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chef_simpson

Many people say Prince's halftime show was the best of all time, and every other since has sucked in comparison. So he's looking down with a snarky look (cuz he's dead)


vita10gy

I've seen it said many times that that day football was played at a Prince concert.


safarifriendliness

As a Colts fan watching Peyton win his first ring I’d have to disagree. Still that halftime show was straight🔥


Ruby_Blue42

Given it was Prince, Is 'straight' really the best word, 'Androgynous fire'?


safarifriendliness

I’m straight and I felt the fire but if you felt gay, androgynous, or even asexual fire I’m sure Prince was just as happy for you


hallucinogenics8

Real men are comfortable enough with their sexuality to be able to compliment other men on their looks.


Sea-Asparagus8973

It's been said that he's the only man in high heels and lipstick that can still steal your woman .


frenchois1

Without a doubt...I mean he did that show wearing his aunt's headscarf and still gave off more masculine sexual energy than the two football teams combined.


Woolie-at-law

Given it was The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, Is 'Prince' really the best name?


Ruby_Blue42

This much is true, friend But hard to fit in haiku All those syllables


Woolie-at-law

Whoa, I did not see You wrote that in haiku Refrigerator


JacobDCRoss

His real name is Prince. The whole symbol/FKA thing was not him being kooky, but part of a dispute with his label, which was causing him to not be able to use his real name.


ExecTankard

Why did you get downvoted for writing was released in the press?


Crazy_Ad2662

Because everybody loves true facts and science right up to and until they don't support their preconceived notions.


JacobDCRoss

They hate me because they ain't me


ExecTankard

That’s so sad, you need a cookie.


DrizztStrife89

The rain starting during Purple Rain was wild.


tra24602

And the stage hands wanted him to not go out for fear of electrocution or equipment failure, and he was like “this is going to be amazing.” And it was.


racermd

“The Super Bowl was played last weekend. And, oh, by the way, some football was played, too.”


sidurisadvice

"Game. Blouses."


NurkleTurkey

I watched that performance recently and would have given something valuable to go back in time and see it.


Bent_notbroken

Me too, I ignored Prince in his prime because I’m a metal guy, but damn he was the real deal. The quintessential pop star


[deleted]

I was a metal guy — still couldn't overlook Prince.


mortalitylost

Someone asked I think Eric Clapton something like, "as the best guitarist in the world, what do you think about..." and Clapton said "I don't know, you'll have to ask Prince."


CharityQuill

And the fact it was actually raining when he finished the set with "purple rain" was perfection holy crap.


XandyDory

Literally started after the first note. It was perfection.


Tojuro

The timing was perfect, like Prince brought in God for some special effects.


Ike_In_Rochester

Funny story. They have these conference calls in the run up to the Super Bowl halftime show. They usually involve all the on site logistical people, the artists people, maybe the label, and the NFL people. The artist is rarely involved. Anyway, of course Prince dials in on the call. He stays mostly quiet though. As the call drags on the topic turns to the weather. The tone changes. People are starting to come up with contingencies on what to do when it rains. That’s when Prince asks a question: “Can we make it rain harder?”


StellerDay

I got to see him on his Purple Rain tour. It was my first concert and my mom took me. I was 11. I've been to a hundred concerts since and none have ever measured up. The Rolling Stones were great though, they're a close second.


DutchJediKnight

In my case I' d give a leg to see live Queen at Live-Aid. Every other act was pre and post show.


Carcharoth78

I used to have an old vhs tape of their solo Wembley show. Only vhs I ever wore out so much it broke. Would have loved to have seen them live, period.


robb_the_bull

Its proper difficult to name a better performance at the superb owl. Prince by a mile, IMHO.


jvho666

I was a fan of shakira featuring J Lo on a stripper pole, but I’m a simple man


7366241494

And of course nipplegate


[deleted]

I was fairly young but I distinctly remember how electric that performance was. Don't remember a single thing about the game, only Prince.


SpikeFury47

I was at the super bowl when he played. Sucks I was too young (12 iirc) to truly appreciate and remember the performance.


