Who says the pop star is useless? At his triumphant tour cease in Los Angeles Saturday evening, Justin Timberlake led a revival for the reigning Prince of Pop, with a setlist of biggest hits and new materials that proves the Grammy-winning entertainer is right here to remain.
Timberlake took the stage shortly after 9 p.m. at Kia Discussion board in Inglewood, for the tenth cease on his “Overlook Tomorrow” World Tour, and the second of two nights in L.A. The offered out tour, in help of his sixth studio album, All the things I Thought It Was, was billed as an opportunity for followers to listen to songs from the brand new LP together with “everybody’s favourite hits,” and Timberlake expertly blended them right into a two-hour, feel-good fest.
Wearing a glittery black swimsuit and trousers, the singer opened with “No Angels,” a disco-lite minimize off EITIW that instantly had the group on its ft. Backed by a trio of background singers and a full band (together with a four-piece horn part), Timberlake and his “Tennessee Youngsters” adopted with a good triple whammy of “LoveStoned,” “Like I Love You” and “My Love” earlier than slowing issues down with “Technicolor,” a seductive sluggish jam that finds the singer worshipping his “modern-day” Marilyn Monroe.
Timberlake has made headlines over the previous few months for his off-the-cuff feedback, however on Saturday, the singer let his music do a lot of the speaking, whereas exhibiting off some slick choreography that proved he — actually — hasn’t missed a step. Playful, confident, and only a tad rambunctious, Timberlake was at his finest on crowd-pleasers like “FutureSex/LoveSound” and “Summer time Love,” the latter of which gave the star an opportunity to bust out some rump-shaking strikes throughout a mid-song dance break.
A couple of third of the present was devoted to songs from Timberlake’s newest album, which debuted at quantity 4 on the Billboard 200, turning into the singer’s first album since 2002’s Justified to not take the highest spot. The gang was noticeably unfamiliar with the brand new materials, although Timberlake labored onerous to include the tunes into the setlist, seamlessly transitioning from the call-and-response chant on new track, “My Favourite Drug,” for instance, into the crowd-pleasing call-and-response chorus from Justified’s “Señorita.” One other spotlight was “Drown,” a moody, slow-burning observe that noticed Timberlake crooning over an atmospheric beat whereas a video of the singer being submerged in water performed on a rotating display screen above the stage.
Followers instantly leapt again to their ft when the acquainted piano opening of “Cry Me a River” started to play. “That acquired your ass up!” Timberlake quipped about his controversial observe, which got here surprisingly early on within the evening.
Timberlake didn’t say a lot else in the course of the live performance, although he did observe that it was “a particular evening,” with lots of his family and friends within the L.A. viewers. Spouse Jessica Biel wasn’t seen within the crowd, however an acoustic medley of ballads carried out on a aspect stage included Timberlake’s latest single, “Egocentric,” which the singer wrote about his longtime associate.
Certainly, Timberlake has been entertaining followers for a very long time too. “I really feel like we’ve grown up collectively,” the singer stated at one level of the evening, shouting out “just a little group referred to as NSYNC” for giving him his begin within the music trade (whereas NSYNC reunited for a one-off Timberlake present at The Wiltern in March, there was no reunion, alas, on Saturday).
“I’ve grown up with you and also you’ve grown up with me,” the singer stated. “I’m by no means going to neglect it and I’ve a lot gratitude for every one among you right here tonight.”
Timberlake closed out the live performance with “Mirrors,” suspended excessive above the group on the rotating display screen that had now turn out to be a cellular platform. The celebrity singer towering over his adoring followers made for a putting picture, and one which felt aptly becoming after the rapturous reception he obtained: for at the very least one evening, Justin Timberlake was again on high.
