Well, just watched the half-time Super Bowl, and I am impressed and (should I say it?), surprised by The Weekend. Perhaps it's my biases at play here, but I am shocked and happy about it. Or as I was coached at my job, my "unconscious bias". I loved it!
I had heard some of The Weekend's songs on the radio before but didn't really know who he was. They were catchy but didn't think much of it.
Then the song, "Blinding Lights" came out and I really liked it and paid a little more attention.
I like all kinds of music, POP, included but mainly 80's music.
Blinding Lights has a 80's vibe and so that is why I like it.
Then I heard his song, "Save Your Tears" and absolutely loved it. Another song with 80's style to it. Performed during the half time show.
I don't really understand his style or anything (especially with face bandages) but that's ok because I am not really following him or watching his videos but like his music.
So I bought his new "Highlights" album, a compilation of his greatest hits so far.
The album sound quality is really good! If you like POP and like his songs, you should get that album.
"Didn't Michael Jackson lip sync? He curiously sounded almost exactly like the recordings."
One time I saw and heard him, he did sound very close to recordings. Just a little more of a, believe it or not, growl at times. Music was different, but he was flawless. Lyp-syncing, or not, those were a couple of hours of extraterrestrial experience. As my friend said when we were leaving the stadium..."What happened to us? Where were we? Did someone abduct us for a while and brought us back now?" Granted, we were way way in the front and it was the first concert of that tour.
I had never heard, or heard of, Mr. Weekend before the Super Bowl ads. I was looking forward to something new and entertaining. I saw something new but not entertaining for me, nor for the other viewers in the room. I did not like the show. I did not like the songs. I did not like the masks, too close to reality and disconcerting. None of the viewers in my home could understand the lyrics. It was a waste of a lot of money and hype. It was one thing, safe. No controversy that I saw. No sexy dancing. No profane or questionable language. Just boring to my household. Hope next year is better.
I thought the Weeknd was excellent. Good to see modern R&B chosen as genre along with a performer from this Century. Silky smooth voice. Creative in what he did with social distancing and covid. Like how he integrated his stance on superficial beauty of plastic surgery of having face bandages on his dancers which were functional face masks (brilliant). He has worn bloody face bandages on himself (like on SNL), but the choice of not wearing was smart as that would really freak out ’Merica. Sound quality is always problematic in a stadium like that. It was no Prince and not likely in the top ten superbowl shows, but it was decent modern R&B. Sorry most of you were dissappointed, maybe next year they can drudge up some lily white big name from the 70’s. The major beer sponsors should be back, maybe Bruce Springsteen again. Gratuitous cheap DWI shot, sorry Bruce Luv ya!
I like Mr. Jacksons music. It was POP!!. I like POP.. I loved Prince, I thought he was one of the coolest to EVER grace the musical and entertainment stage.
I saw him when he was 16 or 17. Never forget that, a LONG trench coat and women lingerie. He jumped off a 20 foot speakers and did the splits...
He was there with the Tubes or some crazy thing..
I also saw him at the Oakland Coliseum he was 48 or 9 at the time... The best show I ever saw.. I know I've see at least 150-175 concerts around here, and over seas.. That was the best.. entertainment and music by far.. The stage was an X, 4 runways, he covered every square inch.. LOL
I usually like the big pop halftime shows - I was particularly fond of Katy Perry's a few years back - but I just couldn't get into The Weeknd; I didn't find either the music or the visuals particularly inspiring, but I'll also take current circumstances into account.... I still want to see Metallica do the halftime show, though...
Most boring halftime show I’ve seen in years. Kept my interest for about 30 seconds.
My feelings too.
I think I need a high end surround sound system. Maybe 2-channel isn’t enough to fully appreciate a spectacular like Super Bowl halftime. Maybe I need to buy more stuff!!!!!!!
What is the correct way, in this thread at least, to call the singer from U2? Is Bono acceptable or should it be Bono Vox? Should it be his childhood name instead?
Can I be on the first name basis with Elvis, or should I make sure to refer to him as Elvis Presley all the time? Is it according to the rules if I omit Aaron at least?
