U2 Superbowl vs. Prince Superbowl

[Canadiens1131]

u2's 2002 super bowl performance was the right performance by the right band at the right time. the emotional factor of it being right after 9/11 is what makes it so special. take the aside, and it really wasn't anything special, per say...

based on performance and performance alone, prince's half time show was much better.

I choose to chop up your post and use only the part of it that I agree with

 

[tpsglick2424]

Yeah, I think that the 2002 performance by U2 was more emotional and probaly the best band at the time of what was happening with 9/11

But the 2006 Prince, was just PERFECT timing especially purple rain when everyone was getting soaked by "purple" rain because of the lights...

performance wise, i like U2's because it was more emotional to watch but Prince was just fun and uprising (and i'm not saying streets wasn't)

I like the Aerosmith and Nsync and everyone else because there was just so many people and it was fun and funny...

 

[Bono's Betty]

You can't compare the two because they are so different. I liked U2's and I liked prince too.

I always liked Prince but never really realised how talented the guy is. I have to agree with what other people have said, the songs choices were not that great. He shouldn't have done any covers when he has so many of his own hits to choose from.

 

[gvox]

I cried for both.

Honestly.

 

[Rachel D.]

Prince's performance just seems better to some people because it's more recent. It's not better. But I don't like Prince anyway. He's just gross. I imagine that he's crawling with STDs.

Super Bowl performances are very staged and phony, but U2's was different in that it was just so powerful. It was a mini U2 concert that billions of people saw all at once. Not to mention the context in which it was performed. U2's performance transcended the Super Bowl and touched the whole nation.

 

[U2Kitten]

Since my favorite team won the "Prince" Super Bowl, I'm going with that, since you put it that way in the title. If you only mean the halftime show, it's a good tie. Paul McCartney and the Stones were great too. I am glad the Super Bowl now uses big name rock acts. It used to give you boring, cheesy crap like the "Up Up With People" dancers

 

[gvox]

I imagine that he's crawling with STDs.

Everyone is entitled to opinion of course, but I think your imagination's running a bit wild there..

 

[Yahweh]

I dont know I changed the channel till the halftime was over when Prince was on it, so I cant comment.

 

[U2387]

Thank you, Sting 2!! You're exactly right, go to a Prince concert, and the marching band is gone but there are multiple performers, backing tracks, etc. The exact same with other super bowl halftime acts. U2's not only caputred the post 9/11 American mood with passion and pure class, they were the only halftime band I remember who just were allowed to go out there and play pure live music with only their own band members. It was a straight U2 performance that we've seen the last 30 yrs and everything was out of this world. I still can see the names scrolling behind Larry as he pounds the drums while Bono runs around the ellipse during Streets. No band has ever topped that live, certainly not at super bowl halftime! And for all the people saying U2 was scripted??? Every superbowl halftime show is scripted... its an event so colossal and with so much security(especially in 2002) and so many TV commercials that companies paid thousands for, that it literally goes off with military like precision. Everyone in the world is watching, and we don't generally do suprises there(exception, Janet Jackson!!), and that includes Prince. He knew exactly what he was going to do when he went out there, not that it wasn't good, but U2 actually stood on their own and delivered a far superior, raw live performance that captured a trying yet hopeful time period in our nation's history as only they could!

 

[tuwie]

u2 2002:
MLK/Streets

Prince 2007:
Watchtower/Best of Me/Purple Rain

omg two best transitions EVERRRRRRR. different, but both reallllllly memorable and spine-tingling in their own regards. ;]
mlk-->streets was flat out amazing.
the prince one rocked so hard. it was just utterly intense.

 

[gvox]

Any notion that U2 is somehow 'better' because they somehow 'stood on their own' without dancers and a marching band is ludicrous, and matter of taste at bare minimum.

U2's 'support' is it's crowd, and they were there in full force with glo-sticks in hand. Or was that spontaneous too? They did their show as they would a normal concert, with the same props and everything. The only thing they changed was how they segued those three songs, otherwise it was straight out of the Elevation tour (ETA: in theory/content, yes I do realize the execution was slightly different). Similarly, Prince has always had something extravagant up his sleeve, it's his style, and he played it to the hilt, just as U2 did.

U2's show was awesome for it's timeliness and tribute, and gets more of an edge from me on the emotional factor as their statement was more powerful than Prince's trip down memory lane (I mean, if you're old like me no way you can't hear him do Purple Rain 20+ years later and not get a bit sentimental, so that's a huge win for U2) and Prince's was awesome for sheer rock-outability, and evens out the score in terms of the fact that I do not believe he was using backing tracks, as evidenced by the more rough transitions, whereas I do believe U2 was.

Face it, in terms of Super Bowl performances, U2 = Prince = U2. It's an even tie.


ETA: holy thread resurrection batman!

 

[Varitek]

WTF is this thread doing?

And this year's halftime show is gonna rock.

 

[shaun vox]

Prince is a better rock guitar player than Edge.

 

[Canadiens1131]

U2, just because of circumstances.

9/11 was a disaster made for U2 to fix during a Super Bowl halftime show, let's be honest.

 

[Varitek]

U2, just because of circumstances.

9/11 was a disaster made for U2 to fix during a Super Bowl halftime show, let's be honest.

But we needed Iraq to fix 9/11!

 

[The Sad Punk]

I love Prince, I think he's a genius and I enjoyed his superbowl performance far more than U2's. I mean, I guess it was of the times and all, but it was too nevar forget to me. On the other hand, Prints just fucking kicked it up the whole show - regardless of any strange cover decisions.

Does anybody recall when Bono called Prince the "Busby Berkeley of (pop) music"? I rather like that quote.


But, wait... !

A new challenger approaches!

 

[Rob33]

U2 wins no comparison...i'm in agreement with all the others who say this is the greatest half time show in superbowl history

btw who is playing this year?

 

[corianderstem]

lol Rob ... look above your post.

 

[Rob33]

haha, i didn't notice for some reason

I think i'm still on that U2 3D high last night...HOLY SHIT WHAT A FILM...ok back to superbowl...sry

 

[4U2Play]

[B

[/B]

Please make these Tom Petty photos bigger, I'm on a purge diet.

 

[cjboog]

U2 by lightyears. There performance was the best I have seen recently. The general consenus from the town I live in is that Prince was shockingly bad. Most people also thought the Stones were awful too.

 

[BEVERLY56]

I love Tom Petty's music! I think I'm going to finally get to see him in concert this summer! That being said, and knowing I'm probably going to get blasted for saying this...

He is probably the ugliest man in music! If not, it's a close tie with Neil Young.

It has nothing to do with his music... just an observation.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

u2's was more meaningful... right thing at the right time kinda thing... prince's was a better pure performance.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

hey i already answered in this thread a while ago

 

[Jeannieco]

Please make these Tom Petty photos bigger, I'm on a purge diet.

 

[MrPryck2U]

Who was better? Please be specific.

I think Prince flattened U2's performance. Although u2 captured the post 9/11 US better than any actual American.

U2's performance felt more scripted, and I think some of the Beautiful Day vocal was canned(when Bono walked through the crowd.

u2fp

You gotta be fuckin' shittin' me? This is a U2 site! So, to answer your question: U2, U2, U2!!!!! I've seen most of the Super Bowls and U2's performance was/is/always will be the best!

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

it's a u2 site, but we don't all have to be feckin' sheep.

 

[shaun vox]

Amen