Justin Timberlake pays tribute to Prince at Super Bowl halftime show

Justin Timberlake pays tribute to Prince at Super Bowl halftime show

Justin Timberlake

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In 2004, Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson hogged NFL limelight when Jackson faced a wardrobe malfunction

Justin Timberlake returned to America's biggest stage 14 years later, on Saturday, after a "wardrobe malfunction" in 2004 (happened with his partner of the time, Janet Jackson) rocked the National Football League's championship game. His return to the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2018 is viewed by many as a comeback post the Janet Jackson-controversy.

Belting out hits including"Suit & Tie," "Rock Your Body," "SexyBack" and his new song, "Filthy," during his performance at the Super Bowl LII Halftime Show, Justin looked dapper like ever before.

He performed for 13-minutes or so, opening the set flanked by laser lights and dancing with fans backstage on "Filthy" before he made his move towards the stage for a choreographed "Rock Your Body" in the middle of the field. He then danced on "Sexy Back", horn-fuelled "My Love", before moving to "Cry Me A River" which became an anthem song at the time of release.

Justin played the piano for"Until the End of Time" and also remembered late singer Prince with his rendition of Prince's "I Would Die 4 U" in front of a projection of Prince as a pseudo-duet. An overhead shot showed the arena was covered in purple lighting that morphed into Prince's trademark symbol as a tribute.

The performance's creative visual lead, Fireplay's Nick Whitehouse told a leading magazine,"Paying tribute to Prince was something JT highlighted as an important moment for this show, and we spent quite a bit of time ensuring this moment would be true to his legacy. Ultimately, Justin decided that the only person who could do Prince justice is Prince."

Justin then delivered a handclap-buoyed "Mirror" and "Can't Stop the Feeling," which included him scaling stairsto greet the audience.

The pop star released his new album, Man of the Woods, last Friday. He will be kicking off a North American tourin support of the record March 13, 2018, in Toronto.