"A critical insight of both SUPER BOWL 2026 HALFTIME SHOWS"

BLBlankenship

Feb 9, 2026 - 10:16

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"A critical insight of both SUPER BOWL 2026 HALFTIME SHOWS"

Yesterday on BlueSky a movie critic was explaining to me his supposed value & the purported value of movie critics, which extended to him drawing a line in the sand as to who a true-critic is & who is otherwise a blogger. Based upon his definition, I'd be highly qualified to talk about all things music. Honestly, that's no surprise. I've written over 100 songs, produced over 13 albums. Numerous artists have covered my songs. I've been an emcee, stage manager, a published music critic, and all kinds of things. If you go onto Spotify you'd find a catalog of my songs easily. Just look up the band "BEN*JAM." For instance, tracks like "I Can't Feel At Home in This World Anymore" and "Shake It Like a Tambourine" showcase our unique blend of Southern Gospel with Rockabilly influences, amassing thousands of streams across platforms. Obviously, our music, videos, or whatever are all over the place. While personally, I don't see myself as a big deal & it all feels normal to me, I am regarded as a Southern Gospel/Christian Music Z-List Celeb, or whatever. BEN*JAM is noted for being one of the best bands to drive to & also has been blamed for making people exceed the speed limit. While I broke boundaries in genre/tone regarding my songwriting, overall BEN*JAM edged towards the Rockabilly & Outlaw Country Pentecostal stylized ends of Gospel music. ...I'm very opinionated about music, I'll spare no criticisms. This will likely make everyone mad, but hey, feel free to quote what you want & ignore the rest.

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I'd like to begin by saying that 2026's Super Bowl half-time show seemed more about political messaging than music. The official Super Bowl's half-time show seemed to push Hispanic/Latin music, immigration, & what could easily be defined as the balkanization of America, to those who know that that word means. Contrarily, Turning Point USA countered that by focusing on patriotism, tradition, a love for God & country. So it was Progressive vs Regressive. I feel like the guests for each were chosen due to their political ideologies & outspokenness. Essentially, that's what they were serving up. Turning Point USA currently has over 18 Million views on YouTube. They were also broadcast on TBN, Daily Wire+, etc. If we're being extremely generous, they may have gotten as much as 50 Million Views. I looked it up this morning, the official Super Bowl Half-Time show had something between 300-500 Million views. Also, yes, I know that is a huge difference. Some are reporting how the Super Bowl was half time show was destroyed, while others are reporting that Turning Point USA's show was trash. I feel like there is an agenda behind both of those things. I can say both bad & good things about both & thus I will, as it is the point of this article.

To provide accurate context, the official Super Bowl LX halftime show, headlined by Bad Bunny with guest appearances by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, aired on NBC and Peacock, drawing a record-breaking estimated 135-142 million viewers across all platforms—surpassing the previous high of 133.5 million for Kendrick Lamar's 2025 performance. This massive audience came despite widespread pre-event controversy, including backlash from MAGA supporters over Bad Bunny's outspoken criticism of President Trump's immigration policies, his anti-ICE comments at the 2026 Grammys, and the show's all-Spanish setlist, which some viewed as unpatriotic or divisive. Reports of audible boos from the in-stadium crowd at Levi's Stadium and online calls for boycotts highlighted how the politicization alienated portions of the traditional American audience, potentially contributing to a dip in overall Super Bowl ratings compared to non-halftime segments—Nielsen data showed a 5-7% drop in viewership during the halftime window relative to the game's peak, suggesting some tuned out. Critics argued the NFL's choice reflected a "woke" agenda, prioritizing global expansion into Latin America over unifying the domestic fanbase, leading to claims that the league "damaged itself" by turning the event into a cultural experiment rather than pure entertainment.

In contrast, Turning Point USA's "All-American Halftime Show," streamed on YouTube (multiple channels), Rumble, TBN, DailyWire+, OANN, Real America's Voice, CHARGE, and The National Desk, peaked at 5.2-6.1 million concurrent viewers during the head-to-head window, with total views exceeding 19 million by the next day—including an additional 3 million who started on X before licensing issues forced a switch. This respectable pull for a counter-programming effort drew from conservative audiences seeking patriotic alternatives, but it underscored the divide: while the official show shattered records, the backlash and viewer migration to TPUSA's stream (pre-recorded in Atlanta with a small audience) signaled self-inflicted harm to the Super Bowl's brand as an apolitical spectacle. For visuals, here's a shot from Bad Bunny's performance:

abcnews.go.com

Super Bowl 2026: Bad Bunny brings Puerto Rican culture to halftime ...

And one from TPUSA's show featuring Kid Rock:

livenowfox.com

Turning Point USA unveils lineup as alternative to Super Bowl ...

Watch the full official Super Bowl halftime show here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJszMT9wZtQ And TPUSA's "All-American Halftime Show" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_HcviT-VTs

Turning Point USA, the smaller dog in the fight, opened with 3 fake-Country singers, had the aged Kid Rock lip-singing poorly, and then sing a relatively nice song that added a third verse which spoke of Jesus Christ either out of sincere devotion, commercialization, or both. There were also a lot of Red, White, & Blue, American Flags, etc. All of it's performers were Caucasian. The woman singing had poor vocal clarity & one of the men singing was about half way in & half way out for lyrical understandability. Again, yes, this was supposed to be Country Music, not some indiscernible Nirvana grudge rock crap. Contrarily, the Super Bowl's Official Half-Time Show was filled with Latin music in Spanish, while waving flags representative of Hispanic places. Perpetually everyone in the skits was bronze, brown, or black. Two of the artists were Hispanic & the other was Lady Gaga.

To their credit, both shows had nice production value. Tragically, it all seemed to be more about politics than performance. The Superbowl could have got Dolly Parton. She leans left, but has the sensibilities not to say stupid things on camera, overall. Let's be frank - Dolly Parton is an icon. Ideally, she'd bring people together instead of dividing them. I'd say the same of Sir Paul McCartney. I think that iconic bands like The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, and whatnot would be ideal. They're emblematic of music. If it were me & I were the powers-to-be over the Super Bowl's official half-time show, I'd focus on entertainment more than trying to make some kind of statement.

Further emphasizing the point, the politicization sparked a firestorm: President Trump called Bad Bunny's selection "absolutely ridiculous" and skipped the game, while Turning Point USA positioned their show as a protest against the NFL's "woke circus." This led to measurable fallout, with reports of in-game boycotts and social media polls showing 67% preferring Kid Rock's performance over Bad Bunny's in some circles—highlighting how the Super Bowl's embrace of divisive themes drove away core viewers and boosted alternatives like TPUSA's. For more on the controversy: https://www.dw.com/en/the-bad-bunny-super-bowl-controversy-why-is-maga-angry/a-74282682 And a deeper dive into the ratings impact: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/live-blogs/super-bowl-halftime-show-bad-bunny-music/60RkQ6ZzUvD4/U4n2URvejyr2

Here's another image from the official show with Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga: