A Divine Dip in Timberlake

Twenty years from now, I wonder if I will have seen a better performance than that of Justin Timblerlake’s Futuresex/Loveshow at Madison Square Garden. With his talent and stage presence, he puts on one hell of a show. In fact, I would argue that he puts on THE show, not merely A show. Between his falsetto vocals, affinity for the piano, and, of course, his bitchin’ dance moves, he keeps his audience captivated from start to finish. It was the closest I’ve been to a religious experience. This either means that he is, indeed, of God-like stature or perhaps this just confirms just how sacrilegious I am.

The stage itself was huge, spanning most of the floor of the Garden. JT had no problem filling up all that space. He worked every inch of that stage. David Copperfield would have liked the trap door usage of the concert. Although there’s nothing I love more than when JT busts a move on the dance floor, I think JT could have commanded his audience just as thoroughly if he only had a piano and/guitar at his disposal.

At this point, Justin has arrived musically. He is not the boy band graduate, who has to rely on his choreographed moves. Now he’s got his own solo moves and music—that he even wrote himself. (That being said, I will never belittle Justin’s time with N*Sync. Let’s not forget that almost every great solo artist has to rely on a group to get going. If anything, his N*Sync roots just show how awesome he is by demonstrating how far he’s evolved musically.)

One finer point that I enjoyed was the vibe between Timberlake and Timbaland. When they gallivanted about the stage for “Chop Me Up” and “Sexy Back”, you just knew those two guys have a good time when they’re together. There’s just something about the way JT “dumbs down” his dance moves so that Timbaland can keep up with him that puts a smile on my face. Also, you only have to look at all the songs they’ve collaborated on (Cry Me a River, Give it to Me, Ayo Technology, etc etc etc) to be certain that they truly dig each other. JT is a tried and true friend, particularly if you happen to be a genius moneymaking producer, as in Timbaland’s case.

There was one thing that tipped the scale from it being a great performance to being a flawless performance: his humble gratitude for his fame and fans. Whether he’s completely sincere, I cannot say, though I would like to believe it. He reminded us of his modest Louisiana roots and admitted that, even after being big in the music world for ages, it’s still “so fucking cool” to have his job. After a phenomenal performance that showcased his talent and his extreme fame, Justin smoothly morphed into a seemingly mere mortal for his humble encore. Of course, once he finished his modest thank you, touched his fingers to the keys, and started crooning “Another Song (All Over Again)” he promptly became God-like again, and the audience was once again a mass of shameless worshippers (myself definitely included).