Timberlake fails to wow in Super Bowl halftime show

Kenzie Hatton, Staff Writer

For what is supposed to be “music’s biggest moment of the year,” Justin Timberlake’s 2018 Super Bowl Halftime performance was simultaneously underwhelming and frankly, pretty disappointing.

Timberlake started off his set coming out from what seemed like an underground nightclub singing “Filthy,” a song from his new album “Man of the Woods.” The futuristic single featured the lyric “haters gonna say it’s fake” and although the beat was catchy, it failed to get my full attention. Not only did he play some of his new music, but Timberlake also performed medleys of “Sexyback”, “Be My Love”, and “Cry Me a River.” Although the choreography was entertaining, the glitching sound system and the remixes made his hit songs less enjoyable.

Embed from Getty Images

Besides that, his set list seemed to go on forever: no surprises, no special guests, no exciting twists. After seeing Katy Perry ride onto the field on a mechanical tiger back in 2015, a few microphone tricks are not going to wow me. The only memorable part of his performance was the Prince tribute, and even that wasn’t positive. Prince himself in an interview said that using digital editing to perform with another musician is “the most demonic thing imaginable,” and if that wasn’t enough incentive to find another way to honor him, then I’m not sure what would be.

His performance also included dancers, marching bands, and mirrors to help captivate his audience, but people could argue that is routine for a show as big as halftime at the Super Bowl.

Timberlake finished off his show with his hit “Can’t Stop the Feeling” and a colorful array of dancers following his every move. Justin then made his concert more interactive and actually went into the stands to give some lucky fans a memory of a lifetime. Although those audience members must’ve been very happy, it didn’t improve my view of his performance.

From the boring, unoriginal dance routines to the cut-out audio, Justin Timberlake’s return to the Super Bowl Halftime stage was definitely not a memorable one, and although that is nothing to celebrate, at least it won’t live in infamy like his previous one.