By PHIL GALLO
Presented by AEG Live. Reviewed Jan. 9, 2007.

Band: Justin Timberlake, Kevin Antunes, Charles Wilson, Kevin Walker, Lloyd Dorsey, Mike Scott, Terry Santiel, John Blackwell, Harvey Marshall, Rob Stevenson, Darrell Adams, Denosh Bennett, Diedra Artis.
Guest, Timbaland.
Also appearing: Pink.

It will take some tough love, strong negotiating skills and brazen self-confidence, but if he's got smarts, Justin Timberlake will fire many of the people who helped him assemble his "FutureSex/Love Sounds" stage show. The first half of his lengthy Honda Center concert defied stagecraft logic, stripped the performer of all his charisma and generated an acoustical nightmare. To make matters worse, a 17-minute "mash-up" of beats and samples follows that, despite the presence producer-rapper Timbaland, sucked all the air out of the room. Timberlake does manage to redeem himself in the second half and he does so by keeping the music varied, the stage simple and the choreography tight.
The music, as was the case with 'N Sync's elaborate stage shows, feels secondary in the bulk of this theatrical concoction. Indeed the highlights -- nearly all of which were in the second half -- involved Timberlake's sweetly executed dance steps in tandem with his nine-member troupe and some smart use of scrims and beamed images that engaged the audience. Choreography, which is top-notch throughout if a bit derivative in spots, is refreshingly non-sexual -- a contrast to many of Timberlake's libido-fueled tunes.

Opening number "FutureSex/Love Sound" has a grandness in the presentation that sets the table with an appropriate message: This is a big, big show -- all the stops have been pulled. Rather than refine and then amplify elements of the opening presentation, the next 40 minutes are muddy and non-engaging, save for a strong perf of "What Goes Around," a demonstration of how ably Timberlake can distill classic soul music pleading with contempo beats and a nicely defined groove.

What's disturbing is how little Timberlake wants to assert an identity in the concert's early-going. Nearly every first-act tune is reliant on mechanical beats and when combined with robotic and militaristic movement, it becomes too much of a throwback to Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation" album and tour. But Jackson and her producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, conveyed a sense of humanity and individualism within the machine; this is all machine, prepped to roll over anything that comes in its path.

Show is set in the round on a divided stage that, throughout the first half, camouflaged Timberlake more than it exposed him. With scrims that came down over sections of the stage, not to mention the collection of musical instruments that often blocked sightlines, Timberlake played a bit of hide and seek with the audience the entire night. He'd poke out here and there and give a section of the crowd individual visual thrills, but at no time does he ever truly perform to the entire arena.

The round is traditionally a vehicle for creating intimacy -- even bands like Yes have used it to solid effect -- and Timberlake's staging is at odds with that objective. His second half perf indicates that he has a grasp on how it should work, especially on the heartfelt "Losing My Way" that actually makes smart use of the scrims and a beamed, close-up of the singer.

Second half, in general, had more consistency, more payoffs and just plain smarter execution. The ramp that runs down the middle of the stage was used more often, songs like "Rock Your Body" became spunky production numbers and even a throwaway number, the specious "Damn Girl," was given an eye-candy presentation. "Cry Me a River," more than any other song, was performed with a conviction and confidence by the entire ensemble; it made the entire first half feel like a midday walk-through.

Timberlake asks his audience to spend a considerable amount of time in the arena -- two hours and 25 minutes pass between the lights going down and him concluding his cover of the Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony" in the two-song encore -- that could be trimmed down and turned into a convincing piece of entertainment.

Timberlake and opener Pink, who delivers a rather generic set of dance music based on big '80s rock 'n' roll beats, will perform Tuesday at Staples Center and Feb. 7 at Madison Square Garden. Tuesday's show was the second of 40 North America shows. Timberlake will tour the U.K. and Europe from April 24 through early July.

Source:
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932423.html?categoryid=34&cs=1&query...