Justin Timberlake returned to the Super Bowl this Sunday for his third performance, second as a solo career.
Timberlake’s 2004 halftime show involved the infamous Janet Jackson boob-slip. Many believed—and hoped—Timberlake was going to bring Jackson back as an amiable reconciliation, with #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay trending. Some even thought Timberlake was going to have N’Sync perform alongside him. He, instead, payed a tribute to Prince, whose projection joined Timberlake onstage. As a tribute to Prince, the surrounding Minnesota city around U.S. Bank Stadium lit up in purple. This, however, upset many Prince fans.
Timberlake’s performance, though, was beyond what was expected. Timberlake started the night off with his recent single from his newest album, “Filthy.” He—barely—sang a mirage of his other hit songs, including “Rock Your Body,” “Suit & Tie,” “SexyBack,” and, even, his hit from Trolls “CAN’T STOP THE FEELING!”
But it felt more like a concert than a halftime show. Songs switched very quickly, and Timberlake jumped all around. To be honest, it was pretty droll, and the Twitter-sphere seemed to agree.
Justin Timberlake’s performance was satisfyingly mediocre. We wanted it to be that boring and basic, and it was #HalftimeShow
— Hugh McIntyre (@PopBangHugh) February 5, 2018
Soooooo…halftime show….. ……………………………..yeah……………………………well………………….. ………….. ?#SuperBowlLll #HalfTimeShow
— Javier Muñoz (@JMunozActor) February 5, 2018
People: Tyler, what did you think of #JustinTimberlake‘s #SuperBowl #HalftimeShow? Me: pic.twitter.com/OoTTEGcW3O
— GirlTyler (@sheistyler) February 5, 2018
Though, some did like the show.
thank you for this @jtimberlake you made the world smile. #SuperBowl #HalfTimeShow pic.twitter.com/xQ4cZaZDjy
— Sofia Carson (@SofiaCarson) February 5, 2018
What a half time show! Justin Timberlake is a one of kind talent. That little piece with Prince was so cool for Minnesota! #HalftimeShow
— Sean Larkin (@Sean_C_Larkin) February 5, 2018
One good thing to come from the performance, though is his selfie with Ryan McKenna.
Ryan McKenna
Timberlake released his fifth solo album, Man of the Woods, February 2. He only presented one song from the album to the Super Bowl audience. And, frankly, we’re luckier it was the only one. Many have called it a misstep. While the title evokes thoughts of folk and country, the album—strangely—didn’t include only the one genre. Timberlake took on too many different types of music and not enough at the same time. It seemed very random, with no real underlying theme. There is no congruency. It’s almost as if Timberlake tried too hard.
Some tracks, though, were good. Singles “Filthy” and “Say Something” were received well, but the album as a whole wasn’t. Many reviewers gave the album an overall low score.
Header Image: Brian To/WENN