After January, a month filled with speculation as to whether Miss B sang live or to a backing track at the Inauguration, she kicked off February with an energetic Super Bowl Halftime performance, proving once again she is the real deal. A rare backing-track performance (especially by this supremely talented vocalist) should not a huge controversy had made.
She started the Halftime performance silhouetted in her signature stance, hoisted up on a lift. After a brief snippet of Love On Top, she called out a “1-2-3-4” and strutted in rhythmic “show-pony” style to Crazy In Love. The series of “uh-oh; uh-oh; uh-oh; oh, no, no’s” performed in line with the female dancers was a highlight. Next was the shimmy-heavy End of Time, with even more female dancers around her. Then, she segued into the dancehall/reggae-inspired Baby Boy.
For the Destiny’s Child section, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams made quite the entrance. In the intro of their song, Bootylicious, which samples the guitar lick from Stevie Nicks’ Edge of Seventeen, you can hear, “Kelly, can you handle this?/Michelle, can you handle this?/Beyonce, can you handle this?/I don’t think you can handle this/I don’t think you’re ready for this jelly, ‘cause my body too bootylicious for ya babe.”
After celebrating the thicker, curvier body type, they transitioned into their song, Independent Women from the first Charlie’s Angels film. With its inspiring message on the importance of female (financial) independence, they conveyed that the: “Shoes on my feet, I bought it/The clothes I’m wearin’, I bought it/The rock I’m rockin’, I bought it/‘Cause I depend on me.” This song is definitely for “all the honeys who makin’ money.” (Note, at the lyric: “The rock I’m rockin…” Beyonce flashes the triangle/diamond-rock-shaped hand sign, a sign long representing her husband, the rapper and mogul, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. He uses “Roc” as a prefix for some of his business ventures. For example, Rocawear clothing; Roc-a-Fella Records, as well as the entertainment artist-management company, RocNation, which is co-branded with LiveNation.)
Now, back to the song. The vocal harmony at the bridge is especially good: “Child of destiny/Independent beauty/No one else takes care of me/Charlie’s Angels.” Also note at the end of this song: “Good morning, Angels. Good morning, Charlie.” This greeting was heard in several Charlie’s Angels episodes, where Charles Townsend (John Forsythe) speakerphones into his agency to brief the female detectives on their next assignment.
Single Ladies is next in the set list, and you know what that means… left hands, sans wedding rings, oscillate to the beat; Beyonce encouraging devoted, disrespected women to ask, “Where my ring at?” And once those women leave and become single ladies meeting new men, they have a request of their jealous ex-beaus: ‘Cause if you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it/Don’t be mad once you see that he want it.”
And for the finale, Halo, a soulful power ballad.
This 13-minute Halftime performance is impressive. To think her concerts probably last another 1½ hours. She’ll certainly display that on the Mrs. Carter Tour, beginning later this Spring. And for a glimpse into the life of this normally personally guarded, yet professionally giving performer, check out her documentary premiering on HBO this Saturday evening, February 16th entitled, Life Is But A Dream. I wonder what March will be like. BSo
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