Timberlake shows out on tour

Jonathan Little, twitter.com/jonathanglittle

Justin Timberlake’s “Man in the Woods” World Tour was a once in a lifetime experience from one of the best performers in the music industry today. The last time Timberlake was in the Bay Area was four years ago when his album “The 20/20 Experience” hit the charts. His last album was probably the best album he has released since 2006, and his latest album “Man in the Woods” had understandably high expectations.

The “Man in the Woods” album got its first taste of worldwide attention when it was released on February 2 of this year, and just two days before Justin Timberlake took the stage at the half-time show of Super Bowl 52. The only flaw in his performance at the Super Bowl was that he had about 25 minutes to sing some of his greatest hits, and as good as the performance was it felt rushed.

However, on April 25 he took the stage at the SAP Center in San Jose and stole the show.

From the start of his performance, the electricity that came from him and his team spread throughout the whole arena getting the party started off right away. One of his first singles “Filthy,” from “Man in the Woods” had the crowd dancing. The connection Timberlake had with the crowd on Wednesday night was amazing.

After his first song, the smooth flow of hits continued with him performing songs like “Rock Your Body,” “Mirrors,” and “Summer Love” right after songs that were released in his newest album. Additionally, outside the music and dance performances, the light show and set designs were beautiful. There were curtain screens similar to the ones he used for the Prince performance at Super Bowl 52 and during the “Mirrors” portion of the concert they reflected his image in black and white, and portrayed his mirror image when he was in between the curtains. It was one of the top set scenes of the night, and when talking with some of the people around me at the concert they were amazed at how the whole set was designed so beautifully.

The key aspect for any performer, whether it’s in music or theater, is to deliver a great ending to the show. By the end of the concert Timberlake had the crowd in the palm of his hands, and he ended it with one of the most popular songs in 2016 going into 2017 “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” The pop of the crowd was deafening as everyone was singing, and dancing along. It was one of the better concert performances I have seen in a long time. Timberlake’s control of the crowd helped him steal the show and left fans buzzing about his fantastic performance afterward.