Pitchfork

America's self-righteous obsession with real-time musical integrity never ceases to surprise me. We already know Jennifer Hudson and Faith Hill's Super Bowl performances were sung along with backing tracks, and now the Chicago Tribune reports that the E Street Band were playing to a pre-recorded track for their halftime appearance. Producer and Grammy Awards audio supervisor Hank Neuberger told the Tribune that Bruce Springsteen's vocals were the only live audio element of the show.

Potentially indignant fan: "Next thing you're gonna tell me Clarence was a hologram!" (We're almost positive Clarence was not a hologram.) Really, this is not a big deal. If you're seriously peeved by this news and feel absolutely betrayed, hear me out.

It's not like Jennifer Hudson can't sing "The Star Spangled Banner"; it's not like the E Street Band can't play "Born to Run". As the three (?) other Pitchfork readers who watch American Idol know, Hudson can sing pretty well. And, as the four (?) other Pitchfork readers who saw Dreamgirls can tell you, Hudson can do a mean version of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going", too. Guess what-- she didn't sing that live in the movie, either. It was dubbed. But it was still mighty effective. If you're still pissed at Hudson's Super Bowl backing track, why stop there in your quest for artistic honesty? Why not take that volume-enhancing microphone away from her too? Only a handful of listeners would be able to hear her...but it would be the real her. Please.

Of course, the E Street Band pre-taping seems more egregious because Springsteen is a pillar of all things non-phony. He tells it like it is, etc. But he's also a genius entertainer who knows that, as Neuberger told the Tribune, "there is no way you can set up a full band in five minutes with microphones, get all the settings right, and expect to get quality sound."

The trade-off is a great-sounding performance with Bruce keeping it relatively spontaneous (hello, Bosscocked!) versus a logistically inescapable shitty-sounding halftime show with sub-par music no matter how well Little Steven picks at his guitar. I mean, arguably the worst part of the performance-- that "guacamole" line-- was totally live.

The Super Bowl is a show, hence the emphasis on showmanship. It's not a Bruce Springsteen concert. If the halftime show got you excited, or if Hudson's performance got you a little tingly, those reactions are no less valid now that we know they weren't 100 percent live.

Worth noting: Looking back at Prince's Super Bowl halftime performance, I can't help but notice the lack of close-ups on his stunning "Purple Rain" guitar solo. In fact, dude is behind a fucking curtain for the whole thing. Was it pre-taped? Probably. Was it amazing? Definitely.