44 Replies to “Half Time At The 100th Grey Cup”

  2. I was at a restaurant in Edson, and saw most of the half-time show. It sucked mightily. And it still would have sucked had Nickelback replaced any of the performers.
    I used to really enjoy the work of Gordon Lightfoot, but the poor guy looks like a rubby-dub dragged in off East Hastings Street, showered off, and momentarily dried out. And he performed a seriously truncated version of Canadian Railroad Trilogy. Canadian Light Rail Monogy? Sad, indeed.
    Next up, Marianas Trench, featuring a lead singer that looks like a gay parody of Archie Andrews from the funny papers. That guy could walk across a quarter section of new-fallen snow, and leave nary a footprint. And the tune, such as it was, sucked.
    Following, some chick singer, maybe Carly-Marie Jepsen? Not bad to look at, and not hard to listen to, but a completely forgettable song and singing style. Bland^2. But the best part of the show, nonetheless.
    Finally, Justin Bieber. Funny, I have hitherto managed to avoid seeing or hearing the little twerp perform for the entirety of his career. Too bad my lucky streak got broken. White-bread hip-hop, annoying and derivative, derivative and annoying. Probably the worst act of them all, from a music fan’s perspective, although the Marianas gang is a close second.
    Bieber was supposedly up for two “songs”. Fortunately, I got my check, and was able to bail before the first fit ended.

  4. Yea that half time sucked as bad as Calgarys sucking, Lightfoot should be the name of the made up poofter singer for the trench band, and the cadaver Gordon sounded like Bob Dylan with laryngitis. Is there no better talent around? what about Russel DeCaryl, Jim Cuddy even Stompin Tom would have had more to contribute that washed out old Gord, but alas this is Toronto where you elevate the garbage and bury the great.

  5. Halftime was dissapointing. That’s the first time I have seen Bieber…looks like a Michael Jackson wannabee. I like Celine Dion and Shania Twain. I’m sure they would be trashed here.
    Burton Cummings sang his version of O Canada and very purposely left out “God keep our land…”
    Let’s be thankful they didn’t have Asley Macisaac, eh?

  6. Ditto, gorinkneehill and bartinsky. It sucked big-time. Glug, glug, glug goes our culture right down the drain.
    Bieber was channeling Michael Jackson, wearing the glove and grabbing his crotch all the time. My 85-year-old mom asked why he kept doing that. Darned if I could give her an answer.

  8. Was there a CFL football game today?
    Were there overpaid NFL washouts running half-heartedly about, wishing they were back home in Tampa where its warm?
    Was there an actual Canadian player this year? On either team?
    I -love- not having TV. It is -awesome- to be able to miss these kinds of things.

  9. Never heard Justin Bieber till tonight. Utterly ordinary — a real mediocrity, and over-engineered to boot. Am I missing something?

  10. I tried, honestly I did but I gave up trying to watch the commercial marathon that was occasionally interrupted by some guys trying to play football. I have no qualms about saying the NFL, even with their endless video reviews of video reviews is a better product. I certainly have no problem with Canadian pride but this show seemed to bask in the Toronto, centre of Canadian football universe meme. Wasn’t that long ago that there was a Grey Cup game in Toronto and nobody knew or cared.

  12. If the Stamps had displayed half of the energy they devoted to their horseshit pre-game intros – well…….
    They got their ass kicked and the best team won. Did you catch the pre-game pep talk by the head coaches? T – O’s coach wins that hands down. What was Hufnagel thinking? – That he was some kind of philosopher?
    I was so glad to see the Stumps get their collective ass handed to them.

  13. BTW – when it comes to these no talent so-called “entertainers” they should tie one hand behind their back when they perform just to see how they do when they can’t grab their crotch.
    Just who do these a-hole think they are? Baseball players??

  14. Read the Ottawa Citizen’s review of Neil Young’s concert last night and wondered why he’s not doing his thing in T-O tinight. Love Lightfoot but I was hurtin’ for him tonight. The gig is way up Gordo. As for the candy music (music?), wish I still smoked so I coulda joined the guys on the deck. And it’s -21C outside. {That’s effin’ cold for our American viewers..;)}

  15. Whether it’s Bieber or Nickelback, Stephen Harper hangs out with both of them… and they both are aweful.

  17. Half time.
    When did the CFL make 9-10 year old girls their target market?
    The girlie man with mascara on from Trench was stuttering. Oh that was the song.
    Justin wants to be the next Michael Jackson eh? Better learn some new tunes rather than recycled Barbie doll songs.
    Burton Cummings sitting while playing a disco beat to Canada’s national anthem? No God here, sorry folks.
    Gordon Lightfoot looks a little old, but kudo’s to a 74 year old still singing.
    The game.
    Sucked.
    I agree with another poster if the Stamps put half the energy into the game instead of the gangnam dancing at intro’s this might have been an entertaining game.
    Is it me, or am I tired of the antics of certain type of skin coloured folks at games?
    I miss the Eskimo’s of the 80’s. Classy team. Serious, business like and won a lot of hardware.
    Today?

