SUPER BOWL 2013: Class vs. Crass

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR:
Despite being a football game, Alicia Keys hit a bona
fide home run during her Super Bowl performance.

In 2004, an infamous

 "wardrobe malfunction" stirred a nationwide controversy. But in 2013, 
The Super Bowl now has digressed fully from a
family-friendly event into a mere means of  pumping social sewage into our homes. However, this year's "Big Game" did offer a few quality highlights.

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Jennifer Hudson's patriotic pre-game
opener exemplified class and style.

Debunking the popular current myth that  music  performers must first and foremost "shock" and "stun" viewers,  thirty-one-year-old singer and actress Jennifer Hudson  opted to take the high road — wearing an ensemble that  was  conservative yet  stylish. And  accompanied  by the children's chorus from Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, Ms. Hudson  kicked  off  the "Big Game" with a soulful rendition of  "America the Beautiful." Was it live, or was it Memorex? Who cares. Simply put, Jennifer Hudson was sensational!

Wearing a form-fitting, floor-length, burgundy-colored gown, thirty-two-year-old singer, songwriter and actress Alicia Keys also delivered a superb performance. In fact, personally speaking, it was one of the most incredible versions that I've ever heard of our national anthem. Even watching Keys' performance the next day on YouTube still gave me chills. And based on her use of inner-ear monitors and a floor wedge speaker placed next to her gray grand piano, I'd wager a guess that girlfriend nailed this one completely live. Kudos!

From there the class factor gave way quickly to the crass factor as viewers became inundated by a barrage of commercials that more closely resembled soft-core porno clips than family-oriented advertisements hocking burger joints, domain services and men's briefs. But there were a few clever and quite entertaining commercials to be sure. The Doritos ad depicting the heated conflict between a man and his live-in goat was hysterical. And although it was a bit suggestive, the Best Buy commercial featuring Amy Poehler was a hoot. But I'm still somewhat torn  over the cookies vs. creme conflict.

Okay, I'll admit it — I have
a thing for Amy Poehler.

The feature performer during this year's much-hyped Half Time Show was pop culture personality, Beyoncé. Known more for her business savvy and projecting  a girl-next-door-meets-stripper persona than for her musical artistry, the thirty-one-year-old diva left little to the imagine as she licked, spread, rolled and gyrated her way back and forth across the stage throughout the fifteen-minute set. Wearing black gloves and knee-high boots with a black leather halter and matching thong, accented by lace garnish, the bootylicious Mrs. Jay-Z endeavored to create the perception of singing live as she presented a medley of her well-known audio recordings to throngs of enthusiastic stand-ins, worshipping from the pit. The Pepsi-sponsored production also reunited Beyoncé with her one-time Destiny's Child sidechicks Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland for a rousing string of additional chartbusters.                             "Hello, my Intergalactic worshipers —  
                                                                                                                   I'm Beyoncé, and I can't find my pole!"

 

But there also was a football game being played at the New Orleans Mercedes-Benz Superdome. And therein lied  the real payoff for sports fans. Despite the thirty-four-minute power outage delay,  the match-up between the AFC Champion Baltimore Ravens  and the  NFC Champion  San Francisco 49ers likely will go down in history as a memorable classic — a true-blue, down-to-the-wire, 34-31 nail-biter. Congrats, Ravens!

-Christopher Long
(February 2013)

Author Christopher Long's latest book,

C'MON! - My Story of Rock, Ruin and Revelation

is available NOW on Amazon.