Why Justin Timberlake's Halftime Performance Was A Flop

In 2004, Justin Timberlake was part of the most memorable Super Bowl performance of all
time.
Unfortunately, it was notorious for all the wrong reasons, since it involved Janet Jackson's
infamous "wardrobe malfunction," which effectively sapped her career and resulted in several
major court battles.
14 years later, only one-half of that disastrous duo was invited back to do the Super Bowl
again, and some cried foul that only he got a shot at redemption, and not her.
But others predicted he might seize the opportunity to usher Jackson back onto the stage, too,
or at least reunite with his old boyband pals at NSYNC.
Instead of bringing along a bunch of surprises, though, Timberlake delivered one of the most
lifeless Super Bowl halftime shows in recent memory.
Here's where it all went wrong.
When doves cry
Timberlake's performance was shrouded in controversy before he even took the stage thanks to the
rumor that he'd be performing alongside a hologram of the late, great Prince.
"I just felt like I wanted to do something for this city and for him."
The "Purple Rain" singer had made his distaste for hologram revivals very clear, so that
idea was nixed in favor of a sloppy sheet that showcased the pop icon singing.
Making matters worse, the two had a pretty sizable feud back in 2006 when Prince shaded
Timberlake's song "SexyBack," and Justin bit back by mocking Prince for being short and
called him out on a diss track the following year.
Even though Prince's family showed their support for the block-wide purple light show in his
honor, a lot of fans still weren't feeling it.
Tearin' up my heart
For fans of a certain age, the ultimate disappointment in Timberlake's halftime show came when it
was over and not a single NSYNC member had joined him on the stage.
Even Beyonce brought back her Destiny's Child co-stars for this occasion, so why couldn't
he?
Well, there were supposedly some pretty hard feelings about how they were treated last
time they showed up to support Timberlake at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.
Timberlake tried to temper fans' expectations ahead of time by insisting he wouldn't be
joined by the group, but then he also confused everyone by saying:
"To be honest, I had a ton of grand ideas about special guests […] from NSYNC to Jay
[Z] to Chris Stapleton to Janet, but this year, [...] my band, The Tennessee Kids, they're
my special guest."
So, does that mean he got turned down by every one of those artists?
If so, that would certainly explain his bummed-out composure on the stage.
Rock your body?
Even though Janet Jackson didn't show up to reclaim her place on the Super Bowl stage
this year, Justin Timberlake did seem to give her a small nod during the performance.
While performing "Rock Your Body," which was the song during which their scandalous moment
happened years before, he said "hold up, stop" just before they got to the lyrics that previously
cued up the bodice rip heard 'round the world.
As for whether that was enough to make up for him letting Jackson take all the heat
for the 2004 incident, while her career foundered and his took off … well, her most devoted
fans didn't even watch because they spent the segment looking up her old videos instead
of watching Timberlake's Super Bowl mulligan play out.
Can't stop the feeling
Aside from having beef with specific parts of the performance, Justin Timberlake's show
overall just seemed to land with a very dull thud.
Comparing it to the massive showmanship and prop work that went into recent performances
by artists like Katy Perry, Coldplay with Beyonce and Bruno Mars, and Lady Gaga, even
Timberlake's signature dance moves and falsetto work weren't bold enough to satisfy a lot
of the couch crowd.
There were no special moving stages or significant costume changes or snazzy pyrotechnics to
speak of.
Just about the boldest thing that happened throughout the whole showcase was Justin Timberlake
slinging his microphone around for a split second.
"You flipped the microphone?"
"I flipped the microphone.
I don't know where I started doing that."
To make matters worse, Timberlake was also upstaged at the tail end by a kid who decided
to snap a selfie with him.
Just as quickly as Left Shark became a meme during Katy Perry's 2015 halftime show, so
did Selfie Kid.
"I know, it was crazy."
"Right after, my phone just exploded."
And when a boy and his phone produce more excitement than the actual halftime show,
that's not a great sign for anyone involved.
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Why Justin Timberlake's Halftime Performance Was A Flop

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