First we heard that the folks behind the Superbowl were going to use a delay. You know, just in case Lady Gaga started using her free speech to bash the President during half time. Oh, how worried they were. Sure, it was not like seeing a nipple, or a profile of Prince stroking the neck of his guitar, but much like how coddled and protected Tom Brady is by the Refs (usually), President Trump is like a fragile little man-child who gets all atwitter when someone says mean things.
Lady Gaga is smart though. Proving that she is more than a REALLY successful Madonna cover band, she has built her own iconic persona, and it was on full display last night.
Amid advertising that focused on acceptance and inclusion (which used to be American and patriotic), she out maneuvered the pre-loaded critics by not saying a single word against anything, but rather using America's own words in a clear and patriotic fashion.
As the NY Times published:
Lady Gaga went for one big, glittering, diverse party with her Super Bowl halftime show. “We’re here to make you feel good,” she declared mid-set. At her N.F.L. news conference, she had promised a statement of “inclusion,” an upbeat and uncontroversial stance, and she made good on it as she began her set, singing a few lines each of “God Bless America” and “This Land Is Your Land” and reciting the “one nation indivisible” conclusion of the Pledge of Allegiance.
And the rah-rah jingo-laden Trumpland mindset couldn't do a damn thing about it. They couldn't complain about those uber patriotic words being uttered. They pretend to adhere to them constantly, while wrapped in a flag and guzzling some good old Budweiser (which they must also be having insecurities over just now.) But we all know that Gaga's words, while ringing true to the heart of America, do not ring true in the here and now. And without having to bash Trump, she delivered a powerful blow by just stating some of the core values that have been trashed by the current administration, and their band of drooling masses.
Gaga for the win. And she did it in a way that most people didn't even notice. But we all took her point.
I may have to ease up on here, and even download a few of her songs just to say thank you.