We’re starting to wonder if networks are purposefully putting on weird halftime shows to boost social media discussions using the “there’s no such thing as bad press” theory.
Jack Harlow’s listless performance and lazy production value on Thanksgiving made NFL fans chuckle and NBC’s abrupt cutaway from Steve Aoki’s halftime show later that day made audiences wonder what was going on.
Saturday, the 2023 Orange Bowl turned into a fiasco early as a Florida State team that clearly wasn’t interested in the consolation prize found themselves down 42-3 at halftime against the two-time defending champion Georgia Bulldogs.
As both teams took the locker room to figure out whether or not a second half was even necessary, pop rock band Walk the Moon took to Hard Rock Stadium to get everyone invigorated and out of their seats. Things got off to a bad start when the singer’s mic didn’t work, and they got worse when the mic finally kicked in and everyone wished it hadn’t. And while the band could be heard, it was pretty hard to see anything other than shadows and shapes.
Rate the Orange Bowl halftime performance. pic.twitter.com/lCx5gqsyOO
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 30, 2023
To say that the college football world was unimpressed with the halftime experience would be an understatement.
Apparently the Orange Bowl's budget for the halftime entertainment this year was $67.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) December 30, 2023
….who the hell are these people playing the halftime show?
— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) December 30, 2023
This is why bands should always be the halftime performance.
Because otherwise, it’s stuff like this.
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) December 30, 2023
No marching bands at halftime of the Orange Bowl as we watch a performance by Walk the Moon. Hearing rumors the first-string halftime performer opted out pic.twitter.com/uLMblL1FzB
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) December 30, 2023
https://twitter.com/JFavre99/status/1741238155531952275
Is this halftime show for the Orange Bowl some Impractical Jokers punishment?
— Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) December 30, 2023
Several people noted that no Orange Bowl halftime show could ever live up to the 2005 edition featuring Ashlee Simpson, in which she was booed off the field afterward.
No more Orange Bowl halftime shows unless they're Ashlee Simpson
— Jason Kirk (buy my novel) (@JasonKirk_fyi) December 30, 2023
Great moments in #OrangeBowl Halftime Show history. #AshleeSimpson@korkedbats @SGSFOX https://t.co/FncQOJel8h
— CaptainTouchback (@CaptTouchback) December 30, 2023
The only thing left for those in attendance at Hard Rock Stadium is the possibility that Georgia might hang 100 on the unbeaten Seminoles. Only that could make up for what they’ve had to sit through so far.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.