Fergie with Black Eyed Peas at Superbowl XLV Feb 6 2011.

If nothing else – and, by “nothing else”, we mean even if it completely failed in any kind of musical-performance way – the Black Eyed Peas’ halftime Superbowl show certainly has people talking.

The Internet is full of commentary about the Black Eyed Peas and their guests, Usher and Slash. One thing stands out – no one seems to know the names of any of the Black Eyed Peas except for Fergie and will.i.am.

Interestingly, some people are actually defending the performance. It could simply be that the heavy use of Auto-tune and Slash doesn’t offend people as much as maybe it should. Or the fact that, as soon as the band ended its medley of hits, the screen behind them was filled with the name of their latest album, The Beginning. But then, no one should be surprised by this kind of shameless hucksterism (I’m sure The Who were sorry they didn’t think of it, although since their last new album was in the 1980s it probably wouldn’t have done them much good). Although, even Internet hacks were calling the selection of songs “tired” (Us Magazine!) and “stale”.

Here are some links to some of the better examples of reaction to the Black Eyed Peas’ half-time show:

Black Eyed Peas Vs. Tron: A Super Bowl Contest No One Wins (Chris Willman, Stop the Presses)

(more to come)