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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
@ Allstate Arena / Rosemont, Illinois
March 12, 2007
Review by Alana Grelak / Photos by Niva Bringas
Suppose that in this day and age there was someone who
didn’t know much about Justin Timberlake and that what she
did know wasn’t all too impressive. Also assume that this
person was sent to review a Justin Timberlake concert with
the specific intention of discovering just what it is that
makes him so appealing to modern day music fans. In case you
haven’t figure it out already, that person is me and I went
to Justin Timberlake’s Chicago performance in order to try
and better understand what his mystique is. Although there
are plenty of his fans out there that will most likely abhor
this review, I’m going to say it anyway: after watching him
for several hours, I’m still not sure what makes him so
appealing.
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. Tthat would have made me a fan for
life.
By ALANA GRELYAK
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