Prior to last night's game, everyone assumed the halftime show would devolve into a preachy mess. Fans were bracing for it, the press was salivating for it, and there were early indicators that it would happen. Then, America was stunned. Obviously musical tastes and opinions vary, but the consensus seems to be that Lady Gaga's halftime show was not particularly political, and it was also pretty good.
I guess it's something of a testament to the current, ugly, trend in sports and entertainment that the most shocking thing a performer like Gaga can do is not be too shocking.
Yes, Songs like "This Land is Your Land" and "Born this Way" have political overtones, but at least the audience wasn't being brow-beaten with political correctness. Even if you think that such a minor level of messaging was a bridge too far, you have to admit it was an improvement over last year’s Black Lives Matter free-for-all. Heck, she even put "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Overall, as halftime shows go, it was not too shabby.
If you missed it, or refused to watch it, you can do so here:
If you're inclined to carp about how much you hate the music, bear in mind: You're entitled to your opinion, but for everyone who can't stand Lady Gaga there's someone who feels the same way about Prince, Tom Petty, Bruno Mars, The Who, McCartney, or U2.
...And if you're still screaming about "the message" think about this: if conservatives are going to constantly rail against pop culture when it hammers them with political posturing, and then rail just as loudly when performers back off the screeds, you're only going to make your own message less relevant.
Kudos to Lady Gaga - a staunch Clinton supporter - for recognizing this wasn't the place for airing election grievances.
