Crónica e imágenes: «The 20/20 Experience World Tour» en Nashville, 19 de dic.

«The 20/20 Experience» World Tour, Nashville +42 imágenes

Justin Timberlake Thrills with Nashville Performance

Sidelines — Justin Timberlake returned to Nashville for an electrifying performance at Bridgestone Arena Friday night.

The show was the second time the Memphis native brought his «20/20 Experience World Tour» to Music City. He played the arena on Nov. 15 of last year during one of the tour’s first stops. This latest performance was a victory lap of sorts, as the tour is slated to come to a close on Jan. 2 in Las Vegas.

After a warm-up set from tour DJ Freestyle Steve that exposed the parents in the arena to songs like Ace Hood’s «Bugatti» and Jay Z’s «F**kWithMeYouKnowIGotIt», Timberlake arrived on stage to the opening strings of «Pusher Love Girl», and the night was underway.

Timberlake was backed by his full backing band The Tennessee Kids throughout the night. The group’s live instrumentation and backing vocals helped songs like «LoveStoned» and «Señorita» come alive and connect with the sold out crowd.

Even though Timberlake was rarely on stage alone, he might have well have been. Even during heavily choreographed numbers featuring multiple dancers like «Rock Your Body», all eyes were on the singer. Timberlake’s stage presence and charisma had the audience in the palm of his hand the entire show.

The climax of the night came as JT and the Tennessee Kids went into a rendition of Garth Brooks’ «Friends in Low Places». Just after starting, Timberlake stopped the song and said it just didn’t feel right. To the crowd’s excitement, Brooks then emerged to perform the song with Justin, as well as take a few onstage selfies.

That wouldn’t be the only cover of the night, as Kool and the Gang’s «Jungle Boogie», «Poison» by Bell Biv Devoe and an acoustic version Elvis Presley’s «Heartbreak Hotel» made their way into the setlist. Sadly, neither Kool, The Gang, Bell Biv Devoe or Elvis’s ghost were available to join Timberlake.

The night ended on the three-song high of «Suit & Tie», «SexyBack» and «Mirrors». The later of which served as an perfect, celebratory end to an evening with one of Tennesee’s favorite sons.

«We’ve been touring all over the world for almost two years now», Timberlake told the audience during his performance, «but there ain’t nothing, nothing like the state of Tennessee».

Justin Timberlake sings with Garth Brooks in Nashville
The Tennessean — Long before the world got to know Justin Timberlake, 33-year-old pop superstar — who played another sold-out concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Friday night — there was «Justin Randall».
That was the name the Tennessee native went by at age 11, when he made his television debut on «Star Search». Wearing a cowboy hat and bolo tie, he sang Alan Jackson’s «Love’s Got a Hold On You» with all the twang he could muster. A few years later, a teenage Timberlake made it on «The Mickey Mouse Club», ditched the hat, tie and the twang, and never really looked back.

Not until Friday night, that is. On Friday, Justin Randall made a comeback of sorts — with a little help from Garth Brooks.

Just after intermission at Friday’s show, Timberlake had a mischievous grin as he picked up an acoustic guitar. He played the unmistakable opening chords to Brooks’ «Friends in Low Places», and the Nashville audience screamed in approval.

«I mean, this is the country music capital of the world, right?» he asked, leading the band into the first verse and chorus of the country staple. But then he cut them off.

«Hold on», he said, settling into a southern drawl. «Now something don’t feel right…I mean, if you’re going to do this (song)…» He paused.

«Garth?»

The room screamed even louder as Brooks came into view, joining Timberlake at center stage to trade lines through the rest of the song. Timberlake hopped up and down with glee as Brooks took the lead on the second verse, and the country star pulled out his iPhone towards the end of the song to capture the experience from his point of view.

After several hugs, Brooks waved goodbye to the crowd, and Timberlake sprawled out on the ground, as if to say, «I can die now».

The song was one of several ways that Timberlake – who was born in Memphis – tipped his hat to Tennessee during Friday’s concert. After introducing his band, «The Tennessee Kids», he told his audience, «We’ve been touring all over the world for almost two years now, but there ain’t nothing, nothing like the state of Tennessee».

As they cheered, he turned back to the «Kids».

«I told you my people know how to party», he said.

