According to those watching the big game in 2009 Bruce Springsteen’s crotch: No one ever saw it coming.
Certainly, it wasn’t what the NFL had in mind, back when it booked Springsteen and the E Street Band to headline halftime of Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa on Feb. 1, 2009. The last thing the audience expected was America’s rock ‘n’ roll star to come sliding into living rooms zipper-first.
The 10-year anniversary of Tampa’s last Super Bowl, a thrilling 27-23 win by the Pittsburgh Steelers over the Arizona Cardinals, it’s the thing most people remember from what was then one of the most anticipated halftime shows ever.
“At the time, it was the most-watched Super Bowl in history,” E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg said. “So you definitely don’t want to drop your popcorn, and fortunately, we didn’t. It was kind of like, you’re thrown out there, and you’re making a little prayer — Don’t let me screw this up — and it came off great.”
For the band, it had always been a sticking point that their performance feel like a real, live rock show instead of a made-for-TV event.
Some, of course, more than others. Springsteen ducked into the crowd to slap skin with fans by the stage. And then came that infamous slide across the stage late in Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, which ended up inserting his groin into the international discourse. According to the Tampa Bay Times. But he recovered, laughing, and the band moved on.
Springsteen’s Super Bowl show is generally remembered favorably; Rolling Stone and Variety both placed it in their top 5 halftime performances ever. But 10 years later, the crotch slide is still the thing everyone remembers most.
Even Bruce:
Happy Super Bowl Sunday! pic.twitter.com/xT0f7gpKhB
— Bruce Springsteen (@springsteen) February 4, 2018
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