The Super Bowl halftime shows used to be more interesting. This is a list of all the shows. The first game had the Anaheim High School Steppers Drill Team and Flag Girls. Super Bowl V had the Southeast Missouri State Marching Band. Super VI had, in addition to the Marine Corp Drill Team, a tribute to Louis Armstrong with Ella Fitzgerald singing "Mack the Knife". And let's not forget the four times the show starred Up With People. Super XXV was unique in that it had both the absolute best musical moment in Super Bowl history and the start of the decline of western civilization. Whitney Houston sang the national anthem and New Kids On the Block were the halftime shown.
I preferred the Up With People shows from the late 70s early 80s over the Weakend show. Seriously. And I didn't think those were jockstraps on the dancers heads, I thought they were diapers.
What the hell were you guys expecting anyway? It was a half time show! Having said that, I have to agree with audio2design (about The Weeknd, not the uncalled for accusation deserving an apology).
I suppose my expectations were low and it was the first time I even heard of the guy. He has a nice enough and pleasant voice, sings in tune and the song was pretty well crafted and catchy......all, considering it is Pop. He exudes a pleasant vibe that makes one think that he’s probably a nice enough guy; unlike the over-the-top “look at me”, or “diva” vibe of many of today’s Pop “artists”. Ironically, probably the very reason that some of today’s Pop music consumers might think he is lame. Sign of the times.
"
Posting it twice as you did is trying to make something out of it, and not in a nice way. It is pretty obvious the goal."
Please explain to me what I was trying to "get out of it" and what was my "obvious goal". IMO: You are being opaque, the attack was not deserved or appreciated.
I think the SB halftime shows fall victim to the same problem the game itself does: very high expectations. After all the build-up, people want to be wowed with something good they haven’t seen, and in real life that is hard to do. In a regular concert venue, I’m sure the Weeknd’s performance would have been a big hit, but at halftime of the Super Bowl, it is easy to feel let down.
Also, the SB strives to appeal to a broad audience; something concert’s don’t necessarily have to do. You feature a vintage act, you mostly get older folks; you feature the latest young sensation, it will mostly be a young crowd. Trying to please various groups often falls short. I think Gaga and Bruno Mars both put on good shows, but normally the acts fall short . . like the game itself.
No one touches the Beatles and Dylan to me. The Byrds, Animals, Stones, Zep, Who, Kinks, Floyd, CSNY, Allman Bros, Prine, Bruce, Tull, Chicago, Elton, Seger, REM, Talking Heads, U2, Willie, Emmylou, Lucinda etc. and scores more, all among my favs.--but in those days I used to sometimes spend hours listening to an album before I realized how much I liked the band (Thick As A Brick anyone?). Music was then and remains now extremely meaningful to me--sometimes as pure fun and other times as thought provoking musical poetry.
The attention span of most music fans under age 25 today is not the same as it was when I grew up. Video games, youtube, tiktok, instant messaging and other forms of engagement or entertainment simply did not bombard me during my rarely inactive (ie-non-sports occupied) leisure time. That time was spent reading, watching some tv and mostly listening fairly intently to music at length. I wonder how often teenagers and early 20 somethings have the inclination to sit down undisturbed with a lyric sheet and listen to an entire album a number of times before deciding it it’s ok, good or great.
As a 60+ year old, I do not give most music today the same privilege because, well, I just don’t find it "musical" or involving. Albums often don’t cohere. Lyrics, usually the product of teams of formula lyricists, do not grab me and, frankly, are not as literate as some of the great music of the 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s. The music today often sounds like the same compressed garbage where musicianship and vocal talent are not part of the mix. But over the past few years, I’ve given some bands like 21 Pilots a number of listens and find that they are, in fact, very musical and very talented in a completely different way than I had ever experienced. Oblique lyrics, synthesizer dominated--but with a rock heart and attitude and excellent melodies that invoke genuine emotional response. There are only a handful of such groups and they are the exceptions. That being said, the wife asked me months ago to get an album by the Weeknd which I have occasionally listened to with her. It’s pretty good (not great), but there are some catchy tunes there and some excellent, albeit compressed, production. Since I knew some of his songs, I was actually able to enjoy the halftime show. Had I not been familiar with the album, I certainly would not have. This struck me as I watched the halftime show. Sure enough, my work colleagues thought it was terrible.
