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The Boss delivers – Metro US

The Boss delivers

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen’s halftime performance at yesterday’s Super Bowl was heavily hyped by sports nuts and rock fans alike.

And the Boss delivered, with a blistering set of mostly old favourites — but for many, the fun was drained from his performance before the stage lights even came on over Springsteen’s E Street Band.

In the days leading up to the game, online oddsmakers were hard at work handicapping potential playlists from the New Jersey native’s 30-year career of hit singles. Rolling Stone magazine, acting on insider info, hinted on its website that Springsteen’s picks were none of the ones favoured.

For those without money riding on the 12-minute performance, it was a treat. After bellowing at viewers at home to “Put down those chicken fingers and turn your TV all the way up,” Springsteen broke out hits Born To Run and Glory Days, the latter of which was met by massive cheers. Springsteen also found room for a new song — the title track from his latest album, Working On A Dream.

But the highlight of the show was the pick none of the oddsmakers saw coming: a rollicking opening performance of Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, which saw 59-year-old Springsteen dashing across the stage, jamming his microphone into the audience, and knee-sliding straight into a cameraman’s lens.

Also a disappointment to the online betting crowd: Springsteen’s wife and backing guitarist Patti Scialfa, despite two-to-one odds, did not suffer a Janet Jackson-style “war­drobe malfunction,” nor did the Boss reprise the ending of his Dancing in the Dark music video by pulling Courteney Cox out of the crowd.