We Need To Talk.....About the show?? : Halftime Re-Cap

Two halftime shows, one internet firestorm, and a promise to keep the conversation about music. We dig into why the official Super Bowl spectacle worked so well on a production level—think saturated color, precision choreography, and one unforgettable reveal where the “grass” was actually performers sprinting into place. From lasers and flags to a surprise on-field wedding, we unpack how the staging created emotion even for listeners who don’t live on club playlists.

Then we pivot to the rival halftime video to diagnose the controversy around Kid Rock. Was it lip-syncing or a preventable production failure? We walk through the signal chain, where a missing mic feed likely forced editors to patch gaps with old masters, creating the illusion of fakery. This is Live Sound 101: route every mic to the recorder, capture multitracks, and, if something breaks, re-cut vocals in a booth instead of pasting archival stems. When organizers treat music as a prop, artists pay the price first.

Along the way, we talk access and expectations. A deaf creator’s perspective reframed the push for subtitles by highlighting how often concerts overlook deaf and hard-of-hearing fans; sometimes feeling the groove is the point. We also hit the Gaga cameo, why surprising pairings can still fit an artist’s story, how small businesses featured on set saw real-world bumps, and where country performances shine or slide into copy-paste tropes. It’s not about picking sides—it’s about judging craft, coherence, and care.

If you love production nerdery, live audio realities, and honest but generous critique, you’ll feel at home here. Press play, then tell us: which moment nailed the balance of sound, story, and spectacle? Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review to help more music fans find the show.

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Transcript

Setting The Ground Rules

SPEAKER_01 0:38

I'm the worst person to have a podcast.

SPEAKER_04 0:41

I feel very what is up, everybody.

SPEAKER_01 0:55

Welcome back to the show. I am your host, Harley, joined by my co-host and little sister Taylor. We're here. We just finished up a great interview with the pseudo cowboys. You'll see that coming out uh on Monday. Um, but we had to do a very, very special short episode for you this week because of the events that happened. Um, whose baby was that?

SPEAKER_03 1:25

Yours.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

Oh, he's so small.

SPEAKER_00 1:29

I know, he's so little.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

Um, everyone is blowing up over the Super Bowl.

SPEAKER_02 1:41

That was crazy.

SPEAKER_01 1:43

They are though, the halftime shows. Um, and because of us being a music podcast, I told Chris and Taylor that we kind of don't have a choice but to talk about it. But I also didn't want to do it after like some time had passed because then people would be like, Why are you talking about the Super Bowl now? You know?

SPEAKER_03 2:04

Yeah, no, totally get that. Um, but can we talk about how Chris isn't here?

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Yes, Chris unfortunately is not here. Love you, Chris.

SPEAKER_03 2:14

Stay back.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Um, so I I want to preface the beginning of the show by saying that we are going to be discussing both the actual halftime show and the video that Turning Point USA put on their YouTube page. I refuse to call that a halftime show. It is a video. Um we're going to discuss both, though, because both are overwhelming music news. However, we will not be discussing the political side of either one. We are here to simply state the facts of what happened at both. We are here to simply talk about how we feel about the performance at both and the fiascos that happened. Um but outside of that, that is all we will be discussing. And if I catch you in the comments, listener, bringing up the politics on either side, I will remove you and I will ask you to stop listening to the show because that is not what we do here, and you know that.

SPEAKER_02 3:46

So anyway, I can't believe we all just got in trouble by dad. That's crazy. We said something. I feel like we're a mediation. This feels wild.

SPEAKER_01 3:57

I just I'm so tired of the fighting from both sides. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 4:04

I got you.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

I got you, and and especially with this. So I full disclosure, I watch a lot of content revolving around the news and everything going on in the world because I'm a psychopath. Um, and apparently I love hurting myself because that's all that I consume. But I watch it and I see all of the opinions, and it's it's no one is talking about the actual performances, and I think that's a discredit to the artists. Yeah, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03 4:40

I agree, I concur.

Tangent: Giraffes And Feelings

SPEAKER_01 4:42

So that's what I'm here to do because that's what this show is about. It's what we founded the show on was talking about music, and that's what we're gonna do.

SPEAKER_03 4:51

Did you say we're the founding fathers?

SPEAKER_01 4:55

That's what the founding brother ladies.

SPEAKER_03 4:59

The brother ladies is perfect.

SPEAKER_01 5:01

Oh Taylor, side note: if you and McKenna have a podcast, when, not if, when we should call it the brother ladies.

SPEAKER_03 5:13

That's so funny. Um, I sent so okay. For everyone listening, this is not to do with the Super Bowl. Sorry, we'll get into that, but this is not to do the Super Bowl. Found out yesterday, I'm gonna get through this without crying. I'm gonna get through it without crying. Deep breaths with me, okay? I found out yesterday that giraffes do not seek shelter when it swims.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

And yo, yo, yo, Taylor. Holy shit, I thought you were just about to drop some major news about somebody. I I thought we were gonna have like a truly emote, you lined that up as if you were about to tell me that somebody we know has cancer.

SPEAKER_03 6:05

Well, someone we know is currently I can we put that on the um because when you said something about stroke, I'm like that was so funny.

SPEAKER_01 6:17

Um, you're so emotionally invested in these draps.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

That's wild.

SPEAKER_03 6:22

You have no when we get off. I need you to ask Dylan what the situation was last night. I kid you not, and I give so much so much grace this man because there are so like I brain rot on my phone. Okay, remind me, I need to sell my turnips after this to the raccoon people, by the way. I brain rot on my phone and I sob most nights, and I come up and he's normally playing on his game, and I go, Do you want a hug? And he, this man always stops everything he's doing to give me a hug, and then says, Get off TikTok. Like just get off and go to bed. Anywho, about our last night that giraffes don't seek shelter during storms, okay? They stand in the middle and they brace the storm, and buddy, you don't understand the video is so sad. It was just them standing and rain just coming down on them, and they're just bracing the storm because they're too big. Why did no one think this room? Why has no one built them a shelter? This isn't the point. This caused me to spiral out of control. Oh so then I start I start crying about everything. I was crying about you. Oh, I before now.

