Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl performance may have been controversy free this time around, but the singer’s “dad-pop” approach has failed to impress fans.
The ‘SexyBack’ star’s 12-minute show saw him complete a whistle stop tour of his greatest hits - with some newer tracks thrown in for good measure - but it’s safe to say Justin’s 2018 set probably won’t go down in Super Bowl history.
Here are all the talking points from his performance…
The opening
Justin kicked things off backstage, performing his current single ‘Filthy’ before walking down a walkway to the stage at the centre of the stadium.
A fine entrance, but given Lady Gaga’s roof stunt in 2017, this was a little underwhelming.
‘Rock Your Body’
JT’s decision to include ‘Rock Your Body’ was somewhat surprising, given that back in 2004, it was during this track that the Janet Jackson incident took place.
However, before getting to the line - “I’m gonna have you naked by the end of this song” - that will forever be remembered for its part in one of the Super Bowl’s most memorable moments, Justin shouted “STOP!” and the track halted.
Was this a fitting nod to Janet? Or an insult to a woman whose career was derailed while he escaped unscathed? The jury’s out.
His Prince Tribute
Despite rumours that Justin would be joined by a Prince hologram, this was not the case. As fans breathed a sigh of relief, Justin paid his respects to the ‘Purple Rain’ singer - who was from Minnesota, where the game was taking place - in a far more tasteful way.
“Minneapolis, Minnesota, this one’s for you,” he told the crowd, before a piano rendition of ’I Would Die 4 U’, using Prince vocals from the archives, in front of a giant purple backdrop and projection of the star.
The bizarre outfit choice
Opting to have no costume changes is one thing, but deciding that the only outfit you’ll wear will consist a shirt that has two deer on and camouflage trousers? Oh, Justin.
Naturally, plenty of Twitter users seized the chance to make a joke or two:
Justin’s choreography
Shall we chat about something that was actually good?
It’s no secret that Justin can deliver some seriously impressive moves and thankfully, one aspect of the show that didn’t disappoint was the choreography, especially during some of his best hits, ’Señorita’ and ‘SexyBack’.
Last but definitely not least: The selfie
Justin now has his very own version of Katy Perry’s left shark, thanks to the teen who stopped to take a selfie with him.
The singer ended his set with ‘Can’t Stop This Feeling’, performing the track on the bleachers where a 13-year-old was just minding his own business.
With the world’s eyes on him, the teen was suddenly the centre of attention so did what we all do when feeling under pressure.
Yes, he pretended to type out a vitally important message on his phone, before taking a selfie:
Watch Justin’s full Halftime Show above.
