A true pop spectacle

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This article was published 04/02/2019 (2600 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On Feb. 4, 2018, Justin Timberlake was performing for more than 100 million viewers at the Super Bowl’s halftime show. Exactly one year later, he was in the middle of a polar vortex in Winnipeg, performing for more than 12,000 fans at Bell MTS Place. 

The scenarios are obviously a little different, but one thing remains constant: whether in front of 100 million or 12,000, Timberlake knows how to put on a show.

The grandness of the production was evident before the music even began. A raised winding path stretched the length of the floor, connecting large stages at either end. In the middle of the path, a circular platform with a fully operational bar was open to a lucky few. The setup was elaborate, impressive and fun, and the most unique to grace the arena’s floor in quite some time. 

A very dramatic beginning saw his many, many band members emerge from a hazy, lighted tunnel before the man himself took centre stage surrounded by lights and lasers. 

Timberlake’s tour is in support of his 2018 record, Man of the Woods, a theme made more obvious by a handful of creepy prop trees placed along the path. He kicked things off with a pair of tracks from the new album, Filthy and Midnight Summer Jam. Prior to the latter, a sheer screen lowered from the ceiling and projecting images of trees and animals, almost creating a digital forest that appeared to fill the room. Many interesting design and technical tricks such as this popped up throughout the night, including a B-stage, which seemingly grew grass on the spot.

Just to get it out of the way; yes, Timberlake is a phenomenal dancer and yes, he also offered up some pretty solid live vocals — though not enough of them. The dancing and crowd participation often took precedent. 

The 38-year-old Tennessean plowed through the first chunk of his set — which also included party-starter SexyBack — without a pause; his movement was constant and often accompanied by even more lights, lasers and a crew of enthusiastic dancers. Finally, after hammering out seven songs, there was a slight catch-your-breath dance-break moment before JT, after throwing on a more song-appropriate jacket, launched into Suit & Tie, followed by My Love, which featured some sizzling solos from the band. 

Timberlake’s band is, in a word, incredible. More than a dozen musicians made up a pair of rhythm sections, a horn section and backing vocals and they really were the heart and soul of the night and later joined Timberlake on the centre circular stage for fantastic rendition of Drink You Away, from 2013’s The 20/20 Experience. This was also the first time Timberlake took a minute to have a chat with the crowd. Unsurprisingly, most of what he had to say was about the ridiculousness of the city’s weather.

It was at this point the pace finally slowed; a campfire scene was suddenly set up on one of the stages and Timberlake exchanged his beat pad for an acoustic guitar for a semi-medley of Until the End of Time, Morning Light and What Goes Around… Comes Around, followed by Say Something from Man of the Woods, which, despite the minimal production, was actually one of the most memorable musical moments of the night. Timberlake sang his butt off, and sometimes that’s all it takes. 

Of course, things picked back up again as Timberlake neared the end of his set — Rock Your Body saw him and his dance crew crack out a routine on dance floor illuminated by coloured squares; the thumping beats of Supplies guided Timberlake as he took selfies with audience members on the floor; Like I Love You brought some high-energy nostalgia; and Can’t Stop the Feeling ended things on the happiest possible note.

The Man of the Woods tour is the epitome of sensory overload; there were very few points during which you could focus on just one thing without missing out on something else. Sometimes when everything is so big, so choreographed, so precise, though, a bit of the connection between fan and artist gets lost. But really, that’s not what people come to see Timberlake for. They come for the lights, they come for the lasers, they come for the dancing and the hits and the extravagance. And as far as pop spectacles go, this was one of the best.

Canadian singer-songwriter Francesco Yates opened the night with some slick dance moves and vocals to match. The stylish Toronto native is just 23 years old but carried himself like an old pro, working the crowd and making use of the sizable stage space he was given for his 35-minute set. Yates’ music largely falls into the indie-pop category, but there are touches of funk and theatric R&B that make for a more interesting sonic experience than your average pop act.

People in the business often talk about the “it” factor, a sort of indescribable attraction and undeniable specialness only certain performers are blessed enough to have, and whatever “it” is, Yates has it dripping from every pore. 

erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @NireRabel