CLOSE Sheila E. says Justin Timberlake reached out to her after she tweeted that Prince didn't want to be hologrammed and says she wants "people to know there was no hologram." (Feb. 4) AP
Justin Timberlake performs with Prince in the background during the Pepsi Super Bowl LII Halftime Show at U.S. Bank Stadium on Feb. 4, 2018, in Minneapolis. (Photo: PATRICK SMITH/GETTY IMAGES)
If you thought social media was going to give Justin Timberlake a pass, you were wrong.
Timberlake's Super Bowl halftime performance drew mixed reaction across the Twitterverse, but there's no denying that Prince fans weren't too happy with JT's tribute to the iconic Minneapolis musician, who died in 2016.
Timberlake showcased a number of his own hits during the set but included a performance of Prince's I Would Die 4 U with a giant projection of the artist on a large billowing sheet behind the stage.
After Sheila E, a close Prince friend, tweeted that Timberlake assured her there would be no Prince hologram in his show, many expressed relief on social media.
Family, I spoke w/Justin 2nite and he shared heartfelt words of respect for Prince & the Purple fans. I look 4wrd 2 seeing what I’m sure is going 2 be a spectacular halftime show. There is no hologram. 🙏🏽💋 pic.twitter.com/mhVXBfBa1B — SheilaEdrummer (@SheilaEdrummer) February 4, 2018
Oh, he listened to Sheila. https://t.co/I9rIs6VRak — Tessa Sainz (@tessasainz) February 4, 2018
OUR QUEEN SHELIA IS GETTING THINGS DONE 😩🕊🖤 https://t.co/BGHK0GGI65 — Natalie (@Nataliealysee) February 4, 2018
But then the show actually happened and, well, it wasn't a hologram, it was sort of similar. And fans didn't think the Purple One would approve. Representatives for the Prince estate did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's query about whether they had a say in the tribute.
In a 1998 interview with Guitar World magazine, Prince was asked directly about the use of digital editing to "create a situation where you could jam with any artist from the past." He was not a fan.
"That's the most demonic thing imaginable," he said. "Everything is as it is, and it should be. If I was meant to jam with Duke Ellington, we would have lived in the same age. That whole virtual reality thing ... it really is demonic. And I am not a demon. Also, what they did with that Beatles song (Free As A Bird), manipulating John Lennon's voice to have him singing from across the grave ... that'll never happen to me. To prevent that kind of thing from happening is another reason why I want artistic control."
One Twitter user noted that "Even in death, Prince continues to be misunderstood."
The Prince tribute would’ve been cool... except Prince specifically said he didn’t want that, right? Even in death, Prince continues to be misunderstood. — Adam Best (@adamcbest) February 5, 2018
Jemele Hill, formerly of ESPN and now senior correspondent at The Undefeated, let a GIF of Prince showing disapproval speak for itself.
Meanwhile Prince is in heaven like pic.twitter.com/lcsjAufAUF — Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) February 5, 2018
And his fans seem to know their idol well and are taking Timberlake's action as a sort of continuation of a rivalry between the two musicians.
Canadian actor Avan Jogia tweeted: "Prince didn't like JT ... JT didn't like Prince... It's well documented... why would you put his (spirit) through that."
Yo... Prince didn't like JT... JT didn't like Prince... It's well documented... why would you put his sprit through that. — Avan Jogia (@AvanJogia) February 5, 2018
Some suggested scenarios that would right the situation, including Prince taking matters into his own hands.
The only way this could turn out ok if if Prince’s mummified hand shoots down from space and chokes out JT on the 35 yard line — Ben Silverman (@ben_silverman) February 5, 2018
But the negative sentiment wasn't shared by everyone. Some in the audience gushed about Timberlake's set.
Tove Lo tweeted that the performance was "FIIIIIIRE."
@jtimberlake that was FIIIIIIRE 🙌 so many tunes!! And moves I need to learn asap #SuperBowl — Tove Lo (@ToveLo) February 5, 2018
Reese Witherspoon agreed, posting, "Wow @jtimberlake .. just wow !"
And Ellen DeGeneres gave her friend a shout-out, saying he "just killed it."
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When many people think of Minnesota the first thing that comes to mind is cold weather. And the second thing is Prince.
It should be no surprise, then, that at Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, the halftime show will give a nod to Prince, who passed away in 2016.
