Justin Timberlake Entertainment Art Allstate Arena Rosemont, Ill. March 12, 2007

The show opened with several suit-clad men with body guard builds standing statuesquely behind sheer screens, a tension-building tactic that worked well to get the crowd screaming, a crowd comprised of far less teenagers than were expected. After what seemed an infinitely long wait, Timberlake emerged onto the stage via an elevator that lifted him into view, although he was still somewhat obscured by the screens and the light images that were projected onto them. After his entrance, a flurry of dancing began on the stage, with well over a dozen men and women strutting around in suits and dresses performing Timberlake-esque moves around the singer. While the slight of build and high-voiced singer isn’t all that much to look at, all eyes were on him and I admit that I found it difficult to look elsewhere. His dancing was good and it was impressive that he could pull it off while singing. The stage setup was truly excellent; the performers were able to move around the entirety of it, in all directions, allowing the audience to get the maximum value out of their seats. The show was definitely eye candy, but that alone is not usually enough to keep audience attention.

I personally found the show lacking in direction. Granted, most music performances don’t necessarily have a direction to them; the band gets up, plays their songs, and leaves. However, in this case, it seems that Timberlake and his crew were going for some sort of story line that wasn’t really hitting home. Song after song, Timberlake danced, and as did everyone around him. There were some highlights in his banter with the crowd. He asked Chicago as a whole for forgiveness and stated that he was “a little busy and didn’t mean to affect our relationship.” He tried not to laugh when he said, “You mean so much to me.” His joking nature was endearing and certainly crowd pleasing. Fans that sat farther back were able to see his face and the nuances in his expressions by watching the larger than life images of Timberlake that were projected on the screens around him, although the screens themselves seemed to be an object that created distance between the performers and the crowd, something that worked to Timberlake’s disadvantage, despite their novelty.

Halftime was marked by an extra long set of mashups, during which Timberlake was nowhere to be found. Eventually, though, he returned to play a beat up looking upright piano that turned clockwise at the center of the stage, while his dancers, this time wearing slightly less formal clothing, resumed their antics around the stage, kissing and cuddling Timberlake and each other frequently.

Timberlake’s performance was solid and gave his fans what they were looking for. He worked his ass off on stage and should be pleased with his performance. His dancing and singing were definitely what everyone expected but weren’t enough to turn a non-fan into a die hard listener. I found myself longing at many times during the concert to hear him break into “Dick In A Box,” the song from his hit Saturday Night Live appearance. Now that would have made me a fan for life.

Comments

mmmmm.............. Written by Guest on 2007-03-20 11:13:01 i dont agree! justin turned me into a fan with ease he's absolutely fantastic! A great performer, singer, song writer, DANCER, instrumentist (is that a word? if it isnt you know what io mean lol) and the major part to all that is he is BRAVE he takes on other people styles, mixes them up MAKING HIS OWN UNIQUE STYLE he is not scared to be different, he trys new things out AND as youi can see all i can do is sing his praises!!!!!

Genre Written by Guest on 2007-03-20 11:15:21 Don't be a music snob, it's a genre thing, if you like Rock or say...folk, you're not going to like Justin Timberlake, Same way Timberlake fans probably won't like the pixies or king missile or whatever.

What? Written by Guest on 2007-03-20 13:20:04 Are u insane, there is a reason that this man can genrate not only number one hit records on the charts and star quality, but to be so loyal to his fans from younger days. He has what you call the IT factor. No one can exsplain it, but whatever it is...he has it!

Um... Written by Guest on 2007-03-20 14:35:11 No, he has great Producers!!!!!

JT and me Written by Guest on 2007-03-20 17:01:22 JT is amazing I love him i think everyone should

Wow Written by Guest on 2007-03-20 17:10:53 That colum was surprising and same with the comments..I agree partly to what you had to say ,He is an amazing singer/dancer/writer ect.  Most people don't like them but i dont dislike more i have diffrent thoughts..BUT im 12:P hehe JT roxx! all and everi single pair of my sockz!

HOTT Written by Guest on 2007-03-20 20:44:08 Justin is sexy and the show was amazing. "Losing my way" was the best song. The man can dance!!

Written by Guest on 2007-03-21 01:09:58 He sang "Dick in a box" at his new york show at MSG w/ andy samberg..

okayy Written by Guest on 2007-03-21 12:09:14 omg can't beleive you don't know who he is. he is the best

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