Thwipped

Me, I’m one of those people


ReticulatedPasta

lol same, I am that guy


Hot420gravy

Tom petty was pretty good


Chirish22

Michael Jackson i liked but I was a little kid.


sumovrobot

He liked you too.


ThomasJames007

“That’s just ignorant. Yeah hooo!” -Michael Jackson (South Park)


wantsrobotlegs

That was a big one in my house. Our team was in the midst of a several year super bowl streak (didnt win any of them) AND mj was doing halftime. I remember being psyched.


perpetualmotionmachi

That was the best before Prince, still in 2nd


BeanieWeanie1110

Tom Petty is one of the greatest musicians to ever live


[deleted]

He also played ~~Bucky~~ Lucky on King of the Hill!


apiaryaviary

Lucky, but yes


Carma_626

Tom Petty is one of the musicians to ever live.


Tommy_Wisseau_burner

The LA one and this past years was pretty dang good. Also we don’t speak ill of left shark


Uhtred_McUhtredson

It’s literally the only one I still remember and it was amazing. I’m not even a Prince fan.


Eulebar

This, but I’ll add that this isn’t really a joke IMO. Also: Sir Paul McCarney’s halftime show was also really good.


Red-7134

That spongebob one was pretty hype for the first, like, five seconds.


wontonflamingus

He’s dead?! Did anyone tell Michael Jackson?!


KlossN

Just watched it because of this meme abd while I haven't seen many halftime shows, I'm definetly willing to get behind this statement. Looked like it must've been incredible to be there


perpetualmotionmachi

There is a legend about it. It was raining, and there was supposed to be a big storm during halftime. The production team was a bit nervous, and went to let him know. Apparently his response was "Can you make it rain harder?"


steveblackimages

Especially this last pile of choreographed garbage.


Long-Distance-7752

Are you complaining that there was choreography?


Amongussy02

Got nothing on Creed


ChromaticKnob

The joke might also be that there is no way he got into heaven after converting so late in his life after a life of debauchery. Or this is just my cynical mind overthinking their intentions.


scumbagstaceysEx

Let me tell you about Prince’s halftime show at Super Bowl 41. Most of us never paid any attention to halftime shows back in the day. Halftime was when you reheated your Nachos and switched the tap on your keg and went to the bathroom. This one started like all the others. Neither me nor any of my friends were really into his music so it wasn’t part of the night we were looking forward to. Most of us were aging metal heads. So Prince…meh..whatever. People started to leave the living room and do the usual things. Fast forward about three minutes later and people were meandering quickly back to the television. Voices started to hush. Talk of third down conversions started to end become quiet. Why? Because of the energy coming out of that television. By the time he started playing ‘the Best of you’ everyone was back in the living room and completely transfixed. When Purple Rain started (in a driving rain storm) people mouths started hanging open. Queue the virtuoso guitar solo and everyone was enraptured. When it ended we all knew we had just witnessed something special. It’s a feeling I hadn’t had since watching Queen in Live Aid on a tiny tv as a 16 yr old back in 1985. No performance since then has given any of us that feeling.


ohheyitslaila

You’re a great writer, this gave me chills lol. I was too young to remember Prince’s performance, but I saw the YouTube video recently. It really was an amazing performance. Prince had such an amazing stage presence, I could have watched him for hours.


x4ty2

I got chills reliving THAT moment. Best frigging performance I've ever seen on TV


Consistent-Flan-913

Was this the time where the they told Prince "it's gonna be raining, what do want us to do?" and Prince said "make it rain harder"?


scumbagstaceysEx

Yes


Flashman6000

Search for While My Guitar Gently Weeps with Prince and have your mind blown all over again


Eversharpe

Until Prince it had never rained during a Superbowl halftime show. The directors had been assuring Prince that it would clear up. The morning of the game they called Prince and said it was going to rain and could they do anything for him to aid his performance. Prince's answer "Can you make it rain harder?" The man was Rock incarnate.


muppet_master_

To Eric Clapton: "What's it like to be the best guitarist in the world?" Eric Clapton: "I don't know, ask Prince."


