I love football. I love the Super Bowl. I’ve been attending the same Super Bowl party with friends in Buffalo Grove for well over ten years now. My buddy and host, Ben Crown, has everything. He and his wife Michele are the best. Good eats, good drink, gambling games and many, many high-def television sets all over the house. And Ben pays attention to the sound as well. It’s always a treat to watch the game there.
So now you combine the Super Bowl with my all-time favorite rock ‘n roll band; The Who? I was a kid in a candy store. For the first time in my life, I was more excited about the halftime show than the game itself (although it was a great game, obviously). I had seen the unbelievable acoustic performance Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey put on during the NFL Network news conference on Thursday of Super Bowl week (still have it on the DVR).
OK, this won’t shock you: I thought the 12-minute show was great. It was a tough chore, but I liked the way Roger edited the five classic songs into a medley. I loved the way the stage was set up and used and the pyrotechnics didn’t get in the way as it does sometimes. The band I thought sounded great, Roger in particular. As usual, The Who put a smile on my face that couldn’t get knocked off for anything. Except for the criticism the “show” received afterwards in some circles. It was weird. So many people vehemently opined that they thought the band was terrible yet it seemed most of the criticism centered on how “old” the band (especially Pete) looked. Terrible? C’mon. OK, let’s stipulate. They are old. We can’t get around that. So what?
In my mind, that’s what makes their performance all the more spectacular. But I’m old too. Perhaps the younger generation is resentful that these geezers can still do it better than they can? Or they hate the face that the classic rock of my generation is still holding up and compares favorably to whatever has come after it? To each its own, I guess.
But you watch. Next year you are going to see a “younger” halftime band that I’ve never heard of. That’s OK. I usually hate the hour long halftime shows you get at the Super Bowl anyway. I’ll be to catch up on my eating and drinking again.
--Reviewed by Kevin Johnson
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