Live Report: Justin Timberlake – The O2, London
ClashMusic Live 14 · 08 · 2024
Justin Timberlake’s Forget Tomorrow World Tour landed at the London O2 for two nights this week. Catching the second date, first impressions of the stark stage design were slightly underwhelming for an artist of this calibre, with no apparent decorative elements.
However, what was lacking in shiny production was made up for in human energy. JT is accompanied by his house band The Tennessee Kids, whom Timberlake refers to throughout the show with deserving humility and respect. After his encore performance, full tour credits and BTS rehearsal moments are shown on screen, both humanising JT and giving credit where credit is due. It’s fair to say Timberlake was a gracious headliner.
Along with mostly female dancers who amplified his own moves – still on-beat and boy band-esque all these decades later – JT’s suited outfit accessorised with a side chain betrayed his popstar roots.
The two-hour show had no breaks or costume changes, and spades of audience interaction. A cynic might say this is to counterbalance his bad press of late, but an optimist like myself would argue that artists like Timberlake who have spades of experience and confidence, should absolutely take the time to elevate the intimacy amongst 20,000 people. From chatting to a 9-year old (and her parents) at their first ever concert, to conversing with an elder-millennial claiming she downloaded ‘FutureSex/LoveSounds‘ on LimeWire, Timberlake walked the entire floor circumference, almost taking the “shake hands and kiss babies” advice too literally.
Regarding the setlist, JT wasn’t delusional that we were there for his latest album, ‘Everything I Thought It Was‘. Although he did play a few of the more popular tracks like as ‘Selfish’ and show opener ‘No Angels’, most of the set was sprinkled with hits from albums we know and love. JT was very much there to please his loyal fans.
Notable performances included ‘Cry Me A River’, where a 3D lightbox pillar floated above the stage, with wave graphics blending into the massive screens. ‘My Love’ was given an alternative introduction, before performing the traditional one (because omitting that would have been cruel).
For the penultimate segment, Timberlake and members of The Tennessee Kids moved to a smaller stage on the other side of the arena, providing a more personal setting for tracks such as ‘Pusher Love Girl’ and ‘Say Something’. It’s here, watching Timberlake with a guitar in hand, that you truly digest the range of his career. From commercial pop in NSYNC, to Timbaland and The Neptunes-produced RnB beats, to dance hits and back to pop, JT has conquered the industry in a way that few others have, despite personal scandals and a litany of recent dud releases.
Timberlake closes with fan favourite hit ‘Mirrors’, a track which offers emotion and nostalgia in equal measure. JT sings while adorning the top of the aforementioned moving pillar, floating above the arena and leaning forwards from the edge. He allows himself this one God-like moment, but when you’ve sold out arenas on a world tour at 43 and enjoyed a thirty-year career, you’ve probably earned it.
Photo Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Justin Timberlake
0 comments:
Post a Comment