Some excerpts from the e-mail I wrote to my friends about the show...
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
So, yeah, you might be saying to yourself right now "what the fuck?" Yeah, it was quite possibly very uncool of me. Oh well. Here are the exciting details, though...
Justin Timberlake -- 9:30 Club -- August 25th
Justin and Christina Aguilera were playing at the MCI Center at 7:30pm on August 25th. But, I couldn't convince myself that paying almost $100 for crappy ass seats in the back of the MCI Center, seated all by myself inbetween screaming 13 year olds, was a good idea. So, I passed. But, then there was a surprise announcement...it was announced that Justin Timberlake would be playing a 21+ late show at the 9:30 Club. So, for half the price, I could go see Justin in a 21 and over environment in a small club. I decided that I really couldn't pass that opportunity up.
So, at 7:15pm, I went to the 9:30 Club. Doors opened at 11:30pm. Justin took the stage at 1:00am. Yes, 1 in the morning. Insanity. Well, there was already a line. But, it was only a small line (since the majority of the fans were still at the MCI Center show). I was 8th in line. Not too shabby.
I am perplexed by one thing (and this is just a generalization)...it would appear, in my intense study of boy band fans, that they tend to always fall into one of two categories: 1) very unattractive and rather large or 2) very pretty and fashion-oriented in that sorority girl/pop princess wannabe kind of way. ... The sorority girl/pop princess wannabes make me want to stab forks in my eyes.
I felt like a fraud waiting in line all that time. I don't even own Justin's album. Shocker. And I only own two of the *N'SYNC albums. And I have never before seen *N'SYNC or Justin in concert. And all the people (I might as well just say girls since there were about a total of 5 guys there...all dragged along by their girlfriends) were so excited to see their Justin. I can't even name all the members of *N'SYNC. And I most certainly do not know things like Justin's middle name, hometown, or fav food. Oh well. I managed to hide my non-fanatic Justin fan-ness pretty well.
There were far too many Britney Spears wannabes waiting in line. Why do all the Justin fans feel the need to dress exactly like Britney fucking Spears (a la the Britney look-alike in Justin's "Cry Me a River" video)
Don't they realize that he broke up with her? That, to me, would be an indication of something that Justin doesn't want. But, hey, what do I know, I'm not a true Justin fan.
The line situation wasn't chaotic, surprisingly. Yay for the 9:30 Club staff. ... I got front row, right in front of Justin. And there was no barricade. ...
Around 1:00am, Justin's band took the stage. ...most decked out, head to toe, in NBA gear. They all looked like Nelly clones. I guess it is all part of Justin's plan to gain some street cred.
The band jammed for awhile and tried to get the audience all pumped up. I would have enjoyed it had the band actually been good. They didn't suck, but I wouldn't classify them as good either. ...
Finally, ...Justin came out. All the frills were gone. There was no elaborate stage set-up, there were no dancers, there were no costume changes, there were no flashy lights, etc., etc. Justin was wearing dark brown cargo pants, pristine white sneakers, a ribbed white tank top with an orange short-sleeve 'Peasant Run' t-shirt over it, and a camaflogue hat (which he later discarded). And there was none of that head thingy that all these pop stars are so find of nowadays...it was just a regular mic on a regular mic stand. In other words, it was a show about the music and not a show that was just meant to be a show.
Justin opened with a kick ass version of "Cry Me a River". It was harder in some places and much lengthier than the original. He changed the lyrics around too. "Fuck you for making my cry a river." ... "I bet you think this song is about you, don't you, don't you, I bet you think this song is about you, don't you, don't you, IT IS!" Yes, indeed, it was very much a "fuck you" type of song. I loved it. ... I could have left the concert right then and been perfectly happy. "Cry Me a River" was hands down the song I wanted to hear most...and Justin definitely did not disappoint.
There was, however, one odd/frilly thing about the stage set-up. Towards the back and off to the right, there was a little bar. Is this the new trend now? ...the people at the bar would randomly take turns throwing ice cubes at Justin and the band. ...
So, I happen to look over to the right...and then I look back...and then I look to the right again. Is that another guy from *N'SYNC? It sure was. Chris Kirkpatrick (or whatever the hell his name is) was standing on the stage videotaping the performance. ...
Then Justin did some slow songs that I didn't recognize (since I don't own the fucking album). And he played the guitar. ... Oh well...I'll give him points for effort...
Ok, and it has to be said, Justin is pretty damn talented. Well, as a singer anyways...not so much as a guitar player. He has a great voice and a great stage presence. And, yes, he too is pretty damn good-looking. ... He's shorter and thinner than I had imagined. ...
However, I must deduct some points for his constant "if I do this thrust, it looks like I am fucking" movement. Yeah, a little too much of that. But, it did earn high-pitched squeals from all the 21+ girlies in the house. So yeah, it must just be one of those things that I don't understand since I am not a true Justin fan.
He did, however, have some other little gestures...which reminded me a lot of what Liam Gallagher does live. He would give new meaning to the song lyrics with his gestures...from fucking, to masturbating, to blow jobs, to squeazing tits, to smoking a joint. Oh no indeed, this is no longer that little boy in the boy band. He is now a full-blown, red-blooded, all-American male specimen. Oh joy. Maybe if he coyly sings about drugs and sex his street cred will go up and he will sell more records. He did, at times, seem to be trying a little too hard to please an older audience. On the other hand, you could just view it as him acting his age. Or, I supose, you could just view it as him being male.
And then it was time for "Like I Love You" (or whatever that song is called). ... And it was pretty damn good live.
And then he did a song (which I don't think is on his album) that was another "fuck you, you've done me wrong, you evil evil evil woman" song. It was pretty good. ...
And then he did "Senorita", which was also rather good live. And a very good crowd interaction song. Though, it was rather lacking on the whole fellas part of the song.
And then he introduced the band and had each band member do a solo on their instrument. Holy hell, the drummer sucked some serious ass. But then, Chris Kirkpatrick (or whatever) took over for the keyboardist. And for his solo, he played "Chopsticks". ...
And then Justin finished up the evening with "Rock Your Body". ... This was the only part of the evening where Justin actually danced. At the end of the song, he did the dance he does in the video. And he did it right in front of me. I had my hands in front of me on the stage to brace myself against the crowd and I actually had to move them so he wouldn't step on them. He was so close to me that he was practically on top of me. ... And the best part of his little dance was that his shoelace was untied. The entire time I was thinking "he's going to trip and fall, he's going to trip and fall, he's going to trip and fall". I wanted to reach over and tie it for him. ...
I wasn't blown away. I wasn't overly excited. I'm not consumed with an urge to purchase his album ASAP. But, I wasn't disappointed either. It was a good show. And a very different show from what I would have witnessed at the MCI Center. Justin has a great voice. ... The highlights of the evening were definitely the beginning and the end..."Cry Me a River" and "Rock My Body".
