Delirious: Prince Draws Positive Reviews For Halftime Show
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Purple Rain: Prince, Weather
Make Impression During Halftime
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Prince performed the halftime show at Super Bowl XLI in Miami last night, and
the front-page of USA TODAY reads, “Regal ‘A’ For Prince”
(THE DAILY). In Ft. Lauderdale, pop music writer Sean Piccoli writes
Prince had 12 minutes “to make his mark without upstaging the game. He did
both.” Prince had “great help” from the Florida A&M Univ.
marching band, and spectators “played a scenic role by lighting up thousands
of flashlights during ‘Purple Rain’” (SUN-SENTINEL, 2/5).
DAILY VARIETY’s Brian Lowry writes Prince “delivered a true superstar-quality
halftime show” (DAILY VARIETY, 2/5). In N.Y., Kelefa Sanneh: “Super
Bowl XLI will surely go down as one of the most thrilling halftime shows ever;
certainly the most unpredictable, and perhaps the best” (N.Y. TIMES,
2/5). In Detroit, pop culture writer Julie Hinds writes Prince “livened
things up with a halftime show as powerful as it was energetic” (DETROIT
FREE PRESS, 2/5). In California, Bob Keisser writes Prince gave the Super
Bowl’s “only one standout performance.” It was the “most
entertaining since Michael Jackson at Super Bowl XXVII” (Long Beach
PRESS TELEGRAM, 2/5). In Chicago, entertainment writer Mark Caro wrote the
halftime show was “kind of cool” and the “whole choreographed
thing felt spontaneous while serving as an apt refutation of the lip-synch age”
(CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 2/4).
OTHER OPINIONS: In Milwaukee, Dave Tianen writes the halftime
show, “like the game, will likely be remembered as much for the conditions
as the performance itself.” Super Bowl halftime shows “always trade
spectacle for content, and this was no exception” (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL
SENTINEL, 2/5). In N.Y., Adam Buckman writes Prince’s “clothes
remained secure” during his performance, but there “was a moment during
the performance of ‘Purple Rain’ — when Prince was seen in shadow
against a giant curtain — that the position of his guitar in relation to
his body could have been interpreted as phallic” (N.Y. POST, 2/5).
In Miami, Evelyn McDonnell: “The Super Bowl hopes to retain its dominant
position in sports and TV culture by speaking to a middle. Prince is a pop legend
with rock and R&B fans — but apparently even he felt the need to borrow
from other artists’ set lists. The show’s producers also are eager
to present it as a family affair” (MIAMI HERALD, 2/5).
THEATRE ON THE GREEN: Cirque du Soleil performed for CBS’
pregame show, and the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL’s Tianen writes the “lavish
production of Cirque du Soleil works well in theaters where the splashy color
and multiple spectacles overwhelm your senses. On TV, it’s far less compelling”
(MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 2/5).
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