A Noncontroversial Prince, Just the Way the N.F.L. Likes Him
By KELEFA SANNEH

A brief concert in the middle of the Super Bowl, on a temporary stage, designed to thrill a captive audience with nothing in common except a love of sport or spectacle, or both. How could that ever be a good idea? Then, just when it seemed time to give up on that quaint ritual known as the halftime show, along comes Prince.

His performance last night at Super Bowl XLI will surely go down as one of the most thrilling halftime shows ever; certainly the most unpredictable, and perhaps the best. “Dearly beloved,” he whispered, intoning the famous first words of “Let’s Go Crazy.”

What followed was a dizzying demonstration. He navigated a smooth course through a jumbled-up set built from bits and pieces, hits and covers. “Let’s Go Crazy” ended with an ad-libbed call-and-response, after which Prince was joined by a marching band.

Soon came “Proud Mary” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. That gave way to a piece of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” which melted into “Best of You,” the 2005 hit by the Foo Fighters. He ended the medley by modifying a favorite line from the Foo Fighters’ song: “I’ve got another confession, my friend/I ain’t no fool.”

Somehow, it all made sense, or maybe it made something better than sense. The heavy rain made the smoke and lights seem mysterious, instead of merely ridiculous. And there was a sneaky thrill in watching Prince steal the field from guys three times his size, if only for a few moments.

At one Super Bowl gathering, at least, Prince’s extravagant guitar solos, seductive facial expressions and strutting stage manner made boozy viewers whoop and wonder in equal measure. Who knew a Super Bowl halftime show could be this delirious?

No doubt National Football League officials were pretty pleased, too. They know that the halftime show is still haunted by the specter of 2004, when Justin Timberlake enlivened an otherwise unmemorable show by baring Janet Jackson’s breast. Somehow, Timberlake’s role has been largely forgotten, but Jackson’s career has still not recovered. And compared with the controversial Jackson, Prince must seem like a pretty safe bet.

Would that last statement have made any sense at all 20 years ago? In 1987, Jackson was best known as Michael’s effervescent younger sister, and Prince was perhaps the most polarizing pop star in the country; the sexually frank lyrics of his “Darling Nikki” had helped spark a national debate about explicit lyrics.

Yesterday’s command performance was yet more proof that Prince has made that familiar journey from pariah to American treasure. He has a catalog of hits that everybody seems to love (even the players, who normally take little interest in the halftime show, were quoted praising Prince), and he sings and plays and moves as well as he ever did.

Best of all, he does not carry himself as a pop-star emeritus. Did you see his face during the first verse of “Purple Rain,” when he tossed his bandana into the crowd? He looked as if he were getting away with something.

nice review ... i saw one was in USA today that gave Prince an A ....

then i saw one on yahoo that said neigher UP or down (not sure what the hell the guy was thinking ) ....

Damn, talk about a glowing review...can't get much better than that.

When he tore his do rag off, I wanted to scream it was so damned sexy!

1sexymf said:

I wished the AP folx knew what a doo rag was...they called it an "odd kerchief".

http://news.yahoo.com/s/a..._tv_review

1sexymf said:

Wanted to? You mean you didn't?

That little stunt got me out of my seat because just before he did it...I was saying...out loud..."Prince, take off that do rag!" As my party attendees started laughing, saying..."Girl, he can't hear you!" He snatched it off and threw it!!

For the rest of the performance it was just me and Prince! The rest of them just sat quietly...watching in awe!

Afterwards, when I couldn't login to the Org! (Damn fairweather fans! ) I started playing some of my Prince collection...and not the usual stuff either ...I ended up having more people in the back with me and Prince than my husband did up front, watching the rest of the Superbowl!

See sticky folks http://www.prince.org/msg/7/216717