SPEAKER_01 7:42

I'm interested. Now I'm interested.

SPEAKER_03 7:44

Um, because because I felt like I have not been a good sister, and I've been an even worse friend towards you, and that's not fair to you. And I am just so lucky. This also doesn't help. The night before last night, I went down a rabbit hole of this woman who was really close to her brother and he died of cancer. So then I went through like this whole thing, and I was like, How lucky am I to have a brother? And then all I wanted to do was give you a big squeeze, and you're not even here for me to give you a big squeeze. Squeeze, squeeze, sobbing, so guys.

SPEAKER_01 8:19

Uh my little boy Adam, um, we do this new thing now where he'll I tell him in the morning, I'm like, hey, run over and give dad a hug, and he'll run over and I'll pick him up and he'll put his arms around my shoulders, and then we go, squeeze, and we squeeze each other, and he goes, Squeeze so cute, so cute.

SPEAKER_03 8:45

Anyways, I felt like I just wasn't uh wasn't a good enough person, wasn't a good enough sister, was a really bad friend, and then I start crying even more because then I think about all the people I've ever let down in my life ever. And then tip of the iceberg, I missed McKenna. Missed her. Well unwell, I was unwell. But she just texted me because I sent her a picture of me swollen eyes crying, saying how badly I missed her, and she said, Oh, I miss you, Giovanni.

SPEAKER_01 9:17

Um as far as as far as all of this goes, you need you need to know that you're a great little sister. And you if I need you, you're there.

SPEAKER_02 9:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:30

I w all of this comes with a but you've you've been great. You're a great little sister. I will say that your inconsistencies on our commitment have been infuriating, but I still think that you're a great little sister, and you haven't let me down. Um, I'm very proud of you and everything that you've accomplished.

SPEAKER_03 9:54

Thank you. I feel like this was a compliment sandwich, and I don't think I liked that. I don't know how I thought about that. Anywho, I appreciate that. I appreciate it. Um, but more important news, giraffes don't have shelter, and I think we should do something about that. And that's crazy that they don't because we have the power and the resources to build them houses. Guys, why is it a beautiful house?

SPEAKER_01 10:25

Guys, why are we talking about homeless people when giraffes don't have shelter?

SPEAKER_03 10:31

Don't have shelters, and then I found out I'm reading the comments, reading the comments, reading them, and one of the comments said, Guys, if you care, I just googled it, and a lot of them die from lightning strikes because they're so tall.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

Yeah, it's a giant lightning rod. Hey, anyways, we're here to just talk. We're just here to talk about the facts.

SPEAKER_03 10:55

The facts are giraffes don't have ounces, and I just think we need to make that happen.

SPEAKER_01 11:02

This this conversation reminds me of one of the most hurtful comments that I've ever received from somebody that listened to the show. I told somebody to listen to the show once and they listened to it, and they don't they didn't know me and they didn't know you. And I got a response when they came into work one day. I was like, Hey, did you check out the show? And they were like, I did. It's not really for me. You guys like talk a lot about nothing.

Production Brilliance On The Field

SPEAKER_03 11:25

And I was like, Oh isn't that what a podcast is?

SPEAKER_01 11:29

He was like, Yeah, you sold it to me as a music show, but like 35 minutes in, you guys didn't even say the word music, and I was like, Fair enough.

SPEAKER_03 11:37

And guess what, buddy? We're not doing that now because giraffes don't have houses. Music 1120. Anyways, turning point USA.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

So you got the actual Super Bowl show. Let's talk about that one first. Um go ahead. Bad bunny performed the the halftime show for the Super Bowl. I forget what uh I almost said what episode. What Super Bowl was it? Super Bowl 60? I think I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 12:10

I don't watch it.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

I don't watch sports.

SPEAKER_03 12:14

Um I think it is because they made it a big deal.

SPEAKER_01 12:17

But production-wise, I thought the the halftime show was absolutely breathtaking. Uh I think that the the lighting was incredible. I thought the props were incredible.

SPEAKER_04 12:32

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

Um, the fact that the grass was human beings is in itself so clever and such such a like crazy thing to see. Like, I didn't know until I saw the video of like the people running out to the field dressed as grass. Like, you don't know when you're watching the show that that's what that is. So just production-wise, I thought it was it was very cool, very beautifully done. Uh color scheme. Sorry, uh, color scheme I thought was very rich, um, very vibrant, which definitely lends itself to the heritage that was discussed uh through the halftime show. Um, when we talk about outdoor performances, sound is always an issue, has always been an issue at the halftime shows since the beginning of the halftime shows, like especially in person. So there are a lot of videos uh surfacing from people that were at the halftime show where they're like he didn't sound good. Again, outdoor in a stadium that size is you're gonna have that issue. Yeah, um, the other issue is live performances always sound different, and anything recorded on a phone is not going to have the level of quality that is needed. Um that's just my take on the the negativity side of it. Uh I think that the other problem was the the viewpoint. There were a lot of complaints about not being able to see what was going on from the stands. Again, same issue. It happens in every halftime show. You're talking about seeing something on the field from the stands. Like, yeah, you're probably pretty high up there. Um, but even if you're not, let's say you're you're in the lower section. Um, do we not remember when Eminem and 50 Cent and everybody did their halftime show and they built a miniature house in the middle of the stadium, and everybody that was on the back side of that house just didn't watch the halftime show, they only performed to three-quarters of the stadium. Everybody on the back side had nothing to look at.

