Somehow the Super Bowl has become the place to be for bands that used to be huge.
Cheap Trick is playing at the Taste of the NFL party on Saturday. Counting Crows will hit another. And sorry, halftime act Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers have been out of the charts awhile.
But the band you really have to feel sorry for is the Gin Blossoms, the brief mega band whose hits included ``Hey, Jealousy'' and ``Till I Hear It From You.''
The Arizona band played at the annual media party on Tuesday. The press corps is not exactly the ideal audience, clapping considered a disease and cynicism an art form.
It didn't help that the concert was outside on a cold night while food was offered. The crowd by the stage was so small anyone could walk right up to the stage.
``I'd like to thank the William Morris Agency for booking this gig,'' said front man Robin Wilson.
On the plus side, they still sounded great, in a '90s kinda way.