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To be fair, the planning for this started many months before the Inauguration.
Superbowl LIV halftime show
- Thread starter dvsDave
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I'm sure, but they made a somewhat out of the ordinary decision to go with one single performer instead of showcasing multiple, close him off at one end of the stadium and within his own staging and his own alter ego. I understand wanting to minimize bringing staging onto the field with a giant crowd of unpaid help dragging the equipment along, but everything about this show felt impersonal and closed off and is the result of a series of artistic decisions that were made and stacked on top of each other. If you were to make a recipe for how to avoid connecting with an audience, it would be all of those factors combined.
I really loved this performance he did on the Late Show that was a similar production style, but even at the time it felt awkward that it was a completely pre-recorded bit leaving an audience in a room without a performer. As a standalone work it's beautiful. As a performance style for a live community it leaves something to be desired.
JChenault
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Along with what Mike has said, a friend of mine pointed out how due to the round edges of the “buildings” they in fact looked like head stones. If by choice, certainly and interesting one.
Ancient Engineer
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How do you really feel, Mike? /nudge, wink
Generally speaking the "artist" doesn't have much control over the broadcast mix, the producer and NFL insist on a full on pre-record of audio and dress rehearsal video for "just in case" even if the live-ish audio and video are not precluded. That the under mix of vocals was persistent could be an artistic choice (I've done it under direction), the possibilities for any number of polarity flips, bad cables, misconnections cannot be dismissed. Nothing being done could mean artist choice, but....
Robert Scovill has a story about the Tom Petty half time show and how the wrong snapshot in the console was recalled; we got to listen to Scovill rebuild the mix from roughed-in to finished product in one song, and that the reason the pre-record wasn't used was... wait for it.... because the director didn't hear a problem. Petty's on screen, Petty is up in the mix, all is good...
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something, something, an opportunity squandered, blah, blah, something else
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- Feb 15, 2017
I'm thinking I could have spent more time in the kitchen.something, something, an opportunity squandered, blah, blah, something else
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- Waterdown, ON, CA
Or the washroom perhaps (Head down or buttocks down)?I'm thinking I could have spent more time in the kitchen.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
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- Feb 15, 2017
Neither, the performance wasn't THAT bad...
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- Sarasota, FL
Because I love to split hairs, I think it was a fine performance in terms of execution. Just an artistically misguided one given the nature of the event and the moment in time we're in as a culture.
Little bit like a Dave Matthews concert. Dave Matthews Band is an excellent musical act but usually around minute sixty-three of the saxophone interlude you realize he's probably making love to the microphone to compensate for something he's not getting at home and the performance isn't really for the audience that's right there in front of him.
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Damn, that's cold.
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- Mar 31, 2008
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- Tacoma, WA
Listening in stereo, the lead vocal was very wet. I suspect the mix was optimized for 5.1 surround and something about it didn't translate down to stereo well. I've heard this problem on other CBS live shows in recent years. I don't know where it falls apart in the broadcast chain, but somebody didn't get the memo.
Some years ago, NPR did a much touted New Year's Eve show in some form of encoded surround, as a proof of concept. I listened to it in stereo and, to me, it was an awful, unfocused mix. I couldn't localize anything. Perhaps it sounded good to the 5 listeners with proper decoding and a calibrated home theater system. That was the only time they ever did it.
Some years ago, NPR did a much touted New Year's Eve show in some form of encoded surround, as a proof of concept. I listened to it in stereo and, to me, it was an awful, unfocused mix. I couldn't localize anything. Perhaps it sounded good to the 5 listeners with proper decoding and a calibrated home theater system. That was the only time they ever did it.
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- DC Metro Area
aeh20s
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- Oct 15, 2013
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- Northern Virgina
From a technology aspect, I find this to be amazing. This is from PixMob the company that provided all the crowd LED effects for the Halftime show.
www.pixmob.com
Moving Head: How it works
PixMob is renowned for their top-quality LED wristband technology. Get in touch with PixMob to amplify events & involve the crowd in the show.
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I'm pretty sure that entire opening sequence was all a recorded video played on the big stadium screen. Take another look at it here.
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- Jan 26, 2010
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- Ypsilanti, Michigan
The Pixmob units are also what the dancers had and then there were a handful of cameras with a 1mm streak filter that they could cut to for the effects on the field during that portion.From a technology aspect, I find this to be amazing. This is from PixMob the company that provided all the crowd LED effects for the Halftime show.
Moving Head: How it works
PixMob is renowned for their top-quality LED wristband technology. Get in touch with PixMob to amplify events & involve the crowd in the show.
Ben Stiegler
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- Aug 3, 2017
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- Sf Bay Area
Meh. I watched on fast forward after a while. I have little appreciation for arrangements and mixes with zero space and no musical dynamics left in them. Less is more, said the old codger. And ... get off my lawn!