McCartney plays it safe at halftime gig

McCartney plays it safe at halftime gig

McCartney plays it safe at halftime gig

Feb. 7, 2005 12:00 AM

A year after a media explosion over Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction," Sir Paul McCartney restored some sanity to the Super Bowl halftime show with a performance whose only fireworks came during his James Bond theme, Live and Let Die.

It wasn't cutting-edge stuff, but the National Football League has wisely rediscovered that the Super Bowl viewers aren't a very radical crowd. The kids downloading the latest Modest Mouse tracks from iTunes were in their rooms staring at computer screens Sunday evening, not watching the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles on TV.

Fans of all ages in Alltel Stadium seemed revved up when McCartney opened with a blast from his Beatles days, Drive My Car, with flashy video screens running from the stage toward the four sides of the stadium. He played things safe: three Fab Four songs (Get Back and Hey Jude rounded things out) and the Bond theme from his Wings days, with frenetic passages lending themselves to pyrotechnics. No songs from his uneven solo career. advertisement


McCartney, who still looks slightly boyish at 62, efficiently nailed things, like he has done in hundreds of stadiums worldwide on recent global tours.

It may have been a big deal for the NFL, but this performance came off as just another gig for McCartney. And that, as opposed to last year's surprise, no doubt thrilled Super Bowl organizers.

- Larry Rodgers