Perhaps it’s a sign that I am an empathy-poisoned liberal, but it was hard to choke back the pity watching the alternative halftime show aired by Turning Point USA during Sunday’s Super Bowl game. Despite having months to book and organize an event that was supposed to draw millions away from the real deal, TPUSA couldn’t even pack the small space for audience members on the soundstage — not a stadium, arena, theater or even a club — they rented for the occasion. The promise of seeing the washed-up Kid Rock in an intimate setting appears to thrill no one. Organizers declared that huge numbers of Americans would prefer this to the actual halftime show, but the anemic audience present for the taping suggested they couldn’t get anyone who isn’t a paid TPUSA staff member.
Initially, it looked like there might not be much of an “All-American Halftime” at all. TPUSA announced the show in October in an impulsive attempt to capitalize on an explosion of right-wing outrage after reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny was revealed as the halftime headliner for the Super Bowl. Racist whining is certainly a good source of money and attention for TPUSA, but as the day of the “alternative” halftime drew nearer, the organization still hadn’t announced any performers. Speculation was rife that they’d simply been unable to book anyone, which could lead a cynic to wonder if Kid Rock and the D-list country performers they finally revealed as headliners at the last minute swooped in to save TPUSA from embarrassment.
