The Super Bowl LII Halftime Show (officially known as the Pepsi Super Bowl LII Halftime Show) took place on February 4, 2018, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as part of Super Bowl LII. Justin Timberlake was the featured performer, as confirmed by the National Football League (NFL) on October 22, 2017. It was televised nationally by NBC with a total of 106.6 million television viewers, down 9% from the previous years' Super Bowl LI halftime show.
Background
In July 2017, Britney Spears was rumored to be the headliner, but Pepsi quickly denied it. During August and September 2017, several publications informed that Timberlake was the frontrunner to perform at the Super Bowl LII halftime, first along with his frequent-collaborator Jay-Z as co-headliner, and then as the solo performer. Jay-Z was also rumored to be a solo performer, but it was reported that he turned it down due to the NFL's treatment of Colin Kaepernick, which he later confirmed in his song "Apeshit." A spokesperson from the NFL stated at the time, "along with Pepsi, we know that we will put on a spectacular show. When it is time to announce her name we will do it. Or his name. Or their names." The NFL confirmed the announcement that Timberlake would be headlining on October 22 with a video starring Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon.
This was Timberlake's third appearance in a Super Bowl halftime show. As a member of NSYNC, Timberlake appeared in the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show (2001), and as a guest artist in the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show (2004), which performance featured a controversial incident where Timberlake accidentally exposed one of Janet Jackson's breasts on national television, described as a wardrobe malfunction. The Parents Television Council penned an open letter to Timberlake asking to keep the performance "family-friendly." While the organization acknowledged that Timberlake apologized for the 2004 incident, they asked him to stay true to his word, saying "we are heartened by your response that the events of 2004 are not going to happen in 2018," as the singer stated in a prior interview that "we are not going to do that again."
In an interview with Billboard, Pepsi executives expressed:
The Halftime Show included a remembrance for Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson, who died just hours before Super Bowl LII after being struck by a vehicle.
Development
During the performance, Timberlake wore an outfit designed by Stella McCartney, which consists of "alter nappa fringed jacket with a shirt, featuring a landscape artwork by British artist Martin Ridley," according to a press release. Also part of the look is a Prince of Wales-check and camouflage splatter-print suit and matching jacket. As usual for McCartney, these pieces were made from animal-free leather and organic cotton.
Timberlake stated in a press conference that there would be no guest musicians in the halftime show and that the event would focus solely on himself and his backing band, the Tennessee Kids. Regarding the Prince tribute, the performance's creative visual lead, Fireplay's Nick Whitehouse, told Rolling Stone:
Prince had previously stated he did not want to be included in new music after death in a 1998 interview, citing The Beatles' "Free as a Bird" as an example of a practice he considered to be "demonic." His family granted permission to use Prince's likeness on the condition that it not be used in a hologram, and they approved of the final result. Sheila E, a former bandmate of Prince's who was involved in negotiations over the use of his likeness, stated that "a bigger company" (she declined to specify whether it was Pepsi or the NFL) had insisted on including the Prince apparition and that the notion was not originally Timberlake's idea.
Despite the lack of an individual guest artist, the more than 300-member University of Minnesota Marching Band was featured in the show. The band's drumline, brass, and saxophone sections pre-recorded and performed with Timberlake during his performance of "Suit & Tie." The upper woodwind and auxiliary sections led drill formations and held large mirrors during Timberlake's performance of his song "Mirrors", and acted as fans and dancers throughout other portions of the show, including the club scene at the show's opening. All members of the band were featured on the field in the show's finale, "Can't Stop the Feeling!". The band had previously performed in the halftime show of Super Bowl XXVI.