Super Bowl Halftime Show 2012: Despite Horrific Music, Show Was a Success

The Super Bowl halftime show has been rather dull since Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake in 2004, but leave it to Madonna to bring some of the luster back into the one performance of the year where every football fan is watching.

The music stunk—that’s what happens when it’s painfully obvious that you’re lip-synching. But that’s OK though; it was all about the performance. She first appeared wearing a headdress with horns on her crown that made her look like some sort of Greek goddess. Cleopatra maybe?

She wore gold metal cut-outs, crystal-encrusted gloves and a gold headpiece. She tore off her a cape to unleash black minidress at one point and has sporting humongous black leather boots…all while a Richard Simmons-looking fellow was dancing around her.

I know, insert "obligatory 53-year-old woman parading around in scandalous clothing" joke, but it was quite the spectacle to watch. While her dance moves weren’t up to par of years past, she had plenty of help. On top of the scores of dancers on stage that all performed very well, the guest appearances blew away my expectations.

Kudos to the NFL suits for realizing that Madonna needed younger more relevant acts like Nicki Minaj, LMFAO and Cee Lo Green. They all added their own unique touch to the performance and it had something for everybody.

Then MIA really capped everything off with her middle finger to America. It was the most scandalous event since Nipplegate and I found it hilarious. There were only so many ways to find a way around the FCC’s iron grip and somehow she did.

When you think about shows of recent Super Bowls like the Black Eyed Peas and Tom Petty, you realize the odds of a good show aren’t all that great. Considering the stage is on a football field that must be able to get built and torn down in a manner of minutes, some of the activities that a concert venue provides are out of the question.

My expectations for the show were low and I ended up enjoying it more than I figured to. And that’s how you have to look at the show. It’s not going to blow your mind away, but if you have enough wacky costumes, choreographed dancers and surprise guest appearances, you have yourself a good Super Bowl halftime show.

It’s that simple: low expectations equal enjoyable performance.