We've all made mistakes. And we know that we're supposed to learn from them. We also know it's OK to borrow a few ideas after witnessing success. Borrow and adapt it, make it your own. With those thoughts in mind, we offer some unsolicited advice to Justin Timberlake, the man about Minneapolis these days, on do's and don'ts for Sunday's halftime show at the Super Bowl. These suggestions are based on mistakes and successes from previous performers.
Do's
Make a grand entrance. (Lady Gaga, 2017)
Make a grand exit. (Diana Ross, 1996)
Honor an unassailable cause and don't hesitate to play the stars-and-stripes card. (U2, 2002)
Do a well-known cover. A Prince song would be apropos. (Prince, 2007)
Do a feel-good reunion onstage with a former collaborator, say, Janet Jackson, but not N' Sync. (Beyoncé, 2013)
Get up close and personal with the TV cameras. (Bruce Springsteen, 2009)
Close with a giant singalong like maybe "Bye Bye Bye." (Paul McCartney, 2005)
Don'ts
Don't wear Velcro. No explanation necessary. (Janet Jackson, 2004)
Don't wear the same outfit as your dancers. You need to be seen. (Bruno Mars, 2014)
Don't do a series of outfit changes no matter how good they look on you. (Katy Perry, 2015)
Don't have ice skaters, no matter how many medals they've won. (Gloria Estefan, 1992)
Don't use a gospel choir to boost your R&B bona fides. (Madonna, 2012)
Don't use hundreds of youngsters as part of the show. (Michael Jackson, 1993)
Don't have Beyoncé as a special guest because she'll upstage you. (Coldplay, 2016)
Twitter: @JonBream • 612-673-1719
