Photo courtesy NBC
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After months of promo, speculation and a shrewdly timed album, Justin Timberlake finally took the stage (again) Sunday night during the Super Bowl halftime show, this time to headline the event.

As he performed a number of hits, his microphone seemed to be problematic, offering reduced sound—sometimes none at all, it seemed, especially compared to his massive band, which was fully heard. It wasn't immediately clear if Timberlake was aware of the audio issues or not.

While there had been rumors this weekend that JT might be joined on stage by a Prince hologram, he didn't quite go that route, instead performing a rendition of Prince's “I Would Die 4 U” with a video of the late music icon behind him as the lights in U.S. Bank Stadium and the surrounding city turned purple to honor their hometown favorite.

Some viewers were expectedly not pleased with Timberlake's use of Prince's imagery during his performance, but it's worth emphasizing the entire city lit up purple, clearly a sign the decision to honor the The Purple One was likely only partially Timberlake's decision.

This was the singer's third time performing in a Super Bowl halftime show, following Super Bowl XXXV in 2001 with *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Nelly and more; then Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004, when he appeared alongside Janet Jackson and ripped off part of her costume, briefly exposing her right breast and nipple.

He joins the likes of other recent Super Bowl halftime headliners, including Beyoncé, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Madonna, The Who, Bruce Springsteen and more.

See video of the performance below when it becomes available.