SPEAKER_00 15:03

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 15:04

So, I mean, you know, it is what it is, stuff like that happens.

SPEAKER_03 15:09

Um, it's it comes with the territory.

SPEAKER_01 15:13

I think that he performed well. He sounded pretty damn close to his recordings, from what I've gathered. I did not know his music prior to the halftime show. Uh, yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_03 15:26

You didn't know Sig Bunny?

SPEAKER_01 15:27

I didn't. I didn't.

SPEAKER_03 15:29

Um you do.

SPEAKER_01 15:31

I it's it's club music. I think it's fine. I like it. It's it's dancing music, you know. I have no issues with it at all. Thought it was a fine show. In in the grand scheme of things, like thought it was a fine show. Pedro Pascal was there. I got very excited about that. Uh Jessica Alba was there. Yeah, Jessica Alba was there. I've always loved Jessica Alba, so I was excited about that. Uh, I think wasn't J Lo also there.

SPEAKER_03 15:59

Literally could not tell you.

SPEAKER_01 16:01

I could be wrong on that. I there were a handful of celebrities, but those first two stuck out to me.

SPEAKER_03 16:06

I found out some interesting things about it. Tell me one. One, and you guys can come for me. That's okay. Lady Gaga sucked.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

I agree.

SPEAKER_03 16:19

It was it was bad, it was really bad, and then she tried like shaking her hips.

Sound, Sightlines, And Live Audio Reality

SPEAKER_01 16:24

But is it that we're Lady Gaga out, like we talked about prior? No, that's what I told Lindsay. I was like, I think I'm just tired of seeing her.

SPEAKER_03 16:31

Genuinely, I thought it was the worst performance of hers that I've ever seen. It's not even that I didn't know. Her voice sounded awful.

SPEAKER_01 16:41

Yeah, her voice.

SPEAKER_03 16:43

I know she's performing, been performing for however many years. She's older.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

I was gonna, I was gonna say they just had they just had the Grammys. She was just at the Grammys.

SPEAKER_03 16:52

She kept doing like it sounded like she was trying to have like a Spanish accent when she sang, and that also, I was like, why are you doing that? Like, and I heard it on like a couple lines where I'm like, Why are you don't just don't do that? Anywho, so there was that. I thought she was bad, and I just couldn't understand. I was like, I don't understand out of all of the people to perform with Bad Bunny, we have Shakira, we have I'll even give you J Lo. We have Selena Gomez. You know what I mean? We have so many of these incredible, like Latino, Latina, Spanish women. Yeah, got Lady Gaga? Well, so an odd. Oh, sorry, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 17:39

I was just gonna say so. I I have the answer for that. I also have the answer. Oh, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_03 17:44

Well, let's see if it's the same answer. So I just couldn't fathom this information. I'm like, that's crazy. So Dylan's sister said that her boyfriend looked it up, and it's because Lady Gaga was a big inspiration, and he is a huge Lady Gaga fan.

unknown 18:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:01

To which I say, love that for you, my guy. Still an odd pairing, it's still odd.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

Um, yeah, yeah, but like if you're performing the Super Bowl and you get a chance to perform with your idol, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03 18:18

I get it. And she touched his face.

SPEAKER_01 18:20

Well, did you see the Grammys where he had to sit alone? So part of the contract is when you're at the Grammys and you're performing the Super Bowl, you're not allowed to like communicate with anybody at the Grammys. You have to sit by yourself, you have a very strict NDA, you're not allowed to touch anybody, you're not allowed to go to any of the after parties. Why? Because if any sort of scandal or video or film or picture or anything comes out that close to the Super Bowl, they have already made all of the production choices. It's impossible to not have you perform the Super Bowl. So they try and seclude you to make sure that you can't do shit to upset anybody that week.

SPEAKER_03 19:07

Interesting.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

So Lady Gaga comes up to him at the Grammys and leans down and hugs him and whispers something in his ear and then walks away, and he just has to be like, you know, thank you, and and not do anything, just sit there. Dang, anyways.

Guests, Gaga, And Odd Pairings

SPEAKER_03 19:26

I also thought that it was interesting. The whole marriage thing that happened, okay. The guy married someone on the field, from my understanding. Yeah, I didn't I didn't watch the first half, and I was like, that is okay. So also I need everyone to keep in mind that I came into it as Lady Gago was singing. So I missed a whole chunk. Came into it as she was singing, and then he hops off stage, but then there's this bride and this groom, and like they're dancing and twirling, and then there's all these little kids and they're running around. And of course, he doesn't, you know, his music isn't in English, but that's fine. Because of that, I had no context clues of what was happening. So I'm like, is this song about his family and his life? Very confused. Went to work the next day, and of course, our our famous question was, How'd you guys like the Super Bowl? To which a guy was like, wasn't a fan of the halftime show. And he said, I don't, he was like, I don't mind bad bunny. It's just not my music, you know, it's it's not my thing. Um, he was like, also, I didn't understand the marrying the people on the field. And I said, That's what it was. That makes more sense than what I was thinking. Anywho, fast forward, I bring this up again. And same guy who was looking, looking up the whole why Lady Gobba Gaga was there. I guess those people who he married had reached out, yeah, and was like, hey, we're getting married and would love for you to perform our wedding or something like that. And he said, Hey girl, actually, I'm gonna be at the Super Bowl, but show up, big dogs. We'll make it a thing, we'll make it a thing.

SPEAKER_01 21:05

History made history, made history.

