Springsteen’s “12 Minute Party” Lives Up to the Record Breaking Hype of Super Bowl 43

There was no “accidental” bearing of breasts, nor was there a sexually suggestive 60 foot silhouette depicting a guitar as something much more reproductive than a musical instrument. There was, however, an ensemble of AARP eligible rockers trying to deliver on their promise of a “12 minute party” in front of a record breaking 98.7 million party-goers around the world.

The performance of Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street band at halftime of Super Bowl 43, while not flawless, lived up to the immense hype and will be remembered among the great performance in Super Bowl history.

Opening with a silhouette reminiscent of the album cover of the classic “Born to Run,” the Boss lived up to his moniker, instructing America to “step away from the guacamole dip” and to “put down the chicken wings.” In vintage Springsteen style, he leapt onto the piano before opening with two songs from the legendary record.

The first saxophone notes of “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” set the tone for the high-energy, raucous performance of the jazzy classic that saw Springsteen nearly enter the living rooms of America. Overshooting his patented knee slide across the stage, he bowled over the camera man. The audience gasped, the band kept playing and Springsteen got up laughing. This first song of the set not only set the tone for the rest of the performance, but got the crowd going and let everyone know that Springsteen is not your ordinary 59 year old rock and roll has been.

With the crowd already in the palm of his hand, he followed with a stunning performance of the stadium anthem classic, “Born to Run,” that left even Springsteen out of breath. He once again demonstrated the passion and stage prowess he has been known for since the mid-Seventies, providing a moment that will live in Super Bowl halftime lore right next to Prince’s scintillating guitar solo and U2’s rousing, post 9/11 performance.

The low point of the show occurred in the third song of the set, Springsteen’s new single “Working on a Dream.” It would be hard to blame Springsteen for trying to promote his new album without paying for a three million dollar ad. However, the tone and pace of the song seemed to hinder the liveliness of both the performance and crowd. With the plethora of classics in his arsenal, “Working on a Dream” was a disappointing addition to the set.

Springsteen saved the moment, reeling the crowd in with a lighthearted performance of another one of his classics, “Glory Days.” Fitting the Super Bowl theme, he changed the main character of the song from a baseball player to a football player and even had a mock referee appear on stage to throw a yellow flag for delay of game as Springsteen and the E-Street band played over their 12 minute limit.

On the biggest stage in American culture, in front of the most viewers to ever watch a televised event, Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band delivered a powerful performance that matched the fervor and excitement of the game itself, making what was supposed to be a ‘break in the action’ a defining moment of Super Bowl 43.