Okay, I’ve had just about enough of this post-Super Bowl Halftime show letdown. And it seems like the halftime show gets safer and more predictable each year. It’s almost like the NFL and CBS suffer from some kind of leftover PTSD from Nipplegate. So what was missing and who should play next year? Will 3D and augmented reality (or you) change the future of the Big Game halftime show?
I was waiting for something to happen. I was waiting for fans to rush in and surround the stage like the last few years. Something. Anything.
But all that happened was a predictable rock concert that fizzled and went flat in the middle of a ginormus stage that looked like a Who-ified version of the game Simon. And Simon is suppose to help your memory but I’ve already long forgotten The Who’s performance.
A few days before the Super Bowl Billboard posted their picks for the 10 best Super Bowl halftime shows. How does this one rank? It’s not even worth figuring out. For me it wasn’t epic or smashing as Townshend gently laid his guitar on the stage to finish the show. Let’s do ourselves a favor and not even think about it anymore. Let’s spend our mental energy on looking towards the future.
If I was on the Super Bowl concert committee (if that’s what they call it?) or the NFL, I would take a gusty tip from the Super Bowl Champions New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and pick a better, more cutting-edge band for next year.
That said, when the 12 min medley was over, I posted a Live Fix Facebook page update looking for suggestions on who you think should play next year.
And over the last 12 hours I’ve received a couple suggestions and have gathered up a few picks of my own.
There’s no order to this working list of possible picks for next year. It’s a mix of artists that you and I have suggested off the top of our heads. And all of these artists have shown the ability to rock arenas and large crowds, and they all have the ability to project an amazing show beyond the stage and into TV land to millions of viewers at home.
Yes, some of these are dream picks or long shots that existing contracts might squash. But they’re all worthy enough to consider if the NFL, and their sponsors, want to reach a new audience and take a gamble, or at least make things more interesting next year and put the past behind us.
My Picks:
- Lady Gaga
- Daft Punk
- Kanye West
- Wilco
- Arcade Fire
- Flaming Lips
- Radiohead
- Jay-Z
Fan Picks:
- Kid Rock
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Faith Hill & Tim McGraw
Can We Count On Augmented Reality, 3D and Social Media?
We’ve seen the use of 3D during the Grammys. And as we speak, the technology for augmented reality continues to develop and revolutionize our entertainment experiences.
So will we see next year’s Super Bowl halftime show in 3D or maybe even enhanced and redefined by augmented reality?
Seeing how we continue to gather on social communities with friends more and more, and knowing how much and where we spend our time on the web during Super Bowl, I think it’s time we start thinking about gathering together as fans and artists to create some kind of mini-concert experience in smaller communities and then broadcast them to each other during the big game via our social networks.
If we could do that, it would allow us to take the power into our own hands as live music fans and we wouldn’t have to rely on the NFL or anybody else to define our Super Bowl Halftime show experience. I’m not suggesting any type of protest or boycott in saying this.
I’m simply suggesting a way for us as fans to show that we want more from our concert experiences, especially during the Super Bowl — where the majority of the audience isn’t even there live. So why not make it live and on our own terms?
It’s a working idea that’s not fully fleshed out but that’s okay. Because that’s what blogs and the collective mind of Live Fix community is for. And I’m counting on you to help me figure this one out.
Let’s start fleshing it out in the comments below!
If you had the choice…
Who would you pick to play next year?
What interactive technology or social community has the most potential to change the Super Bowl halftime show next year?