by Jenn
Cohen
Twenty-four
hours ago, I thought of Justin
Timberlake as having some good songs, and being a funny mother f***er. And
now? I admit I’m a little bit in love. Timberlake, who’s up for seven Grammy
Awards this Sunday, Jan. 26, adorned the Pepsi
Center with his 20/20 Experience
tour, and proved to any doubters why he’s worthy of these nominations.
Timberlake’s
performance—and it was a performance, not a concert—showed how his lifetime in the
entertain business has taught him how to make a show to 15,000 strangers feel
like a group hug at a house party. He consistently engaged the audience with shout
outs like, “How’s it goin, Denver?” and “Let me hear you, Denver!” And, this
being 2014, “It smells legal in here
tonight!”
Most
impressive, to me, was seeing this man move. And he has moves. He made 3 hours of constant dancing look effortless, all
while scaling a wide range of octaves gracefully. The first portion of the show
was JT and the Tennessee Kids,
comprised of musicians, back-up singers, and dancers who were beyond talented,
and able to easily compliment the moves of Timberlake.
Timberlake
looked genuinely happy and confident, in a non-arrogant way, as he bestowed his
swagger, dancing, singing, and jumping around the stage; looking around at the
proverbial empire around him. Almost like he understands that he’s earned his place in this entertainment
kingdom, but it still feels like an improbable fairytale. And perhaps that’s
just another reason why he’s so likeable.
