The last time San Diego hosted the Super Bowl was January 26, 2003. Held at the now demolished Qualcomm Stadium, coincidentally, it was also the last time the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in the “Big Game.”
P.S. Tampa Bay beat Oakland, 48 – 21
The halftime show, produced by music titan Jimmy Iovine, featured Shania Twain, No Doubt, and Sting. Sadly, Shania Twain’s performance was so forgettable, it marked the last time a country music act has performed at the Super Bowl. On the flip-side, No Doubt and Sting had the audience wrapped around their fingers. Dad joke aside, I know, I was there.
Bussed in from Fiesta Island with hundreds of over-eager extras, it was the longest, most (king of) painful way to spend a Super Bowl Sunday. But, seeing Gwen Stefani duet with Sting was pretty rad. Twain began the show by singing her song “Man! I Feel Like a Woman.” During her last lip-synced song, UP!, she walked into the crowd. I think I smelled her hair. It smelled like coconut. After returning to the stage, Twain got on a cherry picker that lifted her to El Cajon as fireworks were launched.
Then, No Doubt, took the pop-up stage. Performing their hit “Just a Girl,” Gwen Stefani ad-libbed the lines “I’m just a girl at the Super Bowl!” #GirlPower.
The show concluded with Sting performing “Message in a Bottle”, with Stefani joining halfway through.
The Monday morning after, critics praised No Doubt and Sting’s portion of the show, but gave a negative reception to Twain’s performance.
In fact, Rolling Stone magazine called Twain’s opening spot, a “career-freezing” bomb. Apparently, every little thing she did back then was not magic.
(Groan)
