Underwhelming or artistic?
Rapper Kendrick Lamar just finished his Super Bowl halftime performance, and I’m struggling to decide whether there is a lot to digest or whether there’s really nothing to digest at all. First we had Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam? But of course, SZA owned that performance. The only thing I can say is I wish he would have given her one or two songs of her own, especially given that SOS Deluxe: LANA just dropped with some really incredible songs. Honestly, I think Kendrick’s performance got worse and worse as it went on, so let’s digest what we can here.
So, just wondering, I mean I might have missed something but really what was the whole Uncle Sam thing? I was trying to digest this and I was confused as to whether or not this could have been an ironic or sarcastic decision to include this? When I was watching it I was kind of thinking it was a form of mockery to the country, I mean given the current situation in the U.S. just with everything, I wouldn’t doubt it? And the way that he just kept coming back and ‘interrupting’ Kendrick just kind of ruined the flow and the whole performance in my opinion. In the end, not sure how I felt about it but at the same time I don’t think I am supposed to know how I felt about it.
Next, we can of course talk about Queen SZA. Not only did she look absolutely stunning in the red, her voice?! She sounded angelic. Seriously, my jaw was immediately on the floor, she is just so incredible and I wish she was the whole halftime show herself. Additionally, I have no clue why she didn’t get more time and she didn’t get to play some of her own songs. I feel like at the halftime show, usually there is two artists and the guest gets their own little moment but SZA really didn’t get that which was really disappointing. I feel like her performing Scorsese Baby Daddy and BMF would have been so iconic and I would have loved that. I think it might have been a self-esteem thing for Kendrick? Like he knew that everyone probably would have enjoyed SZA’s performance more than his so he wanted to protect that which honestly, I’ll give it to him that’s really fair. I just think that SZA added so much to that half time show, and I think she deserved more, but what she did get was incredible.
Now I guess we should talk about the main event. To start, I think that the beginning of Kendrick Lamar’s performance was actually really cool. All of the background dancers coming out of the car, and then forming the American flag and dancing in that formation while he played HUMBLE. and and DNA. was really cool and I was thinking it was gonna be a really good overall performance. The only thing is that after those two songs–besides Not Like Us – he didn’t really play his most popular songs, and I really didn’t know any of them.
To add to that, after that opening sequence with the flag, the choreography was extremely underwhelming and I was just thinking about if I was at the Super Bowl, and was any farther than the 100’s section, I probably would have been bored out of my mind. It was such a small stage that the people in the nose bleeds probably didn’t even know what was happening. I mean when doing comparison’s look at Katy Perry’s performance. She was on a huge lion singing Roar. Like Kendrick, I am sorry, but you just did not live up to that caliber.
Although I did feel underwhelmed, I can’t help but wonder if there was a big message I was missing and this performance was actually an artistic masterpiece. I mean that is a very big possibility, so if it was and I missed it, someone please let me know.
I think for the type of music that Kendrick has, he did okay. All things considered he still is obviously an incredible artist, I mean he won Song and Record of the Year, so there is something being said with that. I just wish I was a little more amazed by this performance because I did have high hopes and expectations that were unfortunately let down. Overall I think Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show was underwhelming and could have been executed better.