SPEAKER_03 21:08

I'm like, that's sick. I was like, that to me, I like that way more than there just being a random wedding thing. Do you know what I mean? Like, I was like, no, that's because I also know that that probably was like last minute. And he was just like, yeah, it's fine. What are they gonna do? Come on.

SPEAKER_01 21:26

Here's here's my here's my personal take, and and this is not me, this is not me getting political at all. I genuinely do not know how anyone could have possibly been upset with that performance. That's kind of what I'm that's kind of what I'm getting at. Is like Ricky Martin was there, Lady Gaga was there, Pedro Pascal was there, Jessica Alba was there, there were people dressed as trees, yeah there were fireworks and lasers and dancing and people carrying around flags and marching and and uh uh a handsome Latin man singing to you and like uh I just I genuinely don't understand.

SPEAKER_03 22:17

I I agree. And like I said, even the guy you were talking to.

SPEAKER_01 22:21

I was gonna say well, if if you were if you were to be like, you know what, I just Uh it's not my cup of tea. Like that was my take on it. Is like, yeah, I'm not a club music guy.

SPEAKER_04 22:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:30

Like I like a little little John, you know what I mean? Little little John. Um and some Usher and some 50 Cent. Like I I dabble, I dabble, but it's not like my go-to music. But if it were, I bet I would be like, this is the coolest fucking thing I've ever seen.

SPEAKER_03 24:26

Yeah. Well, and that was his thing. He was like, it's just not my music. Like, it is not a thing.

SPEAKER_01 24:33

But also, also, I love that far more than I love country music. So I still am at least enough of a fan to be like, oh, it was good. Like, I I I was dancing around to it. I thought it was fun. I thought like the the energy was great. And like everyone just was so happy. You didn't see an upset face on the field.

SPEAKER_00 25:01

You know what else?

SPEAKER_01 25:02

Everybody was just so like invested, and like I I enjoyed like the flamenco guitar and and yeah um seeing Ricky Martin. I was like, holy shit, Ricky Martin's alive.

SPEAKER_03 25:20

It's also they had oh sorry, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 25:23

Uh well I looked at Lindsay and I was like, is that the despicito guy? And she was like, No, it's Ricky Martin. And I was like, excuse me, Livin' Lavita Loca, Ricky Martin?

SPEAKER_00 25:32

Livin Lavita Loca.

SPEAKER_01 25:33

That looks like a different person.

Weddings On The 50 And Small Biz Shoutouts

SPEAKER_03 25:37

Um I thought it was really cool. He had that scene where they were all dancing in like the like the strip of LA or whatever. Those are all actual small businesses of LA. I'm sure you knew that. Oh, really? No, I didn't. Yeah, that's a good one cooler. They he he got all actual small businesses to like set up like a play version of their shop, and that was like the strip. And afterwards, I guess there was like a taco place, and afterwards the taco place was like wrapped around the block for people to get like tacos and things. And I'm I'm sure that those businesses are booming now because they got again.

SPEAKER_00 26:14

Yeah, how what what what could you possibly be upset about?

SPEAKER_01 26:19

Yeah, supporting local businesses, a giant sign that says love not hate, beautiful, famous people wandering around randomly, married couple, fantastic a class dancers, and the most American thing you can do, a wedding.

SPEAKER_03 26:42

And I hear that.

SPEAKER_00 26:45

Between a man and a woman.

SPEAKER_03 26:49

Um and a very I will say, I'll tell you what I'm upset about. Are you ready? I'll tell you what I'm upset about. She wore white to those people's wedding.

SPEAKER_01 26:58

Ooh. Now there's a controversial take.

SPEAKER_03 27:03

There's a controversial, he wore white to their wedding.

SPEAKER_01 27:07

So so now now to dive into the the thing that my bigoted brain did, and this is on me, but I watched a YouTube short today. Bigoted, bigoted brain.

SPEAKER_03 27:21

Um that means um a terrible person.

SPEAKER_01 27:26

For no, no, for lay for it's not this, but the best way I can describe it is racist. It doesn't mean the same thing as racist, but it's like very, very closely related. But anyways, I watched a YouTube short today that completely changed my mind on this. So my first original take when I discussed it with Chris um when we when we said we were gonna do this was that my biggest critique was that even though I enjoyed it, I think a good, solid compromise that I would have liked to have seen were subtitles. I was like, I I would like to, because I don't speak the language, I would like to have been able to read along with the singing so that I knew what the songs were about and I could, you know, be more invested. As a lyrical person, I wanted to be more invested in the music that I wasn't aware of. You know what I mean? But then I watched a short today, a YouTube tour today. And I apologize. I I don't remember the account that posted it. Um, but to this uh this girl that posted it, I I hope that you are doing well, and I'm very, very sorry that I can't give you a shout out because I don't remember who it was. It was just something I saw scrolling. Um if I find it at a a later date, I'll put it up. But um there is this deaf girl who had her take on it, to which she said, for those of you saying that you wish there were subtitles, I would like to say that I had a great time listening to the Super Bowl because what you don't understand is that most times that's how deaf people feel. There's very little accessibility and and inclusiveness for deaf people when it comes to music. So she said that uh most deaf people don't get to listen to the words, they just have to feel the music. Yeah, so for her, it was an extremely enjoyable experience. It also opened my eyes to realize that she's right, I don't need subtitles, I can just enjoy the music, just have the vibe, and just enjoy that. Like, I don't it does, I don't have to understand what's being said to enjoy something.

SPEAKER_03 29:55

Yeah, no, you just like to analyze music, is the part for sure.

SPEAKER_01 29:59

But even that being said, like I I I agree with her now, as somebody that watched that video, it truly did speak to me at that level of like that. That's a great point. She doesn't get to enjoy concerts the way that we do, and if there's no interpreter around, she just has to feel not even here, she has to feel the music.

