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RHCP at the SportsBowl

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 11:38 am
by Christian LeBlanc
We don't really need to get into this much, I think. I'm only curious about one thing.

Many defenses I've read of the halftime performance being played to tracks were along the lines of "there was no way they could set up, sound-check, and tear down in such a short amount of time."

And yet, elsewhere in the world of sports, it turns out that a pit crew can change all 4 tires of a car in less than 30 seconds.

What do you guys think? With weeks of preparation for such a large event, could the halftime show have been live, if the powers that be really wanted that to happen?

Re: RHCP at the SportsBowl

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 12:31 pm
by Mathieu Benoit
They got paid zero dollars to not play their instruments. I think it is fine.

Re: RHCP at the SportsBowl

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 2:03 pm
by Malcolm Boyce
From what I understand, this has been the norm for years during this event. It is a combination of live and pre recorded for most of these acts including this years show. I've heard rumour that the only reason why it has come to the forefront for people this year is because the Peppers decided to remove any doubt viewers might have by not plugging their guitars in. As hilarious as it sounds, it's probably the most believable story.

It's not a question of whether it could be done differently, but whether it could be done live and still be guaranteed to retain the "quality" of the show that the producers want to put on. When you realize the money riding on the spectacle that is the Super Bowl and broadcast, it's easy to see where the focus is going to be. Even without things being 100% live, the moves they have to make to do this thing every year, and the stresses involved must be mind boggling when it's all going down.

Other than the jokes about it, I don't think the general public is as upset about this as some might think. We've been watching synced performances for as long as there has been television broadcasting. This is why shows like SNL being one of the hold outs for live musical performances on television is such a big deal.

The RHCP purposely did "give it away" with their not playing fair with the unplugged guitars, but I've seen way more obvious examples over the years, like Mark King from Level 42. When they would do television and it wasn't live, he would purposely just hold his bass as opposed to miming it as his little bit of fun. :-D


Re: RHCP at the SportsBowl

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 2:20 pm
by Malcolm Boyce
Mathieu Benoit wrote:They got paid zero dollars to not play their instruments. I think it is fine.
I know in some circles, this is turning into a big discussion this year. Bruno Mars picked up a whole lot of new fans, and some substantial financial momentum from his performance there, although probably not as big a deal exposure wise for the Peppers. Considering the number of acts that would probably pay to play that gig, not getting a performance "fee" is a bit of a red herring IMO.

Although I have seen many people trying to draw the parallel with the age old "do it for the exposure" scam, this is on a scale far above what can be reasonably compared with that.

Re: RHCP at the SportsBowl

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 2:24 pm
by Malcolm Boyce

Re: RHCP at the SportsBowl

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 2:24 pm
by Christian LeBlanc
Malcolm Boyce wrote:It's not a question of whether it could be done differently, but whether it could be done live and still be guaranteed to retain the "quality" of the show that the producers want to put on.


So, in your opinion, they could have put on a live show if they had wanted? 'They' meaning the producers of the show.

Re: RHCP at the SportsBowl

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 2:29 pm
by Malcolm Boyce
They could do a "live" show. Would it look and sound the same as what they had this year? Realistically... No.

Re: RHCP at the SportsBowl

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 2:35 pm
by Christian LeBlanc
Ok, thank you. I've just seen so many people talking about how a live set would have been impossible, and it wasn't sitting right with me.

Re: RHCP at the SportsBowl

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 2:56 pm
by Malcolm Boyce
The setup/strike time for this is impossibly short with zero margin for error. The actual show can't jeopardize the thing most everyone is there for which is... the game. Imagine being responsible for a setup that large and if anything does go wrong that one extra minute is completely out of the question.

Mistakes happen, even with the planning that this thing would go through. I would be willing to bet that even though the lead vocal is live, there is a backup recorded track just waiting to be mixed in if something goes wrong. Apparently, even the national anthem is typically synced, although this year it reportedly wasn't.

They just can't take the chance of it sucking for the viewers, and most importantly, the advertisers.

Re: RHCP at the SportsBowl

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 9:31 pm
by Mathieu Benoit
Malcolm Boyce wrote:Although I have seen many people trying to draw the parallel with the age old "do it for the exposure" scam, this is on a scale far above what can be reasonably compared with that.


I was being facetious of course. The exposure is made so huge by the factor of the super bowl that it literally turns to money. Not unlike a nuclear reaction turns matter to energy.

$=es^2 is the proper formula if I'm not mistaken...