I just want to preface this blog with the following statement: I am a MASSIVE fan of Katy Perry. 
Having met her and having the chance to interview her, I can tell you honestly that she is one of the SWEETEST, NICEST, KINDEST people in this industry. She is a constant bright beacon of someone who doesn’t take themselves too seriously and has pinup girl playfulness about her that I really admire. To the right is the two of us a few years back…
Ok, with that being said, and with the knowledge that I am first and foremost a fan…let’s talk about last night…
I could not have been less amused by what took place during the halftime performance. The introduction, while seemingly original was a play on Madonna’s grand entrance in 2009. Not to mention that riding in on a giant metal animal made her look like one of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I don’t doubt that being vocally on point in front of a crowd that big isn’t a challenge…and I get that artists really strive to sing live to prove their vocal range…but honey, if you can’t make it work…make it work. If you can’t hit the notes of your songs because you’re distracted with GIANT ANIMATED SHARKS AND BEACH BALLS (I’m sorry, was I watching the Wiggles Live or HR Puff’N’Stuff) than just lip synch…seriously…I’d rather listen to good notes and bad dancing than bad notes and awkward dancing. The graphics on stage made me reach for my Dramamine. Was it chess? Was it a beach? Was it a desperate attempt to mask the fact that maybe the NFL made a bad choice in performers and you needed time to change into your papier-mâché costumes? It was all of those of those things.
Lenny Kravitz. I love me some Lenny. He is super talented and did an amazing job during his CSI like Cameo where he showed up, riffed two notes, and played personal stripper pole. Totally underutilized in my opinion. And here’s the thing…Katy brings out Missy Elliot (again, I thought I was trapped in a time vortex to 2001) and sings MISSYS songs, yet makes Lenny Kravitz just play the chorus of one of Katy’s songs?? And what was with the Miley Cyrus bump n grind? C’mon Katy. You’re better than that.
Missy Elliot. For those of you who don’t know, is an amazing performer. She has been around for decades and I love her songs. I love them so much that hearing them made me think about the days when she was relevant. She looked FANTASTIC. She’s battled some serious health issues and lost a ton of weight so for that I give her astounding credit. THAT HAIR?? Hair extensions, as someone who is going bald so my opinion might be moot, are one of those things where “less is more” comes into mind. Missy’s locks nearly strangled her during one of the songs and they were so all over the place that I thought she just clipped them off on the Budweiser Clydesdales. Too much.
The finale. Look, you were very fortunate to have had a song called Firework in a time when empowerment songs were a thing. Lady Gaga came out with “Born This Way” that year and Beyoncé (again, biased opinion but best performer in the last 10 years) came out with “Run The World” so your timing on your song made it a hit. Now, as you slowly flew across the arena singing firework it came as no surprise that you had fireworks exploding. Esthetically, it was pleasing. I mean really…to the 10,000 tech crew workers who had to execute it…kudos. To the one person responsible for actually keeping the halftime performance entertaining…no comment.
Verdict. I bet you can’t tell I’m actually a giant Katy Perry fan anymore huh? False. I am! I don’t think what she did was an easy task and I give her insane amount of props for taking on the challenge. But here’s the thing…you know the venue, you know the audience, you know that you have a slew of hits that you could have performed with a ton of superstar friends that would have loved to join you on stage. You also know you can’t dance and everyone just wanted to see your cleavage. But you did the exact opposite of not only what people expected which is fine…but what people enjoy about you as a performer. It’d be like Nicki Minaj singing Pavarotti or for that matter Pavarotti (is he still alive, I have to check) rapping to Nicki Minaj. It was too much of the wrong thing during a short time when you needed to roar…you meowed.
I still love you Katy Perry…it’s only one performance. Just the Super Bowl…no big deal.
Ps – I checked and Pavarotti died in 2007. RIP Pavarotti.
