The descriptors used to identify the multi-dimensional, multi-talented performer that is Justin Timberlake are plentiful. He’s a singer, dancer, songwriter, actor, sometime-SNL player and showman.
It was his showman aspect that was most prominently on display during his nearly three-hour Thursday night show at the Air Canada Centre, practically to a fault. However, rather than be enhanced by what was a highly stylized, eye-popping spectacle, Timberlake often seemed to be drowning within his own creation, lost amid a myriad of lasers and staging trickery.
Let’s be clear — the effects used in Timberlake’s show were nothing short of dazzling. JT performed on a vast, honeycomb-shaped stage that spanned the width of the ACC. Most songs were accompanied by a laser light show so potent that venue staff were instructed to prevent fans from using binoculars during it. Finally, the second half of the performance was highlighted by a segment where a portion of the stage elevated and rolled along the length of the floor so that Timberlake could be seen up close by much of the crowd (this was one of the most stunning gimmicks in recent ACC concert memory).
Few performers could stand out against such a spectacle and Timberlake, while talented, is not one of them. When he wasn’t being dwarfed by his staging or enshrouded in distracting laser lights, his pleasant-but-less-than-commanding voice was being drowned out by a large back-up band (this was particularly true on “Cry Me a River”).
Heck, even some of his biggest crowd reactions served to overshadow Timberlake, coming in louder on his covers of other songs than most anything from his own arsenal. His takes on Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” and Bell Biv DeVoe's “Poison” two of the five covers that helped infuse the show with some old school sound, were met with more vocal approval than his own hits, such as “Suit and Tie” and “SexyBack.”
Even as the show ramped up towards an energetic conclusion with the aforementioned “SexyBack” and the show-closing “Mirrors,” Timberlake was simply another well-dressed performer on a stage full of them.
The sold-out crowd didn't seem to mind, remaining on their feet and firmly in dance mode for the entirety of the show. When Timberlake, drink in hand, strolled the catwalk atop the VIP bar set towards the back of the floor seating, most of the mainly-female crowd eagerly drank in his disarming charm.
Memorable spectacle? Check. Entertaining? Check. A sense of witnessing a transcendent live performer at the peak of his creativity? Well, two out of three ain’t bad!
