The Who at the Superbowl...

[leedsquietman]

Let's see how your band sounds on a live outdoor stage in front of 100,000 people. If you sound awesome then you'll be one a select few who can pull it off.

For a live broadcasting of an outdoor stadium gig, it sounded great. Outdoor stadium sound always sounds like ass and you get none of the vibe and atmosphere.

You'd probably have preferred they just blast Happy Hardcore out of the speakers after handing out free ecstasy to the crowd first for a real rocking vibe.

[loydb]

I'm old enough to have seen The Who back in the day. What I saw at halftime was just freaking sad.

On PTI, the question was asked, "Have Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake ruined SuperBowl halftime shows for the next 100 years?"

The answer was "Yes, yes they have."

[leedsquietman]

I would definately see that Who show over a million times before JT and Janet Jackson again.

I've also seen the Who play live but what you're comparing isn't the same thing (unless you happened to watch at another outdoor stadium in front of 100,000 mostly disinterested people, then piped through a TV set). I saw them play in 1982 (My dad is a Who nut) at Birmingham's NEC with all the mods and their vespas and that was also a great concert and I'm sure that sonically at a big indoor hall in front of less than 10,000 it sounded better. My dad saw them play in the 60s and 70s too.

You cannot manufacture a vibe or any kind of atmosphere when you're playing in a huge frickin' dome outside in front of 100,000 people, the majority of whom don't give a damn about the entertainment, because they're off to buy beer and hot dogs and in a massive queue to take a leak ....

I went to see Live 8 in Canada, The Guess Who, Rush and AC/DC - it was an awesome experience, but outdoor live sound universally sucks, but the vibe makes up for it and the awesomeness of the crowd freaking out makes you think it was fan-bloody-tastic. Then you come home and watch the Live 8 DVD through a TV set and - blah - balloon pops.

All concerts should be mandated as indoor, in a space that can fill no more than 10,000 people and then you might get a decent live sound. The Who's seminal 'Live At Leeds' album was recorded at the old Queen's Hall, (now long gone, it held no more than 1,500 and the last thing I went to there was a beer festival), it's not much bigger than the Cockpit, a nightclub/live venue.

They basically shouldn't bother with any music at The Superbowl, most of the crowd can't be arsed with it and nothing will ever sound good in that environment. Taking this into account, The Who sounded better than Springsteen, JT, Jackson and others from recent years.

[Sage]

Probably nice for fans of the band, just looked like a few drunk great uncles at a wedding to me.

First time I've properly given American football a go as well. Not convinced.

[Hidden Driveways]

They basically shouldn't bother with any music at The Superbowl, most of the crowd can't be arsed with it and nothing will ever sound good in that environment. Taking this into account, The Who sounded better than Springsteen, JT, Jackson and others from recent years.

Prince put on a better show a couple years ago. Tom Petty was good too, but Prince still owned.

I didn't have high hopes for The Who, but I think they did a great job. It took a partial song or two for them to get into the groove, but then they were on it.

I would give a dollar to know what Pete's Ablenerd log-in name is. Happy Jack & a Quick One still rules.

[leedsquietman]

I agree that Prince was better, but then again I can't think of anyone in watching the Superbowl for 20 years who was better than him - and I have also seen Prince live at an indoor arena back in the late 1980s and that was simply awesome.

Queen's performance at the British Live Aid was also phenomenal but these are pretty much exceptions to the rule.

[H20nly]

Let's see how your band sounds on a live outdoor stage in front of 100,000 people. If you sound awesome then you'll be one a select few who can pull it off.

/thread for haters.

[ThrowAway]

I was referring to the musical content not sound quality.