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Thank You Bruno Mars

#62
Troph said:
Now with that said, I think Bruno Mars is great. His music owes a lot to 70s funk and 80s R&B/soul, with a few modern elements tossed in. Frankly, it would be great if this type of music catches on again in the pop scene. Some of his songs aren't really all that original -- more of a blend of previous licks and styles. They're stylistic throwbacks, and frankly, we need that once in a while. You know, with people playing instruments rather than samplers and pre-recorded loops.
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I agree.

Wallygator said:
1. The "Pre-recorded" track really shouldn't be a surprise. It's the SUPERBOWL! It's a football game not a rock concert and the time frame to pull it all off and the gazillions of dollars involved means nothing is left to chance. The NFL is calling the shots here, and the exposure it brings to the artist is off the hook. Let's face it nobody but us musicians are complaining about this today. Unless there is a horrible sound mishap, non musisicans aren't noticing this at all.
2. Bruno Mars entertained with an amazing performance, I didn't think the RHCP were necessary but all in all a high energy and solid halftime "show". Bruno definitely wears his influences on his sleeves but there ain't nothing original in rock n roll. I thought his James Brown dance moves were a tribute more than a rip off and the whole act screams motown. In a word FUN! Haters will always be hating.
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Another great post.

Clark Dark said:
I enjoyed every second and the seamless shift into "give it away" kept the energy at a high level. Both bands were doing their thing and it was a great combination. Bruno to me channels both James Brown and especially with his wardrobe, Jackie Wilson, two greats from the past. (I've gone and dated myself...lol)
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I thought the transition was great as well.

I don't get all the hate. Finally a half time with some level of musicianship and all we do is tear it down. I like Bruno. I still do. I'm curious to see what he can/will do.
 
#65
A couple of semi bitter, broke, aging, very talented musician friends were moaning and groaning through the half time show at the Super Bowl party I attended. I said "dudes, we've been watching the SB together for years now and y'all are still incredulous the NFL hasn't offered up a show you think is worthy? The advertisers aren't after your dollars if you had any or not" ( well, they might like us to buy a Chrysler if we could afford one, thank you Bob Dylan )
 
#67
I do not base my opinion of entertainers by the Super Bowl Half-Time show. This is the most pre-processed, fake performance... only number two to the "performances" you see on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Everything is pre-recorded, pantomime-performed, all for the sake of a risk-free show. I don't hold it against them, but I also mostly ignore it in terms of a 'real' performance.

What I am impressed by is the speed with which they set up the stage, etc. and then tear it down between the two halves of the football game. THAT is an impressive feat, that takes a lot of practice and repetition, as I know what it takes to set up for a 'real' live performance.
 
#68
Stewie26 said:
One thing people are missing here. Yes, it is prerecorded but there is a damn good reason. Think of the massive logistics involved in converting a football playing field to a highly automated performing stage in the matter of a just a couple of minutes. Oh, btw, no pressure, there over a hundred million viewers watching live and waiting for the show to go on. No time to trouble shoot if there is an audio problem with any of the equipment. The producers have to keep to a strict time table and minimize the risk that Murphy will visit while all this is being done. It's no wonder why the producers of the show would insist that it be prerecorded. Side Note: For those of you who have gigged a lot, think of how many times you have had an equipment problem after having the luxury of an hour or two of set up and a full sound check . Sh*t Happens!
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^
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This^ If you want unadorned live performance, watch Austin City Limits or Live From The Artists' Den. Mars has this vibe of a long term talent. Did you ever think that Justin Timberlake(not that I compare the two)would be around this long, and somehow be bigger than ever? Mars has far more class and depth than Kanye. I had initially avoided his material, but when I was finally exposed to it, I was very impressed. Like many here, not something I'd go out of my way to listen to, but I'd choose Mars over weenie stuff like Bastille or Imagine Dragons any time. As far as Prince is concerned, he was very blatant in his 'borrowing' from Brown, Hendrix, and Gaye, and still had his 15 minutes as the biggest thing in the world.
 
