Last night I went to my first "pop" concert. I have probably been to well over one thousand "rock shows" in my life, but I've never been to anything quite like this. The show was at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles which, I guess, if you're going to go see Justin Timberlake is probably the best place to see him. One of the first things I noticed about the show was that there was a palpable air of anticipation in the venue, much different from what I was used to. The vibe was more akin to going to the Theater than going to a "concert.' That is if Theater patrons were predominantly 18 - 24 scantily glad girls, "I don't really like JT, but it's hilariously ironic to listen to his music" hipsters and/or extremely well-dressed gay men. The one thing that they all had in common is that everyone was genuinely excited to be there.
I arrived at the venue around 8:30 PM and made my way down to my seats. Wow. I used the word "down" as I kept walking further and further into the belly of the Staples Center to almost the last row before the floor, probably about 20 yards from the stage. I would have enjoyed the show from anywhere in the venue, but these seats made the experience even more surreal. So I was sitting there with my $17 beer listening to the pre-show music ("Closer" by NIN...random, right?), which they apparently need to play at maximum volume, when the crowd around me erupted in a cacophony of shrieks and screams. I of course assumed the show was starting but looked at the stage to find nothing happening. I then realized that the young ladies to my right were screaming "Kanye" and noticed the man himself walking up the aisle with bodyguard and family in tow. Listen, Timberlake+LA+Crazy Good Seats = Celebrity Sightings. I figured as much, but when the celebs took their seats directly behind me, well, the night became even more surreal! For the next five minutes the crowd in my section would intermittently shriek as the likes of Fergie, Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie and P. Diddy walked up the aisle and grabbed their seats. I really didn't care about any of them until Ken Davitian made his way towards his seat. Then I lost my sh*t. Oh, you might know him as this guy.
So when everyone finally made it to their seats we were ready to focusate on the real reason we were congregated in what was essentially a really, really huge gym, that of course being Justin Timberlake. The lights went out and from the mammoth lighting rig a series of three sheer curtains slowly came down to encircle each section of the stage. They almost looked like mosquito netting as you could see through them, but at the same time they were able to project images on them. It was actually a pretty ingenious way to incorporate a video screen without completely obscuring the live performance. For a couple of minutes the screens had images on them and then they slowly rose up just as Timberlake did the same from the middle of the stage. The three part stage sprung to life as rotating drum risers did just that and musicians seemingly popped out of nowhere from within the bowels of the stage. Throughout the performance the stage crawled with two drummers, three keyboard players, two guitars, bass, five or six background singers and a troupe of dancers. It was a lot to take in, but was done in a fashion that made it seem, well, normal. Almost like they were just a really big band. Speaking of the band, they all seemed like older Motown musicians which I thought was a much better way to go than hiring a bunch of hipster looking studio guys. What impressed me the most about the music was that almost all of it was live. There was hardly any backing tape even when they were playing the upbeat jams. This meant that Timberlake was always singing, even when he was busting out some pretty insane choreographed dancing. I never really understood why people wanted to go to shows to watch people dance, but being there in person I now totally get it. Some of the shiz these people did was unbelievable, but nothing was as impressive as when the stage cleared of everyone but JT at about the third song and he did a two minute solo dance to the intro of "My Love." I think I actually screamed...and then giggled. Say what you want about him, but the man can dance. And that's not all he can do.
Throughout the performance Timberlake would play acoustic guitar, mellotron, keyboards, keytar and piano by himself (twice including an entire song for the second encore). He made it perfectly clear why he is the superstar he is, maintaining a level of energy and charisma for the entire show that seeped into the audience. However it was interesting to note that he definitely did not seem like a "teen idol" but actually had a bit of an edge to the performance with some "darker" songs and doing things like taking a shot with the band and the old "rock n roll f**ck you finger" to the camera. While these were surely calculated moves, they nonetheless worked and made the performance somehow seem more legitimate. In an industry in which there is so much bitterness and posturing, it was thoroughly refreshing to be at a show where the only thing the audience, the band and Justin Timberlake wanted to do was have a party. Well everyone succeeded and it wasn't only a party, but quite possibly the best (and only) "pop show" I have ever been to. Highly Recommended!
Song highlights included: "My Love," "Cry Me A River," "Sexy Back," "Easy" (Lionel Richie Cover), "What Goes Around" and "Chop Me Up."
Check out www.jtconcertfan.com for more goodies from the world of Justin Timberlake.
Justin Timberlake - My Love (Linus Loves Remix).mp3
Justin Timberlake - Like I Love You (Basement Jaxx Remix.mp3