  18. Oh, and how does one actually take a 1.5 hour game and turn it into 4 hours.
    I can’t believe I sat and watched all the commercials and lame game that long. Good thing buddies had supper there.

  19. Say what you want about CFL footballm if the Leos aren’t playing, I don’t care.
    Were those the same Stumps that ‘beat’ them last week? A sad shadow of last week’s team.
    Unlike hockey players though, all these guys showed up for work, I give them all kudos for that!

  20. I’ve never listened to Justin Bieber. But from what I hear, he is a likable and successful young Canadian. We should all be proud that a Canadian kid can succeed like that and still be a good role model.
    He represents that can-do Canadian spirit. Let us not succumb to the tall-poppy syndrome. Instead let’s celebrate Canadian success in any field. Thanks for the topic Kate.

  21. I have great respect for Gordon Lightfoot. Its sad to see an icon that goes back to my grandmothers youth looking like he just stepped out of a sarcophagus. Getting old really really sucks I feel bad for him. Lightfoot was easily the best of the half time show. I wanted him to play Motor City Madness for any of our friends in the US that might have been watching.
    I’d rather listen to Lightfoot than Bieber singing about how you should be his boyfriend. Or whatever that was. Bieber, just the phonetic sound of his name alone makes me want to vomit.
    The rest of the Halftime show can only be described as Androgynous Night at Skydome. If this is the best my generation can come up with I’m sorry.
    Incidentally the half time show reminds me why I don’t watch the Juno awards.
    Also I was really annoyed with the Liberal propaganda highlight reel package of all Liberals PM’s kicking the football.
    Aside from that Roughriders weren’t in it so I found the game to be mediocre and stopped about the 4th quarter.
    One final thought. Is it just me or did that Toronto crowd look really disinterested when they had anything regarding country music?

  22. I watched about ten minutes of the TSN broadcast and had to turn it off. There was no game to watch. TSN had all these yankee style trivia moments between every play – EVERY PLAY!! There was more corny graphics than there was actual football. The coverage sucked.
    Only saving grace was I missed the half time. Thank god. The CFL are complete morons for hiring a Toronto PR firm to build a half time show. Like most of Toronto, CBC, politicians etc… they have no clue what the real Canada wants. And Bieber doesn’t live here anymore, how he got a Jubilee medal is beyond comprehension.

  23. It sucked that they made Gordon Lightfoot sing a truncated version of the Canadian Railroad Trilogy. It would have been much easier sitting through the whole seven minutes than Justin’s and the other groups’ candy floss.
    My 85-year-old mother looks 20 years younger than Lightfoot. It’s the drugs and booze. But, at least he’s still standing and can still play a mean guitar. He’s doing a three-night gig at Hugh’s Room (Toronto) in January and I’ll be there.

  26. Maybe if Lightfoot cut his hair or even tailed it and wore a turtle neck he’d look less gaunt,however, aging isn’t always pretty.
    Whoever chose the entertainers for the show may have been trying to appeal to both the young and older but at a raucous Grey Cup final they might have been better going with Stompin’Tom.

  29. The halftime show was a testosterone free zone. Males in the 18-40 age group were not rocking the house. I would like to use the word “gay” but I’m trying to be nice.

  31. Lousy game, brutal halftime show. Some 100th Cup showcase.
    I too had avoided ever seeing Bieber perform before. What a talentless hack. He’s aimed squarely at the teenage girl market and will disappear from music at the exact moment said girls stop swooning over him, which I’d guess will happen sometime after his voice finally changes.

  32. Wow, too much criticism for two, young, successful performers, who have done it their way. Their music may not be my cup of tea, but I know what my kids listen to.
    Both are true international stars not CanCon subsidized ‘stars’ like Trench.
    That said, only one of them should have been there last night, and it wasn’t Lightfoots event either.
    Rock n Roll was sadly missing, at a typical event.
    The big problem was the lineup wasn’t balanced, like the Stumps!
    But, let’s not criticize some true Canadian success stories.
    CRJ was this years’ IT girl, the monster song of the summer. She’s paid her dues.

