The hottest concert tour this summer appeared on HBO as a two-and-half-hour special.  Justin Timberlake’s Futuresex/Lovesounds Madison Square Garden show aired on Labor Day, 2007.

As Timberlake begins his West Coast tour (including Portland on September 7,) he and HBO provided a sneak peak at a hot concert.  Well, more of a musical, actually.  This article is a review of the show and ostensibly, the concert itself.

The show, which was also broadcast live to the troops in Iraq, begins with a roundtable interview of Timberlake, his band, and his dancers.  It features penetrating questions and answers, including favorite musicians, heroes, influences and the classic “boxers or briefs?”  The latter question actually appeared at the end of the show during a reprise of the interviews and, for the record, Justin wears TWO pair of boxer briefs at each show – it has become a superstition for him.

I have never been to a Justin Timberlake concert and, I have to admit that I carried some assumptions onto the easy chair with me as I settled in for the show on HBO.  Here is what I was expecting: lots of dancing, Justin wearing one of those headpiece microphones, Justin never touching a musical instrument, and the band virtually hidden away behind the main guy and his dancers.  I figured the set would be fantastic (it is,) and I did not expect Timbaland to show at all.  I was wrong about almost everything.

The set (the stage) is fantastic.  Set in the middle of the arena with seating on all sides, the stage features huge fabric projection screens that raise and lower and can be seen from everywhere in the arena.  Timberlake, his dancers and singers, routinely enter and exit the stage from an elevator in the floor at the center of the stage.

Justin Timberlake does not wear the headpiece microphone – opting instead for the standard cordless microphone-in-hand and, of course, managing to dance flawlessly.  Honestly, there are times when he misses a vocal or his part of a chorus because he is dancing and it just doesn’t matter.  The talented back up singers manage just fine.

Timberlake is asserting himself as a theatrical and serious musician.  The Futuresex/Lovesounds album announced his adulthood and the tour announces his arrival as a musician.  During the show, he plays the guitar, the piano and beatboxes.  He is surrounded by musicians and dancers who all appear to be older than he is.  He started off the Madison Square Garden show by sharing a tray of shots with his dancers and band in a toast to New York.  He interacts with his band frequently to establish that he is a part of them – not that they are merely backing him up.  It’s effective.

Timberlake is also asserting himself as a “regular guy.”  The one-song encore began with a gushy speech from Timberlake about how humbled he feels by all the attention. Yes, he even pulled out the classic “I get up every morning and I can’t believe THIS is my job.”  Hey, Justin, it’s been your job since you were eleven!

The show is fantastic!  The raucous and rocking version of “Sexy Back” melds beautifully with the slower songs (some from his ‘NSync days.)  The hands-down best, though are Justin’s “I’m Pissed” songs.  The intense “What Goes Around” ends in a rage of theatricality that can only be described as “Blair Witchy,” thanks to the projection screens.  “Cry Me A River” carries the same mood very effectively.

The fantastic Timbaland, producer of Timberlake’s hottest recent hits, joined the band on stage and quickly established himself as a behind-the-scenes guy.  We want Timberlake on stage and Timbaland on the control board!

The Justin Timberlake HBO special is now available On Demand and will air again on HBO on Thursday, September 6 at 8:30 pm.  Timberlake will be in Portland Oregon on September 7 at the Rose Garden.  His West Coast tour continues after that.