Susan Graham and the Super Bowl Halftime Show

I’m always bothered when people say they “like all music, except rap and country”, because it would be easier for them to say “I like Top 40 hits”, and would save them the time they’d need to say they also don’t like jazz, classical, or opera.

I genuinely like all music. Although my dial is more often tuned to 89.3 than 99.5, I appreciate classical and opera. My ear and background is not sophisticated enough to break down the minutia of a performer’s style and abilities, I’m also unable to translate foreign languages as I only speak a modicum of Spanish and Italian, almost zero French, and after 28 years, I barely have a grasp of English. These shortcomings don’t prevent me from enjoying the genre, though, just as you don’t need formal training in the culinary arts to appreciate an amazing meal.

As I sat down for Susan Graham’s recital at the Ordway last month, at first I planned to read the provided translations as she performed. Quickly, though, I was overwhelmed by her ability, and I set my program down. This was when I thought of the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XXXVIII was an exciting last minute victory for the Patriots over the Panthers, who won on a last-second field goal, but the most discussed event of the game was a half-second of Janet Jackson’s partially exposed nipple during the halftime show. To minimize potential controversy, the following year an act was booked that had a very low chance of revealing a nipple: Paul McCartney.

McCartney’s halftime show was him, a guitar, and a microphone. He played for ten minutes, and it was one of the best acts to ever grace the Super Bowl. It was great because it was a no-frills show from a performer at the pinnacle of their genre, their talent on raw and unadulterated display.

This was the case with Susan Graham performing at the Ordway. She took the stage with her accompanist, the charmingly expressive Malcom Martineau, and a microphone. And for two hours, I was blown away by her talent. Even if I didn’t know the full context of the pieces she chose, or the exact lines she was singing, or even how to articulate or define her characteristics that make her a world-renowned performer, I was still simply in awe of her talent and grace on stage.

That’s the mark of an amazing talent – that with the most basic tools, they can still dazzle and evoke emotions from even the most uninitiated audience. And that, I believe, is a compliment of the highest order to Ms. Graham.