This year’s Super Bowl was defined as much by its halftime performances as by the game itself, with the unusual presence of two competing halftime events.

The official show featured one of the most exciting artists of the current moment, Bad Bunny. Hailing from U.S. territory Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny has made waves in recent years due to both his music and outspoken politics. In response, Turning Point USA staged a rival production, bringing intense political tensions onto the Super Bowl stage.  

When it was announced that Bad Bunny would be performing at the Super Bowl halftime show, a wave of right-wing criticism followed. Former NFL running back Eric Dickerson even suggested that English is the only American language, despite Puerto Rico being part of the United States and over 41 million households in America speaking Spanish.

Even President Donald Trump chimed in, saying that the decision to have Bad Bunny perform would “sow hate.” In hindsight, it’s not surprising that Trump supporters were so strongly opposed to the show, as it had a strong message of unity across the entire Western hemisphere, and honored the struggles and achievements of everyday people. The show celebrated love, including a live wedding ceremony during the show. Its emphasis on unity and inclusion conflicts with the political approach Trump first introduced in his 2015 campaign.  

Amid the right-wing backlash over the Super Bowl halftime show, Turning Point USA announced its own rival performance. Two competing halftime shows; one celebrated all that makes this country beautiful, while Turning Point’s version featured a lineup that was, well, less than satisfactory. 

The headliner was Kid Rock, whose career is widely regarded as past its peak, along with three other performers from less popular country radio stations. As a fan of country music, I am disheartened by the efforts of these performers, who seem intent on undermining the proud legacy of the genre I love. 

The Turning Point halftime “show” went about as well as you can expect with the level of talent available. It was a broadcast event with what appeared to be fewer than 200 people in an undisclosed location. Everyone live-streaming the performance got a front row seat to commercial pandering and repetition. It was uninspired and overly formulaic. Then, right when I thought it couldn’t get worse, Kid Rock took the stage. 

Now, I strongly dislike Kid Rock, but even his most dedicated fans should be disappointed with this performance. He was blatantly lip-syncing, robbing what few people paid to be there of a real show. I wish I could say I was surprised by this, but this is honestly what Kid Rock has done for the entirety of his career.

There’s a strong sense of irony here. Turning Point organized its own halftime event partly in response to Bad Bunny performing in Spanish at the Super Bowl. However, I found myself wishing Turning Point’s show was in a language I didn’t understand, so I didn’t have to listen to the songwriting. Ultimately, it’s very clear which performers delivered an engaging and well-executed show, and which performers failed to do so. Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance was wonderfully entertaining and incredibly well done. 

Beyond questions of politics or language, the difference came down to performance quality. The Super Bowl stage is one of the largest in American entertainment, and audiences expect a production that rises to the occasion. This year’s dueling halftime shows made it clear which performers deserved to be on that stage, and which ones had to live-stream from an unknown location.