Was it high-energy fun, or did the crotch grabs and stripper poles cross a line?
Halftime shows have been a thorn in the side of Superbowl event organizers for some time now.
Sometimes they’re in the news because of what happens DURING the performance — like the infamous ‘wardrobe malfunction’ that left Janet Jackson’s tata swinging in the breeze, or the not-too-subtle BLM message sent by Beyonce in 2016.
Other times, it’s been the inability to find a good act, with artists turning down the opportunity for various reasons.
And some others just flopped completely.
With the Superbowl being held in Miami, going with Shakira and JLo fits with the local culture, including their ability to sing both in English and Spanish. And that’s who they went with.
As someone who has lived in South Florida, musically, the uptempo energy of the Latin beats were (as the kids say) ‘pure fire’ and fit perfectly with a Miami party atmosphere. That wasn’t the part that left some people scratching their heads.
It was the performance itself.
Trump haters were expecting the Right to object over ‘race’.
Those who had a problem with it didn’t object to ‘race’ so much as ‘too racy’.
Interesting that in the #MeToo era, the @NFL chose this as their halftime show.
— Sara Fagen (@sarafagen2) February 3, 2020
Even the head of the FCC was a wee bit concerned about the halftime show…
[please no wardrobe malfunctions] [please no wardrobe malfunctions] [please no wardrobe malfunctions] [please no wardrobe malfunctions] [please no wardrobe malfunctions] [please no wardrobe malfunctions] [please no wardrobe malfunctions] #SBLIV #HalftimeShow
— Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Champs fan account (@AjitPaiFCC) February 3, 2020
JLo’s stripper pole, for example, got some people asking questions:
Stripper poles at the Super Bowl. Wow. Times have changed. #SuperBowlLIV
— Kerry Picket (@KerryPicket) February 3, 2020
That halftime show had a lot of Beaver Shots for GroundHog Day! ?????? #SuperBowl #SuperBowlLIV #SuperBowl2020 #SBLIV #SuperBowlAd #HalftimeShow #PepsiHalftimeShow #ratedR #Rrated #SuperBowlHalftimeShow pic.twitter.com/XZkQYzxxwx
— Becky Rios Morrison (@beckythebarber) February 3, 2020
This tweet has all sorts of awkward.
One might say she’s grabbing herself by the pussy.
— DUMPSTERFIRE2020 ? (@BridgetPhetasy) February 3, 2020
A few tried to make this about some sort of a political message, veiled or otherwise. But for the most part, it was just a couple of Latina musicians playing the songs that made them famous.
What did our readers think about the halftime show?