem to have a lot of opinions on what took place. “

Unfortunately, I was in a restaurant with my wife, minding our own business, when the intolerable screaming of the National Anthem occurred. I missed the half-time garbage with the virulently anti-American “boss,” but I accidentally saw the ending of the game when the pro-Steelers referee crew ignored the forward movement of not only the Cardinal quarterback’s arm, but the actual movement of the ball, didn’t call it a fumble, and let the Steelers win (shades, once again, of the Pittsburgh “Steal” against the Seahawks a couple years ago).

I then proceeded to watch the Puppy Bowl . . . far more entertaining.

[Lucky9teen]

[dbwz]

He just shut up and sang. No praise Osama comments like someone else did.

Normally we don't do halftime shows because they're mostly useless, but we tuned in to see if he was going to make an idiot of himself going off on an Obama praise-a-thon.

He did sound dreadfully out of breath, though.

[TankerKC]

12 minutes is not much time to get the crowd in a frenzy...but he did it.

The "crowd" near the stage was more of a cast. They were hand chosen and rehearsed.

[Revolting cat!]

Hey, as another FReeper noted last night, Bruce has the Four Seasons band backing him!

[Colonel_Flagg]

1. His presence.

He’s easily the most overrated musician of the 20th century and seems hell-bent on the 21st as well.