Justin Timberlake features Prince tribute in Super Bowl halftime show

He stuck to some of his most popular hits such as Mirrors, Cry Me A River and SexyBack, but it was atribute to Prince in between that made Justin Timberlake's Super Bowl halftime performance stand out.

In the13-minute medley, Timberlakespent one minutepaying homage to the late Minneapolis-born musician. Timberlakesat at a piano and sang a medley of his own song Until TheEnd of Timeand Prince's I Would Die 4 U.

Footageof Prince in Purple Rain was projected on a giant screen in the background. An aerialshot of the cityshowed it bathed in purple light formingthe shape ofPrince's insignia.

"Minneapolis, this is for you," said the singer before it started.

Timberlakeopened the show with his new single Filthy. He also sang Rock Your Body, My Love andSuit &Tie, ending with the uplifting dance track Can't Stop The Feeling. In between, there was a marching band,selfieswith the audience, giant reflecting mirrors and a lot of dancing.

As expected, there were no guest appearances. Timberlakehad said previouslythathis former boy band members from 'N SyncandJanet Jackson wouldn't be there. Timberlake was Jackson's guest onstage in 2004when the disastrous "wardrobe malfunction" happened withTimberlakerippingoff a piece of Jackson'sclothing at the end of the act, revealing her breast.

Polarizing performance

While Timberlakekept the energyhigh, the performance drew a mix of praise and condemnation online.

Some fans pointed out Prince's own words during a 1998interview describing the ideas of a dead artist's digital likenessas "the most demonic imaginable."

Prince's family, however, seemedto approve. The Twitter account managed by his brother, Omarr Baker, gave a thumbs up.

The performance also got props from NickJonas and Diana Ross, among others.

Big shoes to fill

Timberlakehadbig shoes to fill, after Lady Gaga dazzled the audience last year. So much so, in fact, that more people on average tuned into the 2017 halftime show than the Super Bowl itself. The NFL stated that 117.5 million people tuned in to the performance, while an average of 111.3 million people watched the game, according to Nielsen.

It was among the most-viewed performances in the event's history.

Return to the stage

Timberlake returned to the halftime show 14 years after his performance with Jackson ignited controversy.It led to a fine (later overturned)from the Federal Communications Commission.

Timberlake made reference to it as he sang Rock Your Body this time around,the same song he had performed with Jackson. He removed the lyrics that originally preceded the infamous incident: "Bet I'll have you naked by the end of this song."

The hashtag#JanetJacksonAppreciationDaywas trending on Twitter on Sundaybefore the performance to celebrate the icon's influence on pop music and to acknowledge that her career unfairly sufferedmore than Timberlake's as a result of the fiasco.