I do not lose sleep over the fact that as i get older, I hear less and less musical talent on the airwaves. I don’t lose sleep wondering if the style of the music of my youth (with exceptions like the Beatles and Dylan) will be to the future generations what Perry Como was to mine---anachronistic and meaningless. Rather, I often wonder how many groups like 21 Pilots are "buried in the hail...poisoned in the bushes an’ blown out on the trail" of most of the crap I hear today and how I can separate the wheat from the chaff so that I can capture and enjoy the likes of 21 Pilots more often.
1978. Al Hirt. I think Pete Fountain played one year. Not going to fly anymore as folks want fireworks and glitz. But at some point it may tilt back after the excess becomes tiresome to the jaded masses.
dill try to fool someone else. Posting it once is pedantic even informative. Posting it twice as you did is trying to make something out of it, and not in a nice way. It is pretty obvious the goal.
Today’s youth seem to care more about the choreography than the actual music. Growing up, you never saw Hendrix, The Who, Tull, Floyd, etc with dancers behind them.
What disingenuous trollop. How did Pete Townsend smashing guitars or Floyd’s lights and pyrotechnics enhance the music? It was as much ’performance" as anything today.
With the exception of John Williams, how many classical music artists do you know that write their own stuff? Michael Jackson didn’t play an instrument. Lots of rock singers barely do.
The Weeknd writes his own songs and has some collaborations.
I don’t know what that music is called, as I only listened for the first minute before I turned it off. If I had to guess, I would say Pop but who knows. It is not we older people that have strange music taste, it’s the children of today. Many of these phenomenons don’t play any instruments or write their own songs. I never really cared for pop or as we called it in my youth, bubblegum music. I am Rock guy, real Rock, jazz and some Classical. I like certain female vocalists, but not Lady Ga Ga. Today’s youth seem to care more about the choreography than the actual music. Growing up, you never saw Hendrix, The Who, Tull, Floyd, etc with dancers behind them. Well, this old guy is going to take a nap now.
My daughter was meh on The Weekend as well. She considers Michael Jackson’s appearance before her time back in early 90’s the one to beat.
I think I recognized some tunes I have heard before there underneath all the production and glitz but not enough of a Weekend expert to say for sure.
I’ll stick to the studio versions of most things over live Super Bowl performances over the years. Granted sound and acoustics are much improved in newer NFL stadiums. I was in the sweet spot for Paul McCartney at Fedex Field a few years back and that was actually veeery good. But most Super Bowl halftime shows to me are just a big hot mess....at least on TV.
Wow, I feel sorry for the kids that lived in most of your households. I am in my 50's, but I could easily sing along to most songs by The Weeknd. There is a reason why he gets a billion+ views on Youtube. Songs are uber catchy, have a great beat, and he has a half decent voice. I was a very late baby at the time, my parents were almost 40 years older than I am, but we always had a big cross section of music playing in the house. I know my kids would listen to the Weeknd, but they know Who, Stones, and Depeche mode too. Maybe this fuels that argument that audiophiles use music to listen to their equipment and not their equipment to listen to music.
And ya, dill, I am sure your motivations were innocent. Not.
I dunno, the way the Weeknd sounds phonically reproduced as the weakened. Maybe it's just me, I thought he was pretty good. Now, not as good as GaGa was, but then again, really don't care for her much either. AB
RE: the Weeknd, I had no idea what the songs or lyrics were at halftime but yesterday my 4 year old grandson asked Siri to play Weeknd, and my daughter really likes him. It's a generational thing - us oldsters just aren't tuned into todays music. I guess they don't need bands, just choreography and backing tracks. I'll take Lyle Lovett's Large band anyday.
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.
