Maroon 5 joined by Travis Scott for Super Bowl half-time show

Maroon 5 were joined by Travis Scott for the Super Bowl half-time show.

The band, fronted by Adam Levine, performed at the midway point of the New England Patriot’s game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday.

The build-up to the event had been marred by controversy, with stars including Rihanna reportedly turning down the gig to show support for quarter-back Colin Kaepernick.

He has been without a team since he started kneeling during the pre-game performance of the US national anthem in protest against alleged police brutality against minorities.

The show itself passed without incident and saw Maroon 5 perform some of their best-known hits, including This love, Girls Like You, She Will Be Loved and Sugar.

At one point Levine stripped to the waist to show off his heavily tattooed torso.

Levine also wore Nike trainers. The sportswear giant has been a prominent supporter of Kaepernick, prompting critics to launch a boycott.

Rapper Scott was introduced by a Spongebob Squarepants animated short before an asteroid light installation announced his arrival on stage.

Scott, who is dating Kylie Jenner, performed his hit song Sicko Mode before falling backwards into the crowd. Rapper Big Boi also performed.

Following the half-time show, fireworks exploded over the stadium. After their performance, Maroon 5 shared a message on Instagram, thanking fans for support and revealing a list of words they wrote down after accepting the gig.

The 35-strong list included “stand”, “kneel”, “overcome” and “educate”.

The post added: “We thank the universe for this historic opportunity to play on the world’s biggest stage. We thank our fans for making our dreams possible. And we thank our critics for always pushing us to do better. One Love.”

However, fans were left unimpressed by the performance and voiced their displeasure on Twitter.

One user described it as the, “All time Worst ever half time show”.

Another described it as: “Very poor. The fact he had to strip to distract fans from the poor showing speaks volumes. I was expected a better show, dreadful.”

Earlier, Gladys Knight performed a stirring rendition of the US national anthem Star Spangled Banner before the teams kicked off.

Seven-time Grammy winner Knight, alongside members of the US military, clenched her fist as she powerfully delivered the final verses of the anthem.

In the run-up to the Super Bowl, Knight, who is known for songs including Midnight Train To Georgia and That’s What Friends Are For, said she was “proud” to perform despite the controversy surrounding the NFL and the national anthem.

The Super Bowl half-time show is one of the biggest events in US popular culture, with previous performers including Lady Gaga, Coldplay and Beyonce.