Super Bowl Performers Off 2018
Like the Philadelphia Eagles when they battle the New England Patriots Sunday night at Super Bowl LII in a rematch of the 2005 pro football extravaganza, halftime performer Justin Timberlake will have the opportunity to exorcise the demons of Super Bowls past when he takes the stage in the biggest concert event of the year.
A performer who sparked controversy in 2004 when he and Janet Jackson were part of the most infamous wardrobe malfunction in television history, he will look to erase the infamy of that night with a performanc
Joining Timberlake in this year’s Super Bowl entertainment is fellow multi-platinum artist Pink and Leslie Odom, Jr. of Broadway hit Hamilton.
Super Bowl LII Entertainment
“America The Beautiful”
Leslie Odom, Jr.
“The Star-Spangled Banner”
Pink
Halftime
Justin Timberlake
Pink revealed in a February 3 Instagram post that she is battling the flu ahead of her performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” Sunday night:
“Trying to practice the flu away. I’ve been waiting to sing this song since 1991 when I saw my idol, Whitney Houston, own this song. And now, my chance has finally come. And it just so happens that this chance comes when I have two small Petri dish kids who literally cough INTO MY MOUTH and rub their snot on my cheek. You can’t write this stuff I swear! And here we are. I’ve arrived at another one of my dreams which is slowly becoming a sort of nightmare.”
The post came just over 24 hours before she was slated to deliver a performance that traditionally signals the final stop on the road to kickoff.
Timberlake’s history on the Super Bowl stage is the stuff of infamy.
While he made his debut at the big game in 2001, performing alongside Aerosmith, Britney Spears, Nelly, Mary J. Blige and his fellow N’Sync bandmates, it was Timberlake’s 2004 appearance in which he was instrumental in a wardrobe malfunction that (inadvertently?) exposed Janet Jackson to millions of viewers that called into question whether or not the charismatic and multitalented performer would be welcomed back to the game.
Jackson will not be present at Sunday’s showdown between the Eagles and Patriots nor will she perform alongside Timberlake, as she revealed in a statement released Friday (h/t Associated Press).
No Jackson, no problem.
TMZ reports Timberlake’s halftime performance will feature a hologram in honor of the late Minnesotan and rock icon, Prince. The decision was not received well by all on social media, including former drummer Sheila E., who expressed the late singer’s disdain for holograms of deceased performers.