  33. I actually watched a lot of CFL football this season and thought the play on the whole was pretty good. It if different from the NFL with the onus on the offence. BC Lions were upset so my Grey Cup interest wasn’t as strong. Checked the score but didn’t watch a lot.
    Like many here I felt sorry for Gordo because in his day he did capture something uniquely Canadian. The sound quality was bad. Some of that had to do with the equipment but mostly to do with the performers. Wow, simply wow! How bad can it get?

  34. Had high def full screen NFL games galore. The Grey Cup was only available on TSN. No high def, half screen poor production washed out picture. Reminded me of TV on an old RCA from 1985.
    Want the game in High Definition? Add on a $10.00/mth. package including TSN2 from Rogers.
    Typical.

  35. The CFL is stupid for having games when the NFL is playing.
    Go back to Friday and Saturday night games. That way football fans can watch both leagues.
    The Grey cup games used to be played on Saturdays. But the CFL Gurus opted to compete with the NFL. They split their TV audience big time.
    Dumb.

  36. Bing Crosby could sing. Andy Williams could sing. Elvis Presley could sing. Even Mick Jagger could sing.
    Fred Astair could dance. Gene Kelly could dance. Dick van Dyck could dance. Even Michael Jackson could dance.
    So what the hell was Justin Bieber doing on the Grey Cup Half Time Show?
    It outta make you worried.

  38. Bieber?? Let me guess. The demographic of CFL and SDA fans doesn’t include a bunch of 11 year old girls.

  41. Wow, too much criticism for two, young, successful performers, who have done it their way. Their music may not be my cup of tea, but I know what my kids listen to.
    Both are true international stars not CanCon subsidized ‘stars’ like Trench.
    That said, only one of them should have been there last night, and it wasn’t Lightfoots event either.
    Rock n Roll was sadly missing, at a typical event.
    The big problem was the lineup wasn’t balanced, like the Stumps!
    But, let’s not criticize some true Canadian success stories.
    CRJ was this years’ IT girl, the monster song of the summer. She’s paid her dues
    CBCpravda was all over the booing , which really was uncalled for. in terms of performance Lightfoot did a 2/3 song at 2/3 talent of the old days. the Beibs did what he does like it or not. CBCpravda isnt keen on success, thats why they say little of him unless it can be ” critics say”
    they usually promote shamelessly “Ashley McIsacc” who used to brag about urinary games with his underage boyfriend or Rufus Wainwright and his boyfriend that they used to sponsor concerts. As for the Beibs being Christian or antiabortion – never a word of encouragement.
    not my kind of music but keep in touch with your younger generation , he may someday be their Paul McCartney ( not their John Lennon)

  42. Wow, too much criticism for two, young, successful performers, who have done it their way. Their music may not be my cup of tea, but I know what my kids listen to.
    Both are true international stars not CanCon subsidized ‘stars’ like Trench.
    That said, only one of them should have been there last night, and it wasn’t Lightfoots event either.
    Rock n Roll was sadly missing, at a typical event.
    The big problem was the lineup wasn’t balanced, like the Stumps!
    But, let’s not criticize some true Canadian success stories.
    CRJ was this years’ IT girl, the monster song of the summer. She’s paid her dues
    CBCpravda was all over the booing , which really was uncalled for. in terms of performance Lightfoot did a 2/3 song at 2/3 talent of the old days. the Beibs did what he does like it or not. CBCpravda isnt keen on success, thats why they say little of him unless it can be ” critics say”
    they usually promote shamelessly “Ashley McIsacc” who used to brag about urinary games with his underage boyfriend or Rufus Wainwright and his boyfriend that they used to sponsor concerts. As for the Beibs being Christian or antiabortion – never a word of encouragement.
    not my kind of music but keep in touch with your younger generation , he may someday be their Paul McCartney ( not their John Lennon)

  43. The whole evening was doomed from the start when the bilingual announcer introduced the two flag bearers. One, a fat 10 year old girl who looked like Jake from ‘Two and a half Men’ and the other a wanna be 13 year old suicide bomber understudy named Mohammed. Lightfoot was good for nostalgia purposes but his voice is well past it’s due date. The other stuff was just boiler plate fluff.

  44. And, title off topic, but. Burton Cummings deleted the line in anthem. God keep our land glorious and free. Second while camera were on our Prime Minister and his family TSN announcers blathered on about something, never did they mention the PM’s attendance.

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