Sled dogs. Snowy conditions. A Mountie escort. A 110-yard football field. The greatest country crossover artist in the world. Last night’s halftime show at the 2017 Grey Cup was not just the most Canadian thing ever, but also, simply, the best thing ever. While the Argonauts and Stampeders took shelter from the flurries, Shania Twain came out and fucking killed it.
The actual game was thrilling, with Toronto riding a late fumble returned for a game-tying touchdown to an eventual 27-24 win, but Shania was still the best part. Entering in a shimmery crimson outfit to the intro of “That Don’t Impress Me Much” on a low-key yet still unbelievably cool sled pulled by some good dogs, Shania hit every note and didn’t let up.
Yes, there’s a new song in the middle, but any loss of momentum is suddenly reversed by those opening chords of “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” which can encourage even the most frozen soul to get down. This is a true finale song. This may be the only finale song.
These extremely Canadian 13 minutes may not fully translate to all Americans, but I would honestly love to enjoy this performance every single February. Compared to the Super Bowl halftime shows of the past, the only ones that can touch this are Prince in the rain and that time Beyoncé debuted “Formation” (which wasn’t even her halftime show but a swift upstaging of ... was it Coldplay?).
Anyway, the NFL needs to call up Shania Twain, pay her whatever she desires, and gift her to the U.S. as our new Super Bowl tradition. Hell, most people in America didn’t watch the Grey Cup, so just run this performance back when the Patriots are up 21 on the Eagles in a few months, then start prepping for 2019. That Timberlake guy can join her backing band or something.