He writes pretty much exactly what I was thinking as I watched it last night:
I have a few pictures and some thoughts on New Orleans I’ll share later. For now though, I’m wondering: New Orleans is more than anything known for its music. Jazz, blues, zydeco — or some combination of the three. So the NFL decides to celebrate the city’s rebirth with…um…U2 and friggin’ Green Day? Yeah, they threw in a backup New Orleans brass band to cover their asses, but they were drowned out by the edge and Billy Joe. And come on. Green Day’s music doesn’t exactly lend itself to the New Orleans sound. Nor does U2’s.
Also, how did Bono corner on this whole “rising above our tragedies through music” market? I don’t mind U2. I in fact like some of their material. But when did the ritual of the sanctimonious Irishman strutting across our football fields telling us to buck up and stay strong become such an intergral part of America’s collective grieving process?
I’m willing to give a pass to having U2 involved. When they performed at the Super Bowl after 9/11, I thought the tribute to those who died at the WTC was moving. And given that The Edge has done so much to get instruments into the hands of New Orleans musicians after the hurricane, I can understand having them involved. But frickin’ Green Day? For what possible reason? I didn’t get it at all.
The obvious and appropriate way to start things would have been with an old fashioned Nawlins processional. They should have gathered a group of prominent Nawlins musicians – Wynton Marsalis, Kermit Ruffins, Pete Fountain, Dr. John, Dr. Allen Toussant, the Neville Brothers, etc – and had them lead a processional of “When the Saints Go Marching In” around the stadium. This is the classic Nawlins tradition and the theme is appropriate for the event. What they actually did was inexplicable to me.