Justin Timberlake, who will perform the halftime show at Sunday's 52nd Super Bowl, only days ago called Prince "the greatest all-around musician" in popular culture.
And Timberlake even hosted his own album-listening party at Paisley Park, the late legend's old home.
As TMZ reports, Timberlake will make Prince's influence -- and perhaps even some of the icon's songs -- a heavy part of his performance during halftime of Sunday's Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis.
It was also suggested that, as part of a "sneak peak" of the 10-time Grammy Award-winning singer's show, that influence will come in the form of a life-sized hologram
Our sources ... reveal there are no 'NSYNC or Janet Jackson cameos planned ... so anyone hoping for a reunion or redemption ... you can pretty much abandon all hope. However, we're told Justin does have one pretty cool trick up his sleeve -- a hologram to honor ... wait for it ... Prince, in his hometown.
If your jaw hasn't dropped yet, go ahead and drop it now. Again, Timberlake incorporating Prince into his highly anticipated show shouldn't be a shocker, especially after J.T. promised at his Minneapolis press conference that "we're doing things with this halftime show that they've never quite done before." The Midwest, after all, is Prince's territory, and the flamboyant superstar might have been a lock for this year's halftime spectacle after his Super Bowl XLI performance had he not passed away in 2016.
But this is a Prince hologram we're talking about.
Assuming it's anything like the Michael Jackson projection we got at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards, that means a real, live (sort of), walking, singing and dancing version of the master behind "Purple Rain," right next to J.T. under the brightest of concert lights.
Everyone knew this Super Bowl had to have some kind of Prince flavor, but going the distance to literally bring the local legend onto the stage is another level of boldness.
Prince himself apparently spoke out against the use of "virtual reality" performances in 1988, and he also had a history of throwing jabs at Timberlake, but it remains to be seen just how J.T. might pay tribute to the artist on Sunday.
Listen, Timberlake doing a posthumous duet with Michael Jackson is fully in keeping with MJ’s career and ethos. Prince specifically said he did not want to ever be a hologram. And he was skeptical about JT’s claims of “bringing sexy back” anyway. https://t.co/RhXRQcLgBr — Anil Dash (@anildash) February 3, 2018
If all of that doesn't convince you to tune in, then what will?
03:06
Matt Damon
This is one of two beer and water adverts tonight.
Millions of people walk up to six hours a day to get clean water, Matt Damon says. Then he holds up a Stella Artois glass.
“If just one percent of people watching this buys one [one Stella Artois glass] we could give clean water to one million people for five years.”
I don’t know why they can’t just do that anyway, but there you go.
Following the release of his fifth studio album “Man of the Woods,” Justin Timberlake combined his classics with new tracks for a dance-filled Super Bowl halftime performance.
Timberlake promised in a video announcing his new album in January that he would return to his roots. Well, if by roots he meant his chart-topping songs like “Rock Your Body” and “SexyBack,” then he certainly delivered.
He kicked off the show with an intro from Jimmy Fallon, seguing from the Pepsi ad that had aired just before. He began with “Filthy,” and then transitioned into a medley of “Rock Your Body” and “SexyBack.”
Backed by a tuxedo-clad marching band, Timberlake sang “Suit & Tie” from his album “The 20/20 Experience” on a raised white platform.
He sat a white grand piano for “Until the End of Time,” which transitioned into a cover of Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U.” As he sang the song, a projection of Prince from “Purple Rain” appeared on a massive purple curtain — not a reanimated hologram, as had been reported, and feared, earlier. The song ended with Prince’s infamous shadow from the 2007 Super Bowl projected on the sheet.
'Minneapolis, Minnesota, this one's for you.' pic.twitter.com/1L0RJMJOgY — Super Bowl on NBC (@SNFonNBC) February 5, 2018
The show concluded with “Can’t Stop the Feeling.”
Timberlake had performed twice at the Super Bowl. For Britney Spears’ halftime show in 2001, Timberlake joined the pop singer with his boyband NSYNC. Then, he returned in 2004 to briefly share the stage with Janet Jackson, which resulted in the now-infamous wardrobe malfunction seen ’round the world.
Timberlake released singles “Filthy,” “Supplies,” and “Say Something” to build anticipation for his Super Bowl performance, but only sang “Filthy” off his most recent album.
Timberlake will begin his “Man of the Woods” tour in March.
