Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at the Super Bowl

I thought they put on a solid, entertaining show. I was watching the broadcast with some people who were fairly Petty-ignorant, and I said, "Well, at least we know with this band, we'll get music, and not some goofy light show and dancing spectacle." I would have hoped to have seen maybe just a tad more energy from the band, but they brought their professionalism (and I don't mean that as a knock--"rock and roll" or not, music could use more of that kind of professionalism) to the country's biggest showcase and did the job.

I was stunned by the rumors the next day about the band playing to prerecorded tracks. I would be disappointed if that turned out to be the case, but I think the jury's still out there. One guy basically said Petty's vocals sounded too good. Well, I've heard him live, not lip-syncing to my knowledge, and he sounded pretty damn good--or, if you're not a fan of his style, he sounded like Tom Petty.

I would have preferred a wider variety of tracks in their set list than what they served up--3 out of the 4 tracks are from "Full Moon Fever," after all, and that isn't even an official Heartbreakers album, but a credited Petty solo joint. Still, I'm not complaining. It was a good medley and a nice way to pass the time before the second half.

Oh, and can we please stop the worship of Prince's performance last year? It was good, but, jeez, the way some people praise it, you'd think it was the Concert to End All Concerts.