#70
Here is a pic of the actual bass Jamereo Artis featured during the halftime show w/ Bruno Mars.
 

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#71
Crazy_Climer said:
I do not base my opinion of entertainers by the Super Bowl Half-Time show. This is the most pre-processed, fake performance... only number two to the "performances" you see on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Everything is pre-recorded, pantomime-performed, all for the sake of a risk-free show. I don't hold it against them, but I also mostly ignore it in terms of a 'real' performance.

What I am impressed by is the speed with which they set up the stage, etc. and then tear it down between the two halves of the football game. THAT is an impressive feat, that takes a lot of practice and repetition, as I know what it takes to set up for a 'real' live performance.
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Totally agree. I was very disappointed, as they sometimes let you see the setup in the background as they are talking about what happened in the first 1/2, and I was bummed that we didn't get to see any of the setup.
 
#72
"Runaway Baby" on the 2012 Grammys is one of the tightest, most entertaining live performances I've ever seen. I sat up and took notice of Bruno Mars and his fantastic band that night.

Despite the cheesiness of the Super Bowl format, yesterday was pretty great. Sure beats "Up With People" (oops, just dated myself).
 
#73
avvie said:
Right, like Tainted Love, The Way We Were, Alone Again Naturally, Billy Don't Be A Hero, Mrs Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, I Will Survive, Achy Breaky Heart, Elvira, etc etc etc
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No. More like: (leaving out many, and starting only in the 20th century): Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Charlie Mingus, Art Blakey, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, BB King, The Yard Birds, Johnny Winter, Howlin' Wolf, Elvis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Dr. Ralph Stanley, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Hank Willaims, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Ernest Tubb, Chet Atkins, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix........
 
#77
Brad Johnson said:
I don't see how someone could look at it and not see "talent". And if they were curious as to whether they could actually do the same in a normal live environment... it wouldn't be very hard to find out.
:)
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Remember, even Milli Vanilli could put on a good show. Over-produced shows can mask serious flaws, up to and including the inability to sing or play an instrument. That's all I'm saying about the dangers of paying too much attention to the Superbowl Halftime show. :)

Now, of course, I know that is not the case with Mr. Hernandez, who is very talented. I love the fact that he both writes and performs music, and as I mentioned before, that he uses real instrumentation. I wish him success, and I hope he ushers in a new pop era focused on the music, rescuing us from the performance-focused morass dominated by Lady Gaga et. al.
 
#78
A) The guys in these bands don't get to decide if they play live, the network does. (Either way, both Bruno Mars and RHCP are more than capable of rocking tight live shows.)

Therefore, there are 3 choices:
1) Accept these parameters in exchange for an opportunity to expose an audience of a 100 million+ viewers to your songs.

2) Say no and hold on to what you consider to be 'your artistic integrity

3) Do what Nirvana did on this show when they were told only the vocal would be live...tell me if these guys are really playing!!


B) If you don't know who Bruno Mars is.....well.....you do now. Newsflash....He is arguably the biggest up and coming pop star alive today. He was arguably the biggest pop artist of 2013. He co-wrote 'F%$# YOU' or...'Forget You' by Cee Lo. If you haven't heard of him...and think that somehow 'your not knowing' diminishes how huge the guy is....I have another newsflash for you....you just exposed yourself....that is what you did....as way out of touch with what the kids are digging to the tune of millions of downloads today. I can just hear your parents now....."Beatles who?...no one 'I' know has ever heard of them.

C) You aren't really into pop music.

Ok...cool. Well...then you likely know as much about pop and what pop fans like as a dishwasher at your local Chili's knows about the paint the guy is selling down the street at Sherwin Williams, or as much as a typical teen pop fan today knows about Captain Beefheart or Modal Jazz.

You don't like pop. Cool. Pretty proud of you. Now back to the thread about the biggest pop artist of right now.
 

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