Maroon 5 Thanks Critics After Lackluster Super Bowl Performance

Carly Ledbetter

Maroon 5’s Super Bowl LIII halftime performance on Sunday night was critically panned, but that didn’t keep the band from publicly thanking its detractors.

“We thank the universe for this historic opportunity to play on the world’s biggest stage,” read a caption on the band’s Instagram account, which also doubles as Adam Levine’s personal Instagram.

“We thank our fans for making our dreams possible. And we thank our critics for always pushing us to do better. One Love.”

A post shared by Maroon 5 (@maroon5) on

Many viewers were unhappy with the boring, but not necessarily bad, show, which featured nearly 14 minutes of disjointed transitions between Levine and fellow performers Travis Scott and Big Boi.

Whether it was the lack of “SpongeBob SquarePants” airtime or Levine being allowed to go shirtless and show his nipples (something Janet Jackson wasn’t allowed to do), people just weren’t having it.

Not to mention that people were unhappy that Maroon 5 and the band’s fellow performers took the gig in the first place, considering the NFL’s repeated attempts to silence player protests against police brutality and other social injustices.

Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Big Boi, and Sleepy Brown perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Feb. 3, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: Getty Images)
Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Big Boi, and Sleepy Brown perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Feb. 3, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: Getty Images)
A shot of the stage.  (Photo: Rob Carr via Getty Images)
A shot of the stage.  (Photo: Rob Carr via Getty Images)
Performing with a gospel choir.  (Photo: Reuters)
Performing with a gospel choir.  (Photo: Reuters)

Levine attempted to deflect those who were critical of the band’s decision to take to the stage on Sunday night. He told “Entertainment Tonight” that “no one thought about” doing the halftime show performance more than he did.

“I spoke to many people, most importantly though, I silenced all the noise and listened to myself, and made my decision about how I felt,” he said.

He always knew expected that controversy would come with the gig, no matter what he did.

“I think when you look back on every Super Bowl halftime show, it is this insatiable urge to hate a little bit,” the singer added. “I am not in the right profession if I can’t handle a bit of controversy. It is what it is. We would like to move on from it and speak through the music.”

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.