SPEAKER_02 30:25

Oh, she loves feel the dancing, like and feel the energy, you know.

SPEAKER_01 30:33

So honestly, I have no right to complain ever. I'm I'm gifted and and truly uh humbled and and privileged for a lot of things, and that's something that I've never really taken, or I I guess I've always taken for granted, and and I feel like a lot of us do. The fact that we can hear, the fact that you have the opinion and the option to complain on a level that is that minute in life, just remember, like it's a gift, you know. Um so that that's my take on on the NFL halftime show. Now we move unless you have any other thoughts. Sorry.

Subtitles, Access, And A Deaf Viewer’s Insight

SPEAKER_03 31:22

No, that's it. I only watched part of it. Nothing against uh sick bunny. Oh, for those listening, um, that is what a lot of people at my work were calling him because that for some reason they couldn't remember bad bunny, so they called him sick bunny, which like he do be sick. Um anyways, sick.

SPEAKER_01 31:47

So uh did you see the thing with Elmo and what Elmo posted about him?

SPEAKER_03 31:57

You're a good you're a good bunny, Mr. Bad Bunny.

SPEAKER_01 32:00

I don't know why everybody keeps calling you a bad bunny. I think you're a good bunny. Have a great day, Mr. Good Bunny.

SPEAKER_03 32:09

Oh, my favorite is still with Max and Ruby. Where literally, let me see if I can find it. Hang on.

SPEAKER_01 32:16

Oh well, yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about.

SPEAKER_03 32:18

Only bad bunnies are invited to the Super Bowl, and it's just a fact. It's so funny.

SPEAKER_01 32:27

Oh man. Oh, that's too funny. Uh, but now now we move over to the turning point USA video. Um, and and I know what you might be thinking to yourself right now. Well, clearly you view it on one side and you're just gonna bash the other. And you're wrong. I am not going to bash it. There were great things that came out of that too. Um, however, Kid Rock is getting a lot of hate, and I need to uh explain why he doesn't deserve the hate that he's getting, and explain from an audio standpoint what happened to his performance and why everyone's in an uproar. Um, this will probably be the most viral part of this show today, and this will probably be the clip that I end up pulling and and posting um after I go through my analysis of what happened. So Kid Rock performed number one uh, let's just say it, Kid Rock's songs are dated to say the least, uh, especially his older music. Um and he performed the song Ba Wata Ba. Uh I do find I do find it funny. I'm gonna tell this joke, and and this is teetering that line that I didn't want to, but I think this is a very funny joke. Um, I saw it online where somebody was like, I don't understand how you could possibly complain about bad bunny not speaking English when your headliner's opening song was Bawa da Ba to bang the bang diggy. Diggy diggie diggy said the boogie said up drop the boogie.

SPEAKER_03 34:16

We all know bad bunny when we see one.

SPEAKER_01 34:19

And I dude, I laughed for 10 minutes. I was like, that's so true. That's gibberish. It's just gibberish.

SPEAKER_03 34:26

Literally, it's baby talk.

Meme Break: Sick Bunny And Elmo

Switching To The TPUSA Video

SPEAKER_01 34:27

Like lit, I think what somebody on the comments was like, ah, yes, my my favorite uh uh Shakespearean phrase, bawa to bada bang to bang diggy. So, anyways, uh he performs that song, and he's getting a lot of hate over uh a lip-syncing issue. Um, to which I I have your answer. I know you guys are asking, like, well, isn't that what happened? It's not what happened. Um, the issue, the first issue is that Turning Point USA advertised this thing as it being a live performance during the halftime show, not a live streamed performance of things that they had previously recorded and put together to put out on that day. So there are a lot of people that were confused that were like, No, it's live. That's what happened. The answer is this was a pre-recorded show with a lot of editing included. Okay, so what happened to Kid Rock is that he did his performance live in that room in front of an audience, and I'm sure it sounded great there. I have seen Kid Rock personally twice in my lifetime, and he does a fantastic job as an entertainer. Um all of that being said, so he does his performance, and because of it being recorded, the microphones, sort of like how we're doing right now, how I'm using a microphone, and it's going through my computer, and then that becomes a digital MP3 file that I later upload, and you're listening to it right now. Imagine if I turned off Taylor's microphone and you didn't hear Taylor for the rest of the show. And then in the editing process, I realized that you can't hear Taylor, but instead of just canceling this show and not putting it up, I say, that's okay. I'll just pull some of Taylor's old stuff from another episode and put it in here. It'll be fine. Essentially, that is what they did to Kid Rock. So Kid Rock does his performance, and in his band, he has a DJ, and that DJ acts as like, imagine the Beastie Boys, how the Beastie Boys would like one of them would sing part of the line, and then somebody else would chime in and sing part of it, right? Does that make sense, Taylor? So, like, they would be like, Brass monkey, that funky monkey, and then somebody would come in, and it would be all three of them, and they go, Brass monkey, you know what I mean? So, or like that song Boats and Hoes from Step Brothers. Deadliest catch without the crabs, something, something, something. Uh-do. They swap the lines, right? They go back and forth. That's basically what Kid Rock does with his DJ. And the issue is that Turning Point USA is not a music production company, they are not a venue company, they are not an event company, they are a political company. You know what they don't give a fuck about? Music. This never had anything to do with music for them. But they use that to disguise what they actually care about. And the production value on this thing proves that. That's the issue. So what happened was they didn't have the DJ's microphone on during the performance on the board. It the microphone was on in person, so the people listening could hear the DJ. Right? Does that make sense, Taylor? But the signal going to the recording, going to the board, was off. Because again, when you hire people who don't know what the fuck they're doing, you end up with shitty recordings. So my key takeaway, and I hope somebody there hears this and understands. Next time, hire musicians, hire audio people, hire a production company that actually specializes in live performances like that. Hire an audio engineer to run stuff. Don't cheap out on the things that actually matter to the music industry. You don't get to go and say you're gonna do this thing and not put the time and effort in that it deserves. And by doing that, you created a huge, huge scandal in itself. Because now you've taken Kid Rock's old 90s song, the actual recording, actually, if you want the truth, they pulled the actual recording from his original song and just fucking spliced his voice in the spots that were missing. So when you're watching this thing, you're like, no, he is lip singing because that's Kid Rock's voice, and he's not using the microphone right now. Why why wouldn't you pull the DJ or somebody into a recording booth and have them dub over it? Why would you just pull the original recording and try and overlay it?

