Super Bowl XLII ended with a jaw-dropping, M. Night Shyamalan-styled twist an entire football season in the making, but those with little tolerance for surprises could at least take solace in the halftime show: Tom Petty offered none of them. It’s not that Petty didn’t sound great, but the withered songwriter’s meandering pace and sleepy-eyed songs didn't even attempt to give sports fans the adrenaline rush they were seeking after an uneventful first half.
Since Janet Jackson accidentally flashed the country, the Super Bowl has been reluctant to book anything but the most reigned-in, aging consensus rockers, with Prince’s ultra-badass spectacular being the semi-exception. Petty’s show was the safest yet. Next year the Super Bowl might as well go all out and book Michael McDonald.
