Justin Timberlake celebrates Prince in hit-packed Super Bowl halftime show
Justin Timberlake brought some fancy footwork to Super Bowl LII on Sunday.
Headlining the halftime show in Minneapolis, the singer performed a slew of hits — including “”Rock Your Body,” “Cry Me a River,” “Suit & Tie,” alongside his longtime band, the Tennessee Kids.
The 37-year-old kicked off the party inside a club, singing his recent single “Filthy” amid a sea of laser lights. After dancing up a staircase, Timberlake transitioned into his hit “Rock Your Body” as he made his way to the field. Soon, Timberlake had everyone clapping their hands as he performed “SexyBack” on yet another platform with his backup dancers.
“How are y’all feeling?” he asked before performing parts of “My Love” and “Cry Me a River,” his second solo single and the subject of much speculation when it was dropped in 2002 — audiences thought it was about his ex-girlfriend, Britney Spears.
Then the stadium went dark as a marching band joined Timberlake for an orchestral version of “Suit & Tie.”
“Let me see you put your cellphones up, Minneapolis — let’s light it up tonight,” he yelled before singing his ballad “Until The End of Time Lyrics” at the piano.
But then came the most-anticipated moment of the night: Timberlake paying homepage to the Prince in his hometown of Minneapolis. Timberlake sang along with Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U” as a large projection featured images of the late icon. Cutting to an aerial shot, the show revealed part of Minneapolis was lit up in purple in the shape Prince’s symbol.
Next, Timberlake returned to his own hits, singing “Mirrors” and “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” — the latter of which served as his finale. Timberlake went against the usual halftime show rules, though, ending his performance in the audience and taking “Super Biwl selfies.”
The Grammy winner has a well-documented history with the Super Bowl. After taking the stage with his former boy band *NSYNC and then-girlfriend Britney Spears in Aerosmith’s halftime show in 2001, Timberlake returned to perform in Janet Jackson’s 2004 spectacle. The latter did not go as planned, of course: Timberlake removed a piece of headliner Jackson’s top, revealing her right pierced nipple as an estimated 90 million viewers tuned in live.
