Super Bowl Review: Petty's Performance

Arguably more than any other pop culture event, the Super Bowl is about size. The audiences are bigger, the players are closer to Greek Gods, and the commercials are more creative. It’s a three and a half hour extravaganza designed to impress the viewer, and somewhere, in the middle of all this hoopla, sat an aging and battle-scarred Tom Petty. The contrast between the glitz and glamour of hundred thousand dollar luxury suites and the rocker’s mellow, reserved performance was evident from the first note in “American Girl”, but perhaps because of this overt schism, viewers were presented with one of the best halftime shows in years.

Normally, the Super Bowl Halftime Show is a product of the times. Sure, organizers might book a rock band from a previous generation, but they’re almost always paired with flavors of the week to entice the teenagers. Not this year. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were given a chance to walk out and perform, and throughout their four song set, they captivated everyone (or at least the audience of six I was watching with). But isn’t that the way it should have been? Some people might complain about the lack of bells and whistles. There weren’t any surprise guests, wardrobe malfunctions or fancy streamers. Just Tom, Tom and his Heartbreakers, smiling and shooting out the tunes we all love to sing along with.

Who knows if this trend will last? Next year, hundreds of millions of viewers may be forced to watch The Academy Is perform painful duets with Norah Jones, but for three-hundred and sixty-five days, we all get to fondly remember Tom Petty crooning “Won’t Back Down.” Bill Belichick might not enjoy reminiscing about it, but I’m pretty sure almost everyone else will.

What did you think of Tom’s performance?

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