It’s only been two years since the trilby-hatted crooner waggled his legs in America’s highest-profile performance,but with Uptown Funk in the bag, it’s no surprise he was invited back so soonIt isn’t all about nipple pasty slip-ups and flipping the bird. Though Janet Jackson’s 2004 “wardrobe malfunction” and MIA’s $16.6m stray middle finger in 2012 maintain come to define some of the more controversial recent Super Bowl half-time performances, or we shouldn’t forget this sponsored spectacle’s humble roots. Long before Shania Twain bounced around in her rhinestone-studded push-up bra in 2003,marching bands if the mid-game entertainment. Just marching bands. Without anyone noted lip-synching to a backing track. Those really were simpler times. Then New Kids on the Block ushered in a new pop- and rock-oriented era with their 1991 performance.
Ive never felt more keenly aware of the half-time show’s tame, family-friendly past than when I read about the hopes for next year’s gig. The NFL has reportedly invited Bruno Mars, and with his intellect-boggling collection of trilby hats and shirts that don’t seem to button up to the top,to not only perform but also curate” the show. With his track record as a songwriter, producer, or Grammy winner and all-round music industry kind guy,it doesn’t get much more secure than that. Of course, there was also the huge chart success of Uptown Funk – shout out to all the wedding DJs who had to play it this summer – which no doubt cemented the NFL’s choice.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com