I watched the whole Bad Bunny show, and saw parts of the Kid Rock one as well.
The purpose of this thread is to discuss mostly the musical and artistic qualities of each show (not the politics).
That being said, in my humble opinion, from a musical standpoint, both shows were awful!
Kid Rock cannot sing, and he actually lip synced (very badly) to his own awful songs.
Bad Bunny is not much of a singer either. He mostly muttered and his style is not very musical. I actually do not see any real musical talent. His dancing also looks goofy.
We are far from the musical greats with these two.
I am no fan of Kid Rock but alleging he can’t sing is just a tad silly and clearly isn’t a position to be maintained after watching both the Super Bowl performance or anything else by him. What you appear to mean is that you don’t like his singing. I have no problem with the latter at all. The former? Hmm.
Ditto Bad Bunny. What exactly is the criticism here? He has certain vocal ticks for sure. For me, nowhere near as bad as, for example, Michael Jackson where they were rightly parodied towards the end when the ticks seemed to outnumber the singing. Anyone want to argue on the back of vocal ticks that Jackson couldn’t sing?
Thought not. We’ve all heard him sing.
Ditto Bad Bunny. Listen to his latest album (and you haven’t have you) and there is some tremendous Latino full belt singing on there.
As regards muttering or mumbling. Hmm, again. Remind me to throw away all my early R.E.M., Phoebe Bridgers, Sufjan Stevens, Eddie Vedder, Billie Eilish, Elliot Smith and Nick Drake. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan? A one man walking vocal tick but also an astonishing singer. I’m sure there’s more. We could explore those artists like Elvis who had huge stutters for which singing offered a unique cure albeit occasionally those ticks came through.
As regards dismissing a unique hybrid of Reggaeton and Puerto Rican traditional music, be sure to let the whole country know that they’re “not very musical”.
What’s your dancing style? We need to know. Many of us may be doing it wrong and possibly for decades. It’s his style for goodness sake. “Goofy” is an adjective and a long way from the pejorative presumably intended.
By all means let’s absolutely steer clear of the politics but we cannot understand what it is to be Puerto Rican in the US right now so getting down on someone for some positivity in their demeanour seems more than a little harsh.
As regards lip syncing… whole other thread but… not news, not necessarily a bad thing in weird US stadiums where sound is often appalling and also ensures that strict to the second timings are adhered to. Had I paid to see a full gig lip sync’d then, yes, some concerns, but this was not that.
Strongly recommend pulling up the lyrics for the latest Bad Bunny album. Very simple messages communicated in simple but obvious code. Not what it seems in the surface at all. I absolute refute the assertion of the lack of artistic quality and prefer to recognise both music slightly outside my knowledge and comfort zone but also that he’s a brave artist.
When I come across music outside my comfort zone I prefer to explore and learn rather than denigrate. Doesn’t mean I end up liking all of it. Not liking it doesn’t also require denigration.
I did not watch the half-time show from the Super Bowl and have no real interest in the artists involved, but one point to make. The lip syncing issues you saw may have been due to the sound systems used compared to the sound track to your viewing device. i.e. there may have been electronic sync errors/delays from such a live show. It often happens even if the singer was actually singing rather than trying to lip-sync a recording, although if they were, it would potentially compound the sync errors. It only takes a very small sync error for it to seem as you perceived.
No nerve has been struck here. I just don’t see the merit in denigrating any popular artist with whom you’re unfamiliar based on a 10 minute segment of a live broadcast. It’s neither an attractive nor credible approach/look. What is gained? It looks mean-spirited rather than informed or the start of a stimulating discussion. The lack of any response to my specific points is telling I think. Living in a world where there are objective musical truths will get lonely.
I can’t stand Kid Rock. No appeal for me at all but it’s objectively not the case that he “can’t sing”. It’s subjectively the case that I find his voice generic and lacking in any characteristic which emotionally connects with me. It’s of a type of which there are many in the US. I consider I already have the best of those and they connect because they have better songs, less simplistic lyrics and a stage persona I find more nuanced and sincere. Despite all of the above he can undoubtedly “sing”.
One wonders what your thoughts would be on Waits, Dylan, Mitchell, Cohen et al faced with the same slot and constraints? I of course forgot Cohen in my list of mutterers. None of the four can dance. None of them sing conventionally. All can indisputably sing. Presumably we’ll have to wait until an opera, jazz, prog or Pink Floyd thread to find out what an actual singer might sound like…
I wouldn’t question Bad Bunny’s musical talent. The millions and millions and millions of fans can’t all be wrong. It’s not my usual music but some of it’s ok at the right time. However, I did think the half time show was pretty poor. Chaotic, not great vocals, not great sound, expletives getting beeped out. Probably tried too hard to make it a spectacle. Great message and two fingers up though. Respect.
Super Bowl half time show is an interesting gig, you’ve got the stadium audience and a worldwide audience of millions who artists now have to give something other than being in front of a mic for 13 minutes.
I thought the transition from scene to scene at this years show was well executed, I really don’t know Bad Bunnies music and not inspired to go check it out on the basis of the show, but the set itself was entertaining enough.
Certainly if there is the regularity of “huh” on his recorded stuff as the performance I’d find that a grind.
Not the same level as Usher from 24, I mean the guy only went and put on some quad skates and nailed it, having said that I have a fair bit of Usher in my music collection so enjoyed the tunes as well.
Despite my earlier comments I’m with @Martinzero here. If I don’t like something then the millions are definitely wrong .
It’s there on some things but not on most.
I have to say at first I dismissed him and his music as a kind of faddish pop but having read some interviews with him and some American reviews I have moved to the position that he’s the very best type of subversive pop. I don’t necessarily like much but I can now see that some of that was my initial dismissal of Reggaeton having other artists very use it in a meaningless way. That’s not what’s he’s doing at all and I found it genuinely fascinating that he’s he’s been taken to heart by the PR communities in both the US and PR not just because he’s one of them and he’s visible but specifically because his visibility matters and he’s using it in a responsible and challenging way.
Again, doesn’t mean we all have to like it but denigrating the singing and the music is, from my perspective, simply not accurate or pleasant. His renditions of the traditional folk musics of PR, though given less profilem are in their own way just as moving as the very best of things like Fado.
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