With a Sweep, Giants Are Champions Again

The Giants capped off a remarkable season tonight by beating Detroit 4-3 in 10 innings to capture their second World Series title in three years.

And the city is surely celebrating.

Pictures credited to: SFGATE

Beyoncé headlining Super Bowl XLVI halftime show

The Super Bowl halftime show is an event within an event, a spectacle in itself. And 16 time Grammy winner, Beyoncé will be the headliner at XLVI. Recent halftime performances featured older artists like Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Prince, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen and The Who. I have always viewed the halftime show as a time to get appetizers, and although I respect these artists I haven't really vibed with their performances. 

Last year, Madonna performed and in my opinion she was the least entertaining part of her show. The dancers, special guest, and high budget production overshadowed her mediocre performance. The year before her the Black Eyed Peas performed and well... yeah, they sucked.

Beyoncé is my favorite performer in the world so her headlining next really excites me. I’ve found that anyone who’s skeptical about Beyonce` as an artist often becomes a believer after seeing a performance. She has many fantastic live appearances, but here are 10 that I find to be representative of her vocal ability, versatility and talent.

10.) Halo- 2009.
Beyonce` live and unplugged. Excellent showcase of her raw vocals.

09.) The Beautiful Ones/Sex on Fire-Glastonbury 2011
Her powerful and emotive rendition of a Prince classic and a Kings of Leon hit is a great testament to Beyonce’s versatility genre-wise. It stirs me every time. I go to another place when I hear this. NOT ONE Beyoncé performance has she given this much passion. She was making LOVE to the song.

08.) Star Spangled Banner-2004 Superbowl

This performance is great, not because it’s the coveted Superbowl national anthem spot, but because she didn’t ruin it by over-singing as anticipated. Upon watchinf it for the first time about 2 years ago, I thought Bey was going to do a lot of vocal acrobatics because she has a tendency for it and every Superbowl singer does so in an attempt to match the greatness of Whitney Houston’s appearance, but Bey was smart enough to realize the best way to remotely reach Whitney was to scale back and keep it classy. This moment was especially memorable for her as she won her first round of record breaking Grammys that same week. 

07.) Why Don’t You Love Me?-Glastonbury 2011

“Why Don’t You Love Me?” is one of Beyonce’s most underrated songs. The harmonies are terrific on the studio version, and the lyrics are great and relatable to many. In her 1st performance of this song, Bey is soulful, vivacious and "takes us to church". I love the unfiltered energy and love the band even more. Her all-female band shows up and shows out.

06.) Love On Top-MTV Video Music Awards 2011

 This performance got a lot of attention because she revealed her baby bump for the 1st time publicly, but the bump wasn’t the only star in this show. Her vocals are INSANE here. Towards the end of the song, the chorus is repeated with quick, modulating key changes, which is very difficult to sing as the notes are high and maintaining breath and correct pitch is tasking. With not as much as a neck vein showing, Bey effortlessly delivers.

05.) Crazy in Love - I Am... World Tour 2009

This performance Beyoncé performs her 2003 hit and shows why she is an international superstar and considered the premier performer of her generation.

04.) Proud Mary-Kennedy Center Honors 2005 

Bey makes a potent attempt to fill the shoes of the almighty Tina Turner for her Kennedy Center induction without losing a single breath or missing a beat.

03.) Sweet Dreams/Dangerously in Love/Sweet Love-I Am…Yours Las Vegas 2009

 Turning one of her dance hits into an elegant ballad and covering an Anita Baker classic, Beyoncé again displays her versatility and includes one of her best written songs.

02.) Deja - Vu Jazz Medley- I Am.... Yours Las Vegas 2009

This is why she leaves the pop tarts such as Britney Spears and Rihanna's whom she is often compared to in the dust. It's amazing how she can step out of her element and do jazz while making it appealing to a younger audience. Truly, not one of her peers could do this.

01.) Run the World-Billboard Awards 2011

I include this performance more so for the tribute paid to her by Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, and Barbara Striesand, among others. It’s a telling example of her impact.

You know there were always certain quotes I didn’t agree with even as a child, like elementary school, but the one quote that bothered me the most was “money can’t buy you happiness” because If I can’t buy food to eat, clothes to put on my back, and basically pay for all the other necessity then I assure you I won't be happy. That quote will forever be BS and I hate seeing pictures of what is supposed to be some poor person smiling or dancing. Just because I have an enjoyable moment doesn’t mean that I'm happy, it just means I found something to avert me from my reality for a few minutes.

Midterm Week.

I will be unable to post this week.

The song alone pleased my eardrums, but the accompanying visual proves to be just as captivating.