When I heard that Beyoncé was performing at the Super Bowl half-time show, I assumed that she would be singing. However, the performance I saw relied much more on sex appeal, aesthetics and visual effects than it did actual talent.

I’ll grant that hip-hop dancing does require some talent – I know that I couldn’t do it – but it is hardly enough to consider her performance up-to-par. I wanted the Beyoncé that I hear on the radio.

And I think that should always be the main goal: to get as close to sounding like it’s not a live performance as possible. Once they have that down, then I think they’re free to make the performance look awesome.

Because it really did look awesome. (Although they could have probably done less with the kaleidoscopic digital effects. I was so confused for the first five minutes.)

And I especially hated that when she did decide to sing, it was only for part of a verse or a line of a chorus. I mean, come on Beyoncé, that’s kind of your job.

That would be like if I just wrote the framework for this opinion and asked another writer to fill in all of the content. I have a feeling that I probably wouldn’t keep my job for very long if I did that.

Of course, Beyoncé is famous and can get by with a little more than I can. But shouldn’t she want to seem like she’s good at what she does?

When everyone bashed her for lip-syncing at the Inauguration, I was on her side. I was sure that there was probably a good reason for it and that she would redeem herself at the Super Bowl half-time show.

It looks like I was wrong.

I know sex sells, but isn’t there a point where that isn’t enough? I mean, that’s not the only variable there is to work with.

And with ’90s super group Destiny’s Child reuniting on stage, shouldn’t they have wanted to deliver an earth-shattering performance for all of their die-hard fans who had awaited this day?

Now don’t get me wrong – I know that Beyoncé has actual talent. I’m not contesting that.

I just wish that she would have let some of that talent manifest itself through her performance. I was looking forward to getting down to some “Single Ladies.”

Seriously, what’s not to like about that song?