REVIEW: Justin Timberlake | 12.19.14 @ Bridgestone Arena

A mere 13 months after his last Music City outing, the reigning king of pop, Justin Timberlake returned to Bridgestone Arena for yet another sold out, breathtaking performance to help us finish out our year on a high note. Now more than a year and a half into the release cycle of his Grammy nominated, critically and commercially beloved two part epic, The 20/20 Experience, the former *NSYNC singer has proven, once again, his ability to transform and adapt to musical trends, remaining relevant, and, beyond that, innovative. As immensely gifted as he is in recording, however, Justin is even more legendary live, and, despite the high bar set by his last Nashville date, Timberlake’s latest Bridgestone show, which marked one of the lengthy tour’s final dates, not only exceeded our expectations, but was, unequivocally, one of 2014’s best shows.

A performer with the star power and a natural knack for expert showmanship such as Justin Timberlake leaves no detail overlooked, especially not one as paramount as stage design. As soon as we entered the arena, his massive, detailed staging served as an early indication of the unforgettable show to come. Last time Justin passed through, he brought The Weeknd; this time, a DJ, whose name we didn’t catch, warmed up the crowd from the VIP section. The opener was short; fitting, because a singer with the star power of Justin Timberlake doesn’t really require a warmup. The crowd, largely 20 and 30 something women, were some of the most enthusiastic we’d ever witnessed, and their anticipation was almost uncontainable. As soon as JT stepped into the spotlight, erupting into «Pusher Love Girl», the start of what would be the evening’s first of two sets, we knew that we were in for an extra special night. Timberlake spent his childhood in Memphis (and now has a house in Franklin, according to the rumor mill), and is especially prideful of his Tennessee heritage, going so far as to dub his extensive backing band «The Tennessee Kids». The Memphis heritage is evident in Justin’s soul and swagger, and, several times throughout the evening, he beamed especially bright when proclaiming how good it felt to be back in Tennessee (and in Nashville, which he referred to as «NashVegas» — don’t worry, he’ll figure it out). Though Timberlake’s star power was certainly a magnetic, charismatic, and deserved focal point of the show, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the skillful performance chops of The Tennessee Kids, who channeled the same soul and technical expertise, delivering blues solos, and, at times, even stealing the spotlight. Timberlake also employed the help of backing dancers, which, for better or for worse, is the closest he got to channeling a bit of ’90s nostalgia.

Though he has three (technically four) albums’ worth of solo material, Justin still managed to squeeze a few covers into his set, including cuts from Michael Jackson, Elvis, Bell Biv DeVoe, and more. The big surprise, of course, came when he began a cover of Garth Brooks’ «Friends in Low Places» on acoustic guitar, before proclaiming «this doesn’t feel quite right», which quickly turned into Brooks himself joining JT on stage and inviting the crowd to sing along. A touching and memorable turn also came when he asked the crowd to sing loud enough for Michael Jackson to hear, during a cover of «Human Nature». Between ballads, acoustic renditions, and full-band soul tunes, the two-set performance soared with favorites like «Cry Me a River», «Suit & Tie», and «Tunnel Vision», and, of course, a satisfying encore (after a super quick exit) of «SexyBack» and «Mirrors». A true modern American musical legend, and, undoubtedly, one of history’s best pop singers, Justin Timberlake live is a transcendent, unbelievable, and unparalleled musical experience, and his latest Bridgestone show, likely the last for quite a few years, was one we won’t soon forget.

Stray Observations:

-We spotted momma Timberlake hanging in the VIP section. How sweet!
-The moving stage was definitely one of the coolest setups we’ve seen at Bridgestone.
-The group of women holding signs that read «Our Husbands Think We’re Shopping #MILFmafia», who managed to grab JT’s attention, were equal parts funny and embarrassing.
-The fact that Justin was hanging at the 500-cap Mercy Lounge one night prior has us excited to have him spending time around Nashville in the near future.

Pusher Love Girl
Gimme What I Don’t Know (I Want) (snippet)
Rock Your Body
Don’t Hold the Wall (snippet)
FutureSex/LoveSound
Like I Love You
My Love
TKO
Summer Love
LoveStoned
Until the End of Time
Holy Grail (Jay-Z cover)
Cry Me a River

Only When I Walk Away
Friends in Low Places (Garth Brooks cover)
Drink You Away
Tunnel Vision
Señorita
Let the Groove Get In
Heartbreak Hotel (Elvis Presley cover)
Not a Bad Thing
Human Nature (Michael Jackson cover)
What Goes Around… Comes Around
Take Back the Night
Jungle Boogie (Kool & The Gang cover)
Murder
Poison (Bell Biv DeVoe cover)
Suit & Tie

SexyBack
Mirrors