Beyonce Super Bowl Halftime Show: Jay-Z's Absence Was Missed Opportunity

By all accounts, Beyonce hit her performance out of the park. Her voice was on point, but clearly live, her dancing was stylish and well choreographed, and she sang some of her biggest hits. The only thing missing was her husband.

Let's be honest: Beyonce has a fairly limited audience. Her brand of top-40 R&B, while radio friendly, has little appeal to the many young and middle-aged men that make up football's core audience. Jay-Z, on the other hand, has near-universal appeal, from young people to President Obama. 

One has to imagine that many men were not enthused by selection of Beyonce, and many probably used the halftime as a bathroom or food break. Those who didn't were probably waiting for Jay-Z to emerge.

Instead, they got to see a Destiny's Child reunion. Exciting for many, but probably not the NFL's usual audience.

To be fair, the fact that Beyonce would appeal to a different group is probably the main reason that she was selected in the first place. 

That having been said, adding Jay-Z would have made for a halftime show that would have had real mass appeal. Those who listen to traditional pop would have been enthused for Beyonce, while those who listen to more edgy music would have been thrilled to see Jay-Z pop up on stage. 

Last year saw Madonna perform with appearances from Nicki Minaj and MIA. Not exactly a varied group, but a group nonetheless. This year, those looking for guest appearances were sorely disappointed, and the result was a halftime show that had limited appeal.

As good as Beyonce was, an appearance from Jay-Z would have cemented this as one of the best performances in recent memory. As it was, the 2013 show was a pleasant but somewhat forgettable performance.