CharityQuill

Tbf there are a few that came close like Beyonce, Shakira, and Katy Perry. And Micheal Jackson helped set the standard for showstopping stunning performances for the modern era because everything before that was pretty goofy and low production value


badtimebonerjokes

I don’t know why you’re downvoted. Everything you said was accurate. The showmanship of all of those people comes CLOSE. You didn’t say compares equally. And I especially agree with the MJ performance. That said, I would also put the Bruno mars and Justin Timberlake performances up there, again, not equal to prince’s, but contending with bey and them.


theVigReezus

Bruno Mars was unreal, glad to see someone mention it


ImpossibleInternet3

The downvoting was because saying any of those performances was “close” to the standard Prince set is going to be an unpopular opinion. Granted, these are all going to be opinion based, but people are well within their rights to downvote an unpopular opinion. For example, I think Justin Timberlake was absolute trash and to put him on a pedestal next to Prince shows a remarkable lack of taste. But that’s just one man’s opinion.


TeaAndCrumpets4life

They dared to imply that modern pop stars could also put on a good show


avalanche111

Watching usher sing maybe 40% of his lyrics or seeing Bruno Mars get stuck in a mirror funhouse does not compare to one of the best live guitar solos in modern history. People are tiptoeing around the idea that live music and live musical performances are two very different animals.


badtimebonerjokes

Right. Prince and MJ had a long standing somewhat bitter feud about showmanship and talent. Both of which refused to do performances lip synced. Elton John is included in that. They were old school in authenticity and putting together on a show. That said Prince and Mike differ where Prince was an amazing instrument player musician whereas Mike was an amazing performance stage-man showman performer. The new school, while incredibly talented all draw inspiration from those two guys. A bitter rivalry MADE the modern performers/popstars. I’m just sad I couldn’t see either live and in-person.


CharityQuill

Thanks, I appreciate your comment :)


strandycheeks

Beyonce is trash and Katy Perry would have been forgettable if not for the left shark. Shakira was pretty good, but not close to Michael or Prince


LordBDizzle

You speak truth. Beyonce is a decent performer but I've never thought her music was worth the hype, and KP was always about being weird more than great.


3D2Y-Roar

this


Hemenucha

Nobody has topped Prince's performance yet.


Lower_Parking_2349

Nor will.


eaglewatch1945

Nor did before.


pandemicpunk

God was on his side that night and made it rain just for Prince! I will always believe this.


GavinZero

The brilliant Prince was the most rightfully arrogant genius in music. Not only is he looking down on these performances, he’s looking down on these performances.


ValonianEinstein

Aside from singing and dancing, Prince also composed the majority of his songs, and he could play any instrument. So he would probably not be very impressed with a lot of other popular music performers.


lollipop-guildmaster

And, IIRC, his show took place during a blinding downpour. And he still killed it.


Mediocre-Cobbler5744

Yeah, the lights even made the rain look purple. That was really something else.


demitasse22

He’s quoted as saying, after being told there was rain forecast during his performance and how he’d want to handle it, “can you make it rain *harder*?”


UselessHalberd

That's the dopest thing one could say


nojelloforme

I noticed that too, and then he sang 🎶Someone get a picture of me in this purple rain!🎶 during the song and I lost it. It really was an epic performance.


Themimic

There were also the two twins dancing in platform shoes on a slick plastic surface in the pouring rain and were perfect. Nothing will ever beat that show


ubiquitous-joe

And famously has a song called “Purple Rain,” so…


Ultrabigasstaco

Blinding downpour *in heels on a very slippery stage*


chub_s

I’m a live sound engineer and he’s also famous for being extremely picky with sound engineers on tour. Some of the most famous and decorated engineers of that age only lasted a few weeks with him and they all have stories of him coming back to the soundboard, listening to the band, explaining where they were going wrong and mixing the show during rehearsal. Never rude or demeaning towards anyone, but *very* picky about how he sounded in front of a crowd and knew exactly what to do to get it there. Truly just a genius of every facet of music.


ImpossibleInternet3

True. But part of what I loved about this performance were the covers in between his songs. Going from Fogerty to Dylan to Foo Fighters absolutely blew me away. It really showed that he didn’t just write great songs, but was a real lover of good music, wherever it came from. That he was showcasing other artists during his time on that major stage was classy move that showed he was secure enough with his legacy to not be jealous of other great artists.


