Defending the Half Time Show

The Black Eye Peas Super Bowl half time show has been roundly panned by professional and amateur critics. The Twitter stream while it was on going was more entertaining than the performance itself.  I'll leave the rest of the piling on to others.

There was an element of the show that I loved. The illuminated dancers were fantastic.  Before the light turned on, I thought the juxtaposition of the hundreds of white jump suited dancers shortly following the Motorola Xoom ad was a happy accident.  Then they turned on the lights and the performance changed.

While many mocked the flashy lights, I really enjoyed the aesthetic.  Perhaps I had too much Tron on my mind, but there is a beauty in the lights.

It also demonstrates how portable power and lighting is changing our world.  The LEDs that power dance uniforms power traffic lights, indicator lights on electronics, decorative Christmas rope lights, and more.

The futuristic look and feel combined with the music is hopeful and optimistic, unlike many of the dystopian future visions we often see, such as the one Motorola depicted.

There may be some silliness about it.  Most things that are happy and fun do have an element of that.  But that's okay.

There is a beauty in the kitsch of the light dancers.  And for that reason, I'm glad I kept watching the half time show.