Chosing the Black Eyed Peas was intended to breathe some energy and vitality back into the halftime show after the NFL anesthetized the halftime show with  yawn-fests for the next six years following the Janet Jackson peep-show, ending on a low note with a much-maligned concert by The Who last year.

It started out with a wow factor: will.i.am, Taboo, Fergie and apl.de.ap descended from atop the stadium, outfits glittering, bedazzled outfits, singing (with the help of auto-tune) the party anthem "I Gotta Feeling" with hundreds of dancers grooving in step on the field.

But the Peas didn't match the energy of the song; they seemed tentative, and tense. It didn't help that Fergie's mic didn't kick in until she was midway through her first verse.

The Super Bowl performance was arguably the biggest stage yet for the quirky quartet, whose fusion of pop, dance and hip-hop have made them global superstars. But in the massive Cowboys Arena, the group appeared to be as stiff as frontman will.i.am's plastic hair hat.