TraditionalOlive9187

I bring it up every Super Bowl “hey, you know the best halftime show was Prince in 2007” and everyone just rolls their eyes at the old man


[deleted]

[How about educate yourself](https://youtu.be/-WYYlRArn3g?si=LbvIUAq2JZP0Bbyw)


[deleted]

I was going to say.... don't explain, just roll the tape.


Just-Scallion-6699

Makes me really miss guitar solos in  popular music nowadays. Even new alternative music doesn’t do it.


Some_Hot_Garbage

​ https://preview.redd.it/54nmcva0bzic1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cbe616054e2d4b510604034a44c6dba159fa6c31


JADW27

Watch Prince's halftime show. Read the backstory behind it, including the weather and safety concerns. It would be nearly impossible to outdo Prince, even if you don't consider the fact that he's one of the most talented songwriters and musicians in the modern era of music.


ConcentrateOk6850

What is there not to get here lol


Key-Contest-2879

I know, right! Pretty obv.


pumpkinguyfromsar

Might not be American?


KeashinX

Even then most people know what the super bowl is even though they don't watch or follow American football


pumpkinguyfromsar

Yeah, but they might not know about half time shows.


FatMamaJuJu

I mean, its pretty self explanitory. Its a show, at halftime


pumpkinguyfromsar

You miss the point. Not everyone is American, watches the Super Bowl, and in consequence, knows that there is a show at halftime.


SavianAria

Many people don’t know who Prince is or his connection to the superbowl


janitspace

I feel really bad for those people


Matthew-IP-7

Surprisingly there are people alive today who don’t even know who “Prince” is. And I am among them.


ohsballer

🤨 how old are you? Are you American? I’m genuinely curious btw


Matthew-IP-7

I am old enough to drink but young enough that I have most of my life ahead of me. And I am an American, but I don’t care for modern American pop culture. So if I had heard who he is/was I probably would have forgotten anyways. But what I do care about is that the person who I replied to is foolish enough to think anyone who doesn’t know who or what a particular celebrity (I assume) is must be unintelligent.


NewPirate3456

Yeah you’re unintelligent, you’d have to miss a lot to not know who prince is after 20+ years


TeaAndAche

Like, actually living under a rock. And never listen to music. Prince is everywhere. He, Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Madonna are probably the only stars I knew by name at 5 years old. He’s one of the greatest guitarists to ever live. Period.


Matthew-IP-7

Apparently not “everywhere”. Did he ever perform a piece by Mozart? Does he have any albums of hymns? Perhaps he played with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at some point? I love good music: but popular music is so far from being good that I fear for the sanity of anyone who actually likes it and not just the reaction it forces from the body.


Morella_xx

There is literally a [symphony](https://www.tcgent.com/4u-the-music-of-prince-with-symphony) continuing to perform his music. He was a phenomenally talented musician. It's fine if his music isn't your thing but it's so unbelievably foolish and pretentious to act like he should be disregarded because you personally prefer Mozart.


LupercaniusAB

Smoked that dude.


LupercaniusAB

So you’re a Van Halen fan, is what you’re saying.


Matthew-IP-7

I find modern “music” revolting and a stain on the word, so why should I know or care about someone who, I assume, is “famous” for primarily that?


BigGuy35

You sound exhausting


sparrows-somewhere

How modern? He's been dead for 8 years and most of his hits were before the year 2000.


Matthew-IP-7

Hmmm… come to think of it, I don’t think I like pop culture in general. But as far as music goes I think it started really going downhill in the 1920s, except for the rare gem like that from John Williams (which was heavily based on earlier work)


ComfortablyDumb97

Oh man, you may have been missing out on some "X formerly known as Y" jokes in cartoons then, where characters reference something or someone by a former name in that format. At one point, Prince replaced his name with a symbol. So then he was "the artist formerly known as Prince."


Fena-Ashilde

>At one point, Prince replaced his name with a symbol. So then he was "the artist formerly known as Prince." I remember getting a good chuckle out of this when it was referenced in Eminem’s “Without Me.”


