I think I may have just discovered a new way to measure the generation gap–just ask your friends what they thought about Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime show last night.
I don’t watch the Super Bowl because I’m not interested in professional football, and I had never seen (seriously) a halftime show before last night, so I can’t compare it to anything. but I thought it was AWESOME. I was absolutely shocked to read some of the comments made by my Facebook friends who are (I suspect) slightly/a lot younger than I..
“Lucky Star” came out in 1983, when I was 16. It was the third song released from Madonna’s debut album, but it’s the first on I remember hearing and liking on the radio. I can actually remember wondering who the singer was. And that’s just about when MTV went live (newsflash to you youngsters out there: they showed videos then!) and I remember watching her “Borderline” video. I remember being horrified and embarrassed (can they really play this on the radio? I remember wondering) when I first heard “Like a Virgin.”
So Madonna provided a lot of the soundtrack for my high school experience. And my enthusiasm for her music grew when I was in college. My roommate and I and our friend Tom used to dance to “Get into the Groove” as part of our pre-exam good luck ritual when we were freshmen. I loved her “True Blue” stage. I remember Tom and me ditching our summer bed-making toilet-cleaning job to stand at the payphone calling over and over again to get tickets to her concert in the summer of 1987. My God, that concert was 25 years ago but I remember it well–RFK Stadium with Madonna so far away she looked like a dancing doll on the stage.
As the years went by, Madonna continued to inspire, shock, and sometimes annoy. I’m not a big fan of blasphemy, for example. But she was always talented, always original. Her ability to reinvent herself instead of sticking to the tried and true is innovative and amazing and has kept her fresh for all these years.
One of my favorite television moments was seeing Madonna on “The David Letterman Show,” chiding Dave because he had not yet married the mother of his son. Madonna? Recommending a conventional relationship? It was surreal. But just like the rest of us, Madonna got older, had kids, maybe grew up just a little bit.
And, hello, the woman is 53. Fifty-freaking-three, and she just appeared in thigh high boots and a mini-skirt (no fat, no wobbles). She danced for 15 minutes without getting out of breath. She did all these deep knee bending moves and didn’t need to hold on to something to stand back up. She turned CARTWHEELS. I read comments saying that she danced like someone’s mother, that she looked old and slow, that it was sad to watch her. The only thing I thought was sad about her performance is that she’s nine years older than I am and she looks a hell of a lot younger.
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She was definitely part of the “soundtrack” of our high school years. I thought she was great. Having seen her live, I can say she put on one of the most spectacular shows I’ve ever seen. How can it not be good when she rises up from the stage in a head-stand???
No kidding! And I also loved the whole “over the topness” of last night–the gladiators (I guess that’s what they were), the marching band–it was great!
Watched with room full of people about 5 years younger than me. Madonna was part of the soundtrack of my middle school, high school and college years. I thought she looked great and sounded great and said so last night. The younger folks in the room seemed to think she was a big joke. Oh, and terrible. They especially mocked her dancing. My kids, however, really liked her. I guess to them she’s retro. Sort of like when I listened to the music from the 1950s (when I was a kid in 80s) and liked it because my mother liked it. I think she looks great AND she can actually sing and dance. I thought she put all the other folks out there on stage with her to shame.
What I want is to see all those “young people” dancing when thay are 53!
She was AMAZING last night! I’m not a big fan of her ego, but I can’t help but respect how truly talented she is. And just a little, teensy, fyi: I won a lip-sync contest in college performing “Burning Up”. Yay!
Jodi, thanks for stopping by and commenting. I just visited you and I love your subtitle, AND I want some bacon-infused sauerkraut right now! Yay for the lip syncing!
You forgot to mention that it rained during the concert and we shared the rain with Madonna! I thought the show was great. I’ve seen her in concert a few times since and I will see her again. Musically, she may have jumped the shark, but there is nothing that can make me feel 19 again like seeing her perform live.
I forgot about the rain! She probably won’t come anywhere near here but if she did I would love to see her again.
she was amazing. i didn’t watch the game but i stopped what i was doing to sit down with everyone to watch her 🙂 i can only hope to look that good at 53!
I’m 44 and I look a lot worse than her now! I think she’s an inspiration for older women.
I loved it too! She is amazing!
I freaking LOVE her! She rocks, hands down, and is still going. It’s so “funny” to me to read review of Mick Jagger “still going” – I adore him too but hate the double standard – great post!!!!
I’m with you. Watched the superbowl for the halftime show and commericals. Not the game. I also thought Madonna was great. If I look that good at her age, I’d be estatic! Props to Madonna and you! I like your blog! =)
Thanks for visiting and commenting! I’m glad I’m not the only one who was impressed by her. Someone was complaining about how slow her cartwheel was. Seriously?