MINNEAPOLIS -- It's time to see what Justin Timberlake has planned for halftime. One thing we know now is that it won't involve a hologram.
Over the weekend, rumors popped up about Timberlake wanting to bust out a hologram of the Purple One during his Super Bowl LII halftime show. It was going to be part of a tribute to Prince and his many connections to Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Vikings.
But according to longtime Prince pal Sheila E., she spoke to Timberlake on Saturday night and confirmed there will be no hologram during the halftime show.
Family, I spoke w/Justin 2nite and he shared heartfelt words of respect for Prince & the Purple fans. I look 4wrd 2 seeing what I’m sure is going 2 be a spectacular halftime show. There is no hologram. 🙏🏽💋 pic.twitter.com/mhVXBfBa1B
— SheilaEdrummer (@SheilaEdrummer) February 4, 2018
The goal of the hologram, apparently, was to try and honor Prince. But Prince, in an old 1998 interview with Guitar World, said playing with a hologram of a deceased musician would be "the most demonic imaginable."
"That's the most demonic thing imaginable," Prince said at the time. "Everything is as it is, and it should be. If I was meant to jam with Duke Ellington, we would have lived in the same age. That whole virtual reality thing … it really is demonic. And I am not a demon. Also, what they did with that Beatles song ['Free As a Bird'], manipulating John Lennon's voice to have him singing from across the grave … that'll never happen to me. To prevent that kind of thing from happening is another reason why I want artistic control."
Busting out a hologram of Prince at the Super Bowl in Minnesota this soon after Prince died would NOT sit well with the wishes of the music legend.
It might have made for some cool theater, but Timberlake would have been skewered for it. The lack of knowledge about Prince's preference for no hologram is a little concerning when it comes to the potential for a tribute to go wrong, but there is also a good chance we just get a very simple cover of a song or a cool montage from Timberlake.
There is a very good chance JT decides to cover a Prince song -- the odds of him dropping "Let's Go Crazy," "Purple Rain" or "1999" indicate an expectation we'll hear something by Prince.
Just rest easy knowing it won't be a demonic hologram of Prince.