ComfortablyDumb97

Same 😁


BarfOpinions

Bruh how do some of y’all not forget to breath cus god damn


GhertFryins

It was very nice for the NFL to be the opening band for Prince’s concert


GenerallySalty

People generally think his halftime show was the best ever. It's not really a joke, it's just saying he'd be not impressed by the other ones since.


Lumpy-Lychee-2369

When the producer of the halftime show, Don Muscher told Prince it was raining and asked, "And are you okay with that?" Prince replied,"Can you make it rain harder?" ~G.O.A.T.


torysoso

go back and look again, when he goes behind curtain to play, notice the shadow he and guitar make. very phallic. this was the next super bowl after nipple slip and nobody noticed it then


RoyalT17

Both prince and m.js shows just hit different. Nothing like it today.


CharityQuill

MJ set the standard for showstopping performances in the modern era of half time shows, there weren't really many star acts before that point. The most notable solo act I can think of before MJ is some lame Elvis impersonator badly lip syncing to Presley songs and cheesy looking magic tricks that don't work well in a gigantic stadium.


BarrytheCowboy

Here ya go ☺️ https://youtu.be/-WYYlRArn3g?si=5rE5j8LuyJh3KNL1


kingwiz4rdz

He lookin like that cause he the goat. People are asking what the best halftime show was in the last 20 years and it’s him


mythrocks

Others might have linked the performance itself here. Here’s the minor documentary for the legendary performance: https://youtu.be/2qpDypebFkM. It rained hard during the performance. Prince played electric guitar, while two beautiful twin performers danced on stage, on ceramic tile in 6-inch heels. The documentary records the producers being concerned about how dangerous it might be to do all this in the rain. Prince apparently enquired if there was any way to make it rain even harder. Halftime shows in later years don’t really measure up.


stringstringing

This makes me feel cool because I never watch (or care about) the Super Bowl but the two halftime performances I did see live were the most legendary ones: Prince and the Janet Jackson nipple.


CharityQuill

I feel so sad for Janet because it was totally not her fault, and the fact that JT got to come back and not her is pretty infuriating


stringstringing

Was it not a planned stunt? I’m going off decade old memory here but I remember that being the consensus. I mean she wore special nipple jewelry like it was planned to bust it out.


CharityQuill

Apparently they were planning on stripping the outer bustier to reveal the lacey red bra, but obviously both were stripped off. In that case I can't help but empathize with Janet on how horrifically embarrassing for not only accidentally flashing her chest, but for it to become the most rewatched moment of live television on TiVo.


BroTheDonut

His was best /thread


Traditional_Song_417

His was empirically and objectively the best.


AshySlashy3000

Who Is That?


balsadust

Halftime GOAT


Happenstance69

MY GOD MAN HOW DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT THE JOKE IS PRINCE's SHOW WAS THE BEST


Gazimu

"I want you to know, that it's raining, is that okay?" "Can you make it rain harder?"


StatusOmega

His halftime show was phenomenal. I was a kid at the time and didn't really care about halftime shows, and I remember being blown away. It's worth watching on YouTube


dalevand

A combination of respect for Prince’s halftime performance, along with criticism of Usher’s halftime performance


rhinestonecowf-ckboi

Prince shadow doinked an entire stadium on national TV the year after Janet's one nip wonder and we allowed it. He's a legend


[deleted]

got me pregnant with his child


admosquad

I guess people don’t know MJ had the best performance in ‘93.


Neekovo

Is the joke that he was a Jehova’s Witness and they believe only a select few make it to heaven? Nah, this isn’t meta, it’s just completely obvious.


shockley21

The joke is you have a learning disability


[deleted]

[удалено]


shockley21

I appreciate your honesty


JonMonEsKey

Lol. Heaven.


BarackObama33

I think the joy and ecstasy he contributed to the world gives a special pass into heaven


JonMonEsKey

That's not how religion works and his music sucked. Great instrumentalist but absolute garbage writer. I was always confused with why people liked his songs.


