McCartney plays it safe for Super Bowl fans

Nobody – but nobody – was worried when Paul McCartney stripped off his jacket midway through his halftime performance at the Super Bowl.

NFL officials wanted a safe halftime show after last year’s Janet Jackson fiasco, and McCartney delivered.

It was sweet nostalgia for the people stunned by Jackson’s MTV-produced spectacle, if a bit off-putting for the kids: each of his four songs was more than 30 years old.

McCartney’s stage set – a giant cross of video boards on the stadium floor with the singer at the centre – was visually arresting, although it made his opening song, Drive My Car, look like one of the broadcast’s dozens of auto commercials.

McCartney’s theatrical James Bond theme Live and Let Die was a perfect backdrop for a stadium fireworks show.

The lights, placards and video images also made Hey Jude a sight to see.