Halftime needs a face-lift

I am one of those people who doesn’t become a football fan until Super Bowl season, and even then I am more into it for the commercials.

But last Sunday, after I got tired of counting all the Peyton Manning ads, I heard the Feb. 7 Super Bowl halftime performance will be headlined by the classic rock band, The Who.

Which is why the 18- to 25-year-old demographic will be asking, “Who?”

I’m not saying they’re not memorable – The Who have certainly left a legacy in music.
All I’m emphasizing is the widening of the generational gap, and these grandpas are going to need boy scouts to escort them across it.

It was just last year I feared Springsteen smashed a hip after careening into a camera while attempting a stage-slide.

And then there were The Rolling Stones, who resurrected Keith Richards during their song “Start Me Up.”

Of course, I am just kidding. Richards is still up-and-kicking, and you can barely see the strings used by whoever makes him move.

The year before that it was Paul McCartney. But one of the most influential men in music shouldn’t be performing “Hey Jude” at an event where constant consumption of hot wings, beer and feral brutality are encouraged.

Prince and Tom Petty are sprinkled in past lineups. Do you remember when they were at the height of their fame? I’m pretty sure I was still a zygote at the time.

It hasn’t always been this way. MTV produced the halftime show and once brought the collaboration of Nelly, Britney Spears, *NSYNC and Aerosmith for a performance.

Granted, some people may not have liked the arrangement, but overall it gave something for everybody and it had relevance.

But because of the “wardrobe malfunction” at the 2004 Super Bowl, MTV was pulled from production and charged a pretty penny from the FCC for the unexpected eyeful Jackson gave millions of viewers when Justin Timberlake ripped off her bra cup with his finely-manicured, boy-band hands.

Now we’re stuck visiting the musical equivalent of a retirement home every football season.

I understand it’s better to play it safe. CBS cannot afford to have risqué performances that might threaten the innocence of a nation, a nation that  gave shows such as “Flavor of Love” and “Jerry Springer” more than one season.

Honestly, how long must we all be punished for a nip slip? Do they know there are Web sites devoted strictly to the subject? I hardly think anyone is still feeling the aftermath anymore, and it’s time to bring some youth to halftime.

The performance should be for musicians who will make history that night, not someone who is just going to repeat it.