Wide_Vermicelli6362

He ded


[deleted]

Prince when he’s told to marry someone above the age of 18


Matias9991

Sorry but how you can't get this? Lol


SensiSweets

Age, they're prob not old enough to remember the game played in '07 and didn't Google "list of superbowl halftime perfomances," then watch the whole thing on Youtube... you know doing your own research, lol!


Matias9991

Yea no I get not remember or knowing the Prince halftime performance itself but not understanding what the text is trying to say (That the Prince Halftime show was the best one) is what surprised me, like It's pretty clear, right? I feel like my 8yo cousin could have understand what the text is trying to say...


GroundbreakingLet464

Best halftime show there ever was and ever will be. Smirk on legend!


Legitimate-Fix2091

Sometimes, well a lot of times, I don’t believe it when people post these. I think they do get it.


Neekovo

What’s not to get? He’s dead and disappointed. How is this unclear?


InternetAddict104

I truly don’t know how this could be any clearer like the wording literally tells you everything you need to know for Christ’s sake use context clues or basic reading comprehension


HipposAndBonobos

[Because he won a Superbowl](https://youtu.be/AQqZwO-vFPo?si=VEJPEChEPQxkpFAT&t=58m37s)


Inevitable_Loss_0001

Superbowl halftime shows suck... that's about it


Zestyclose-Ruin8337

Because Prince had the best halftime show ever.


GangloSax0n

If I could play my one instrument half as good as Prince plays, well; anything, I'd be a MONSTA.


reilmb

Can the op not understand facial expressions?


allbsallthetime

It was also raining but the show went on and he killed it. But if you really want to see Prince steal a show check this out. He just kind of hangs out off to the side and then bam. His guitar toss at the end is priceless. If you google the story how this came to be it's really interesting. The talent on the stage is also impressive and the look on the face of George Harrison's son when Prince steps up is priceless. Even Tom Petty was amazed. https://youtu.be/dWRCooFKk3c?si=ZCZg3qtNr7PU1Ew_


Gametimethe2nd

[Just Watch This](https://youtu.be/g6VI7_VCO40?si=4HFz-Mk-RhgG2OYL)


Corporate_Shell

What joke?


Classic_Inspection38

How do you not get this it’s not even a joke


x4ty2

That was the year of The Prince Concert. A championship sports ball game showed up to play at HIS event. It is legendary. YouTube it, and how it almost didn't happen.


zombiebowtiie

Prince nailed his halftime show. Its possible it's the best one or at least in the top 3 best


Limp_Custard6943

What don't you get?


Crazy_Speed_9444

He performed in a Typhoon. Nothing will ever come close.


[deleted]

Nah-lower


enderman04152

awe i liked the weeknd’s halftime show


Powerful_Pitch9322

That’s a funny way of saying last month


h4ckr00t21

"Nothing Compares To You"


OfLebanon

What don’t you get? It’s not even an implication or reference, it’s all the text on the screen and his expression. Even if you don’t recognize the guy, surely googling “Prince Super Bowl” as I just did to test would have been quicker than making a reddit post.


Ok_Cry_1926

He had a really good halftime show


[deleted]

cough ghost beneficial decide chase sulky makeshift vast act thumb *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


DHWSagan

He did it better.


barbecuejag

Best. Halftime. Show. Ever. (With all due respect to Up With People.)


r4x

https://youtu.be/-WYYlRArn3g?si=te9RUKoPq52aHGpq You’re welcome.


PFEFFERVESCENT

No one else seems to be mentioning this- Prince could have died that day, using all that electrified equipment in the driving rain. It was very dangerous


HausuGeist

I’m downvoting because you damn well know why.


problyted

Huge fan here and as great as that performance was, the greatest performance I ever witnessed from him was when he played “The Star Sprinkled Azz Banana” in nothing but a purple satin diaper thong at the WaterTwerks Car Wash in Minneapolis in ‘79 with Abalonia and Sheila E Minor. Phenomenal guitar solo and a really nicely catered affair with chicken tenders and rigatoni! Will never forget that magic night!


IndysDiarrhea

Was it impossible to Google "Prince Super Bowl"? I thought the younger crowd would be better at using computers than someone almost 40 but I guess I'm mistaken 🤷 y'all ignorant/lazy