Madonna, NFL and what I REALLY think...

So, I'm not normally one to fall out of line, express my real feelings in a forceful, gutsy and take-charge way. And by all means, I would not write under friends' facebook posts that I feel exactly the opposite of what they have deemed great, amazing or otherwise. I'm a peace-seeking, harmonious and friendly person in real life as well as in all social media I use.

BUT TODAY, the gloves are off, I am rolling the hard six, my own opinion is never wrong and I have decided to let my tongue roll and my fingers loose.

What am I talking about? Madonna. Last night. NFL, Superbowl. Long-awaited. Major hype. Super excited. Stars and stripes. Stars and songs. Dance and glory. And I know I will tread on toes, leave bad tastes and completely go against the opinions of many of my friends and lots of people out there. Frankly, it intimidates me; but today, I can't help myself.

What I am getting at is how irritated I am that everyone is saying how amazing her show was. And I hate to be the finger pointer, but really? Did you guys see what I saw? Here is how I break it down:

Stage/Set/Scene:

Now I know, that they didn't have long to build up the stage so I think it's great, that it was fantastically mobile and had stage lifts etc. Very good, not mind-boggling, but good. The videos that were played (or projected) were ok. The best being the dancer during "vogue" writhing on a Vogue cover.

Guests:

So, M.I.A., Nikki Minaj, LMFAO and Cee Lo Green all joined her. Well, LMFAO were great, but they are great anyhows. The others? Ok, Cee Lo Green is who he is too; but his contribution to "Like a Prayer" could have been stronger. but "Give me all your luvin'"? I saw the video clip online before last night and I thought: hmm, Lady Gaga really has overtaken her (even though I'm not the biggest Gaga fan) and Elton certainly knows what he's talking about. Really? I was just waiting for all the girls to start kissing each other like back in 2003 at the VMAs with Britney and Christina. There was no oomph, no power, nothing except very short skirts... Oh, and well done for sticking your middle finger up M.I.A.: very mature...

Costume:

Well... I mean, considering you're Madonna and you have top costume designers and stylist at your hands, it could have been more. Her outfit itself was bland, plain and the supposedly spectacular ripping off of the gladiator skirt went wrong and Madonna grappled at her skirt quite panicked to try and remove it. Not very pro. The dancers? Not really memorable... The only thing that stuck out was the Adidas tracksuits with music notes.

Dancers/Choreography:

The dancers were the absolute highlight for me. Fantastic through and through from parcours talents, slackliners and contortionists to the most talented dancers I take my hat off: legendary.

Madonna (dance and song):

Ok, so I've been relatively nice til now. But Madonna? Just her? The way she did it all? I mean Kudos for managing to hold through 13 odd minutes. But honestly? Neither the dance nor the singing blew me away. I mean, Madonna has never been a great singer, let's be honest. But she always managed to pull through by reinventing herself, her looks, her music. Now yesterday, none of that seemed tangible. Her dancing was awkward, as if certain movements hurt and she had to avoid certain bends or be assisted by her dancers. Her walking even looked weird, a bit like Tina Turner, bent at the knees, but Tina pulled it off. Were the heels too high? And the singing? Speculation that she wasn't actually singing live is already making its rounds. Ofcourse she wasn't. Lip-sync should be learnt: and yesterday we saw how it is not done.

Summary:

Now I'm sorry, if this is rude or if the comparison is unjust towards the "Queen of Pop" but if I look at what the "King of Pop" did in 1993 at the Superbowl with not half the technology we have today, with half the dancers, effects and costume changes I do believe that royalty has been delegated wrongly for quite some time and the queen should be kicked off the throne to make space for someone more worthy. See below the video of Michael Jackson at the NFL where the crowd cheers for two solid minutes while he just stands there, not even moving. The stage is simple, his entrance with the two doubles above the screens simple but effective, he possesses the stage, the effects are close to none, the dancers (a mere handful) and one costume change. Yet he sings brilliantly, performs like the legend that he is and his message of World Peace is conveyed adamantly throughout the entire show and not just at the end in bright, flashy lights.

I have nothing against Madonna, on the contrary, her music has brought many a groove to my hips, but that people are praising the performance last night the way they did, and considering she is put on par with the likes of Elton John, Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson, I think it is not right to say it was amazing, fantastic or any of the likes. I have seen stage shows in back alleys that have given me more of a thrill. 

Sorry all you hardcore Madonna fans out there: but this is how I face the music.