Concert Review

The following is a departure from the norm for this blog. My sister, who refuses to create a team blog, wanted me to post this review of a recent Justin/Christina concert in Indianapolis.
So here goes.

Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera did not simply come to entertain when they brought their "Justified and Stripped" tour to Indianapolis last Sunday night (August 31, 2003). The two former Mouseketeers were on a mission to shake free of their teen-pop roots.

Timberlake and Aguilera chose decidedly different strategies to accomplish their shared goal. During her set, Aguilera relied on suggestive choreography, skimpy costumes, and a girl-power theme to prove she's all grown up. However, all that confident posturing was betrayed by her unsure stage presence. Aguilera was most comfortable when singing the soul classics "At Last" and "I Prefer You," made famous by Etta James. As a respite from proving her own material, those numbers allowed her to simply sing. And boy, did she ever. Aguilera tore into those tunes with a ferocity and passion that assured she has indeed shed her mouse ears.

Unlike Aguilerea, Timberlake emphasized music over spectacle. Backed by a stellar fourteen-piece funk band , he treated the capacity crowd to a 45-minute set of songs from his solo album, "Justified." He proved his musical chops by gliding through new arrangements of his hits, the highlight of which was a thundering rendition of "Cry Me A River." Stripped of its slickly-produced studio beats, the live version's driving drumline gave the song an urgency that is lacking on the original album track. Timberlake used a mix of boyish Southern charm and steamy sensuality to pull in the audience of mostly teenaged girls and was awarded with deafening shrieks of adoration. The only down side to his performance was a bloated sound mix that at times drowned out his soulful vocals.

In order to stay artistically and commercially relevant, Timberlake and Aguilera must show that they've grown up with their fans. Judging by Sunday's performances, mission accomplished.