SPEAKER_03 40:04

Because that was easier for them. Easier and probably cheaper.

SPEAKER_01 40:07

Probably cheaper because Kid Rock probably just had to sign some forms and be like, you can use the original recording. They also probably didn't think it was gonna blow up the way that it is. It just fucks Kid Rock. And like I don't like him. I don't. I want that to be said also. Kid Rock, I'm I'm only defending you from a production and musician standpoint. I completely disagree with everything that you stand for, sir. But I I am a musician, and my job is to discuss the things that happened in the music industry. And I do think that you're getting a bad rap on this. Yes, Taylor?

SPEAKER_03 40:45

Um, I will say, sorry, I was muted because I didn't watch the turning point USA one at all. Um, because I try not to give them my time and energy. However, I turned it on to see like what you were talking about. The electric guitar in the beginning? It was kind of fire.

SPEAKER_01 41:04

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. The rest of the band is, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 41:07

Again, I think the national anthem should only be played on an electric guitar from that one.

SPEAKER_01 41:14

Well, it usually is. It usually is.

SPEAKER_03 41:16

Like that was incredible or a trumpet.

SPEAKER_01 41:19

Do you not remember Jimi Hendrix's performance?

SPEAKER_03 41:22

Never seen it.

SPEAKER_01 41:23

Oh, you should. It's one of the most amazing performances ever.

SPEAKER_03 41:28

Um I'm gonna go down a rabbit hole.

SPEAKER_01 41:30

There's also a video of a young Harley Cornell playing it at Beaver Locals talent show. Just saying.

SPEAKER_03 41:35

And and you know that I am Harley Cornell's biggest fan, even though he hates me.

What Really Happened To Kid Rock’s Audio

SPEAKER_01 41:42

But but I am not a fan of Kid Rock as a person, but his first two albums growing up, his his rap albums, yeah. Um, I'm I'm a huge fan of. They were part of my childhood. My dad loved those albums, so I heard them a lot. Um so I truly love that song and and that album that it's on. Uh Devil Without a Cause is an incredible song. Uh God Only Knows is a great song. Bull God. Like, I dude, I know your album. Like, yeah, this is coming from a place of somebody that is a music enthusiast. Um, but uh I'm defending your your musicianship, nothing else. And again, I I really do believe you're getting a bad rap on this. I don't like that people that do not know anything about music are chiming in. If you do not know about music and you do not know about production, I don't think that you really should chime in on something like this. I think you should do a little more research and be a little more educated in in the processes before chiming in and slandering somebody that didn't necessarily do anything wrong.

SPEAKER_03 42:56

Also, music aside, you should probably do that anyways before you start forming opinions.

SPEAKER_01 43:01

Fair enough.

SPEAKER_03 43:02

That matter, that matter. I I mean I do the same thing where I form a quick opinion on things I don't know about, but like not about you know crazy things. So maybe we should do that anyways.

SPEAKER_01 43:15

Moving past that though, uh, over to um oh I remember, sorry. Uh Kid Rock going by Robert Ritchie. Uh hold on one second, sorry.

SPEAKER_03 43:31

Who's Robert Ritchie? Ba with the bow to bang the bang, diggy, diggy, diggy, mini, mini, man up, truck to boogie. You guys want to know who I recently jammed out to in the car today, I believe. Ah, it might have been yesterday. Ice ice baby. What a bop, guys. Oh, and I knew every word, and I was yippy yappity yapping on my way home. Anywho.

SPEAKER_01 43:58

Um, yeah. Why is Kid Rock going by Robert Ritchie all of a sudden?

SPEAKER_00 44:03

Ricky Bobby.

SPEAKER_01 44:05

So he does he does that one song, and he also uh sorry, I know I defended him a lot there, but he also only played like 35, 40 seconds of that song. Like it was next to nothing. He didn't he didn't even finish the first line. So um I'm not sure what's going on with that, but it it immediately cut on my end and went to him calling himself Robert Richie, and then he starts singing like country songs. Again, I don't like country music, so I tapped out on that. I I I listened for the purpose of this show, and it sounded fine. Like it was it's an acoustic guitar, it's the same country, stereotypical country music that exists in everywhere. Like, uh, I don't have much to say about that. It sounded fine. Production on that was fine, guitar sounded good. Uh the rest of his bandwidth band was clean and and uh timing was great. Uh, they were very tight. Um there was this weird like cello violin duet thing prior to Kid Rock's performance. Oh it was very strange. It didn't really, it wasn't cohesive to the rest of the performers, so I'm not entirely sure what that was about. Uh, but it sounded good, it was cool. Like I it was cool to see a cello violin duet randomly in the middle. You don't see that every day. Yeah, um sounded good, sounded beautiful. They're very well classically trained musicians. Uh Brantley Gilbert was there, you know. Um, and then now we get to what I would say. Was my favorite part of that show. Um, at the beginning of the show, I believe he he opened the show. I can't tell you what his name is, I have no clue. Again, it's country music, and I'm just not a fan, so I'm not going to take the time to figure that out. I'm going to be honest with you. But I listened, and he performs the most, I kid you not, the most stereotypical generic country song I think I've ever heard in my life. He took a joke that I've been making for years and turned it into an actual song. And the lines are, I just want to catch my fish, I just want to drive my truck, I just want to drink my beer. I mean, come on, man. If anybody out there is listening to that song and is like, hell yeah, brother, you need to open up your horizons. It's time to open your mind. It's 2026. Come on. Seriously. Seriously.

