10 things to love about Springsteen's Super Bowl show

I was looking for a way to summarize my thoughts about Bruce Springsteen’s halftime Super Bowl performance, when I came across this bit of ridiculousness (can you take anything from someone who looks like this seriously?) and found my answer: A point-by-point refutation. For those who don’t want to waste time reading what Rob O’Connor has to say, just recast all of my comments below in the negative, add a heavy dose of misguided snark, and you’re there.

1. Bruce begins with a direct address to the home audience: Sure, it was cheesy, but it was also funny. “Walk away from the guacamole, put those chicken fingers down!” he exhorted. Springsteen is often seen as a humorless champion of the common man, but this performance was proof otherwise. He’s a talented snake-oil salesman/song and dance man, and he made it clear we were in for a show.

2. He opens with “Tenth Avenue Freezeout”: If there is any song that could be considered the epic of the E Street Band, this is it. It’s a rollicking, fun track that gives Clarence Clemons a chance to shine.
3. He brought everyone with him, including a horn section: The Super Bowl show is as big as they come, and Springsteen is one of few performers (U2 among them) who can put on a show of a scale to do it justice.

4. He played a track from his new album: No, it wasn’t the more obvious “My Lucky Day,” but at least it was “Working on a Dream” and not “Queen of the Supermarket,” right?

5. He brought a gospel choir with him: Sure, you could see this as overkill, worked in this context. Again, it’s a big show (with an obviously big budget), so why not pull out all the stops?

6. He played a football-specific version of “Glory Days”: Few expected this track to be among the Boss’s four-song, 12-minute set, so it was a pleasant surprise. Wonders about the incongruity of a baseball song during the biggest football game were quickly dispelled as Springsteen changed baseball to football and speedball to hail Mary. From there, it was all fun.

7. Bruce got a referee into the mix: A show this big is as much theater as it is a music performance, and Bruce delivered. Yes, it was strange and unnecessary, but it was fun, too. And who can keep from laughing to see Little Steven declaring it “Boss Time?”

8. Springsteen continued his years-long shtick of trying to create a revival at his shows: Critics obviously haven’t seen the E Street Band in the last decade. Springsteen has long been about climbing on top of the piano, declaring the crowd righteous and doing his best to emulate James Brown. The man puts on a show. ‘Nuff said.

9. He got everyone involved: With that many people on stage, it would be easy to let a few seem superfluous. Not everyone was busy every moment, and you certainly couldn’t hear everyone every second, but the E Street Band is a well-oiled machine and everyone contributes. That means that, yes, Clarence even breaks out a cowbell on “Glory Days,” much as he has for the past 25 years.

10. Bruce needed no wardrobe malfunction to entertain us: Remember when a musician could just perform and that was enough? No wardrobe changes, no laser light shows, no choreography? Of course, Bruce was abetted by fireworks, but he didn’t need them. He showed that you can be family friendly and still rock.