Jimmy Fallon sits atop a Pepsi billboard. He welcomes Justin Timberlake, and we cut to a small room, club vibes abound, as JT croons his new Man of the Woods single Filthy. He then ascends a set of stairs to the field, where he mounts a stage and proceeds to perform electric guitar infused rock renditions of Rock Your Body, SexyBack, My Love, Cry Me a River, Mirrors, and Until The End of Time.
The Big Surprise was not a rumored NSYNC reunion as many predicted, but a piano rendition of Prince’s I Would Die 4 U which consisted of an enormous video projection of the late music god performing the track simultaneously; A sort of time-traveling duet.
Although there were those who loved JT’s performance, there were many who took great offense at the Prince portion of the show, recalling a 1998 interview the Minnesota legend did with Guitar World in which he said “Everything is as it is, and it should be…That whole virtual reality thing… it really is demonic. And I am not a demon. 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.” And although Prince’s family approved of the show, and it wasn’t technically a hologram, it’s hard to forget Prince actively hated Justin Timberlake.
Others just couldn’t get over JT’s insane outfit. There were jokes made about the fact that only moms like him because he has become irrelevant. People were upset NSYNC did not reunite and Janet Jackson was nowhere to be found. Emotions abounded.
1.
Two words. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE. Wow that was unreal. LEGEND. #SuperBowl
— Nick Jonas (@nickjonas) February 5, 2018
2.
YESSSSS!!!! THAT IS HOW YOU DO IT!! Magic. Loved THAT! See you in a few. #PepsiHalftime #JustinTimberlake
— Jimmy Fallon (@jimmyfallon) February 5, 2018
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https://twitter.com/jenniferdopazo/status/960329513392574469