SPEAKER_03 47:13

That's what they all are.

SPEAKER_01 47:15

No, no, I'm waiting for the person that's gonna be like, he's telling it how it is.

SPEAKER_03 47:19

You uh tell him that he's speaking the truth.

SPEAKER_01 47:21

There's somebody out there that heard that and goes, That's what I miss about old music. All you needed was three chords and the truth, and dude, go on, come on, do other things in life. Besides, I mean, I get it. You love beer and you love trucks, and you'll and you you love fishing and hunting, and nobody taking guns, and like you're you're a drawing. Like, I can draw you on a piece of paper. Yeah, you don't want to be a drawing, you don't want to live your life as a drawing. Like, dude, it's crazy.

SPEAKER_03 48:06

That's so funny to me.

Why Production Choices Matter

SPEAKER_01 48:08

Such a stupid song. It's so stupid.

SPEAKER_03 48:12

And honestly, I wish that I could sit through it. I just don't think I can. I don't think I have it in me.

SPEAKER_01 48:18

I couldn't, I couldn't get past that. I I there I know there's some other like super, it's a super political song. I'm not diving into all that bullshit. Like, yeah, there are some lines in there that he says some some really off the wall shit, but uh yeah, uh I just I think that's so funny. I think it's so funny. Like every hillbilly in America's ears just went like like like a dog whistle. They're like, Oh, what's that? Beer? Beer drugs, you got my attention, fishing, fishing, fishing, and then they all just started losing their shit and shooting their guns.

SPEAKER_03 48:57

Have you seen there's a video I'll have to share with you?

SPEAKER_01 49:01

Sorry, I gotta say this before I forget. That there's definitely a guy that was watching that that was like, I have a beer in my hand right now. Right now, I could go outside and go fishing right now. I too have a truck. Like, dude. Oh man, and then there was some there was some blonde country singer that is just a ripoff of uh uh Carrie Underwood, unless it was it might have been Carrie Underwood. I have no clue.

SPEAKER_03 49:26

It probably was Carrie Underwood, honestly.

SPEAKER_01 49:28

I don't think it was. I don't think it was, but I mean you couldn't tell me it wasn't sounded, looked identical to Carrie Underwood. Uh but the other thing about that first song is it prompted me to do a new thing around my house that's my favorite thing in the world, is just singing everything I do and going, I'm just I just want to blank. So if I if I go to grab the remote, I grab it and I go, I just want to watch my show.

SPEAKER_03 49:57

You haven't been doing that?

SPEAKER_01 49:59

I just want to drink this water.

SPEAKER_03 50:02

I sing my day all the time. All the time. It's all I'm doing is singing during my day of what I'm doing, narrating my own life.

SPEAKER_04 50:15

It's great.

SPEAKER_01 50:17

The other thing too is nobody's stop nobody's no one is actively stopping anyone from doing any of these things. Like, yeah, I'm uh country music's in a bad spot. It's in a bad place.

SPEAKER_03 50:31

Yeah.

Other Performers And Mixed Results

SPEAKER_01 50:33

Coming from somewhere I used to like country music. I used to listen to it in the 90s and the early 2000s. Like, not saying that there isn't a place for country music, but damn, dude, it's just gotten so predictable. Yeah, and and anyone can do it at this point. I I keep proving that point time and time again that country music is something that literally anyone can do. You can do it. If you're listening right now and you're like, I couldn't do that. I'm telling you, if you can pretend to make a southern accent, you can do country music. You don't even have to have an instrument background, you don't have to play a damn thing. All you have to be able to do is look the part. Anyone can do it. Now, I'm not I'm not saying that there aren't talented country musicians out there because there absolutely are. Chris Stapleton, I'm looking at you. Um, there are a handful of really talented people, but the majority of that genre is filled with just people who were like, Well, I failed as a metal artist, so I guess I'll do country. Like, yeah, that's it's everyone's backup plan. I recently I recently got asked why I don't do it, and I that's exactly what I said was the reason, is that I don't want to give up. I don't want to give up on the things that I enjoy and that I'm passionate about. I'm not gonna jump into something just because I can. I'm not a sellout. So unless you're offering me a lot of money. I mean, I'll be honest.

SPEAKER_03 52:20

Then you're gonna sell out. Then you're gonna sell out. Me too.

SPEAKER_01 52:25

I'm only a I'm only not a sellout because nobody's offered.

SPEAKER_03 52:28

But if you offer no one's offered for you to be a sellout, that's so true. Oh, that's so true.

SPEAKER_01 52:36

My sellout money is low, too. That's the sad part. Like you you think about sellout money, and you're like, what, 10 million, 50 million? Nah, dude. 10,000. Four million, one year's one year's salary.

SPEAKER_03 52:57

Anything to pay off my student loans, right?

SPEAKER_01 53:00

Right. Like, dude, you give me one year of just comfortability, I'll I'll whatever you want. Sign me up.

SPEAKER_02 53:08

Sign me up, dude.

