Justin Timberlake's Super Bowl halftime show marred by sound issues

TImberlake's performance was controversial for several reasons

Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl performance got off to a rough start as viewers complained the show was plagued by sound issues.

Timberlake’s show, which saw him perform a medley of some of his biggest hits, appeared to be marred by sound problems - particularly at the beginning where his vocals appeared to be muted at times, or else drowned out by the hefty backing track on “Filthy”.

Some blamed the Super Bowl for the problems and pointed out that other artists had been affected by similar issues at previous halftime shows, while others claimed it was the responsibility of Timberlake and his team to get it right.

Timberlake managed to avoid any serious mishaps at the 2018 event but his performance was still controversial, given his return 14 years after the infamous “nipplegate” wardrobe malfunction where he ripped off too much of Janet Jackson’s costume.

While the incident is widely considered to have derailed Jackson’s career, it did little to harm Timberlake’s. Many were disappointed that she was either not invited back to perform at the 2018 event or had declined to do so; she appeared to tweet a barbed remark at Timberlake’s direction as the event approached.

A giant screen showing footage of the late Prince behind Timberlake on the piano also caused outrage. It was supposed to pay tribute to the legendary artist in his hometown of Minneapolis, where the Super Bowl was taking place, yet many felt it was inappropriate for Timberlake to do the honour given the two artists swapped several insults over the years.

Read our review of Timberlake’s show here.