SPEAKER_01 53:11

Uh, but anyways, um production side on the the turning point USA thing, they they didn't have the budget. There's no way they did they had the budget that the actual halftime show had. But I think I don't know the numbers on what they had to use, but I think that for whatever number they had to put into it, it was fine. Um the crowd was rather small, I will say that. If it it looked to be a very intimate crowd, unless it was larger than it seemed, and they were just showing the front half, yeah. Um, but the crowd seemed relatively small, that is not a dig either. You might be thinking that that's a dig. I honestly think that's a plus because that means that some nice group of people got to experience kid rock three feet from their face. You know what I mean? Like, yeah, if you're really into that or into that kind of music, or whoever else was there, Brantley Gilbert, like if you're super into Brantley Gilbert, um, shout out Brantley. Uh if you're super into it, like and that's right there in your face, good, good on you. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 54:29

For real.

SPEAKER_01 54:30

So I I think it's cool to have those intimate shows, personally. Um you sure as shit wouldn't see anybody complaining about not being able to see their show, you know.

SPEAKER_02 54:41

Hey, that's true.

SPEAKER_01 54:43

I also just I don't know, like, were they selling tickets to that show? I'd be interested to see how much the tickets were.

SPEAKER_02 54:52

I heard you had to be on a list.

SPEAKER_01 54:54

Maybe. Whoa.

SPEAKER_03 55:02

Sorry guys, I saw my opportunity and I took it. I saw it. That was good.

SPEAKER_01 55:08

I almost I almost didn't realize what just happened. It almost flew right over my head.

SPEAKER_03 55:13

That's a good joke.

Country Tropes And Genre Fatigue

SPEAKER_01 55:16

Um, but no, I like I said, the the first guy, from what I saw of his performance, it sounded fine. You know, his guitar had some issues coming in at the beginning. Um, I think they had it off and and they had to turn it up in the middle of that song. Um, so that was an issue they had to work past. But again, you're taking a group of people that have never done this type of production before and throwing them in the weeds, man. Like there's gonna be some hiccups. It's the you're never supposed to take the first time you do an event like this and record it. Could you imagine if somebody like just was like, we're gonna host Rock on the Range for the first time ever, and we're gonna record it. Like, it just you you gotta do it a couple times and get it down, you know? Yeah, so um the the girl that performed, she's she sounded fine, like it was just very generic, and she was doing a carry underwood impression. Unless it was her, I don't know. I'm pretty sure it wasn't her. Um, and then yeah, Bradley Gobert performed. He sounded like he always does. You would think that knowing how his production and everything rolls, and how in depth they take everything, you would think that he would have brought along his crew of people to handle this. Um, but that doesn't seem to be the case. So yeah. It is what it is, man. Either way, I think both performances were good. I think both the performances have their place for the people that enjoy them.

SPEAKER_03 57:07

Sorry, I'm trying to see if uh if Carrie Underwood did in fact perform.

SPEAKER_01 57:12

I'm I'm like pretty damn sure she didn't.

SPEAKER_03 57:24

Oh no, it's not her, it's Gabby uh Barrett.

SPEAKER_04 57:31

No clue.

SPEAKER_03 57:32

She has a song that I love her song. What is it called?

SPEAKER_01 57:38

Something about God, a truck, beer, women, dog.

SPEAKER_03 57:44

So close.

SPEAKER_01 57:45

It's gotta be um somebody cheated on somebody.

SPEAKER_03 57:50

No, no, no. Um, one of the good ones.

SPEAKER_01 57:57

All right.

SPEAKER_03 57:59

There is one called I Hope. Hang on. Oh, you know this one. You know this one.

SPEAKER_01 58:06

I don't. I promise you, I don't. I hope it does.

SPEAKER_03 58:13

I hope she comes along and wrecks every one of your plans. I hope you spend your last dime, put a rock on her hand.

SPEAKER_01 58:20

I hope he I think that's the song that I heard.

SPEAKER_03 58:24

She's wild than your wildest cheese thing you're ever gonna need. So that's I hope she cheats.

SPEAKER_01 58:32

So that's the song that I heard at that performance that made me think that she was Carrie Underwood. So I was like I thought it was before he cheats.

SPEAKER_03 58:42

It's not. Don't don't unfortunately I am a big fan of that one and one of the good ones. Those are the only two songs by her I know, but I am a fan. I am a fan.

SPEAKER_01 58:54

And that's okay, and you're allowed to be. So I think uh, I think also uh just to kind of put a button on all of this at the end here, um I think that this is a great time if you're if you've listened to this show so far to understand that you can disagree with each other and not uh have to get so fucking violent. You don't have to yell at each other, you don't have to be a dickhead, you don't have to wish terrible things upon each other just because you disagree on something. Some people like coke, some people like Pepsi. It's okay. Some people like both, some people like both. It's okay to not like what somebody else does. You know what's great about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in this country? We don't have to be the same. A lot of places in this world, if you're there, you've gotta be the same as everybody. But here every day we get to wake up and be different. And we are supposed to be proud of our differences. We're supposed to be proud that we live in an incredible place in this world that you get to wake up and say, I don't want to do that. I don't want to just live in this mundane life. I want to make something, I want to do something, I want to be different. We used to celebrate difference, and now we're so focused on both ends of the spectrum on making everyone conform to being the fucking same. Figure it out, guys. You don't have to.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:15

So remember when you said you weren't gonna get political? Feels like the back half of this got a little political. Um, unfortunately, I do like having this talk with you. I do have to get off of here.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:28

So do I.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:30

I work in the morning.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:31

Oh, yeah. I'm I'm hungry and I gotta go to bed. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:36

Anywho, everybody.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:37

Thank you all for listening, and I hope that you find some solace in your life from hearing our take on the Super Bowl.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:45

Go listen to sick bunny, he's pretty sick.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:48

It's been real, everybody, and peace. Thanks for listening to the Lokin Bridge Podcast.