Sac Bee Review FS/LS Tour US Leg

Concert review: Justin Timberlake at Arco Arena
By Rachel Leibrock - Bee Staff Writer

Some things are just too hard to explain - you either get it, or you don't.

Like, just exactly how is it that a skinny white guy from Memphis manages to out sing, out dance and just about out cool almost everybody on the planet?

By all logical accounts, Justin Timberlake - a boy-band alum who still performs choreographed dance moves and sings more than his fair share of hackneyed lyrics - should be little more than a guilty pleasure.

Lucky for Timberlake, we get it.

More specifically, 17,000-plus screaming fans totally got it when the 25-year-old pop star heated up Arco Arena on an icy Friday night with his FutureSex/LoveShow tour.

Pink opened the show with a smart and fun 45-minute set that included hits such as "Pills," "Get the Party Started" and "Stupid Girls." In a brave new pop world, Pink would be more famous than all the Britneys.

But it was Timberlake's night, and the singer staked his claim by using every inch of the gigantic "in the round" stage for a two-hour set that featured 10 back-up dancers, a 14-piece band and a guest appearance by mega-producer Timbaland.

Dressed in a natty gray suit (that eventually gave way to a more relaxed vest-and-sneakers ensemble), Timberlake shook, shimmied and sang, eliciting eardrum-piercing shrieks with every well-timed hip thrust or carefully calculated tip of the fedora.

(Insert your own "SexyBack" quip here.)

Timberlake opened with the title track from his double platinum "FutureSex/LoveSounds" album. The intoxicating herky-jerky dance track set the pace for the show's overall feel: frenetic, sexy and, for the most part, expertly calibrated.

The high points were many: Slinky, soulful renditions of "Damn Girl" and "Rock Your Body" evoked memories of a young Michael Jackson. A rocking version of "Cry Me a River" morphed the song from a revenge therapy ballad into a body-shaking thumper.

Timberlake did let his feet rest several times, settling in at a keyboard for ballads such as "Until the End of Time" and a breezy rendition of "Senorita." The latter, with it's '70s blue-eyed soul vibe was - dare we say it? - very Doobie Brothers. But in a good way.

Timberlake also plucked away at an acoustic guitar on a couple of tracks - who knew? - and demonstrated his love for the underappreciated keytar on no fewer than three songs.

There were a few lows. "Losing My Way," a first-person narrative about a broken-down ne'er-do-well, is already one of Timberlake's lesser moments - we're supposed to believe he's singing about himself? As if. Live, the song took on an even bigger sense of inauthenticity and disconnect thanks to the video images of a choir and orchestra superimposed on the video screens.

JT, we're paying big money to watch you put on a major pop show - spring for the extra in-the-flesh players.

And, as much as we love right-hand man Timbaland, the producer's 15-minute DJ set seemed to stretch on forever.

Finally, if you pay really close attention, stripping away at the layers of bouncy hooks and Timberlake's charisma, you're often just left with trite lyrics and music that relies heavily on precision-cut choreography to make its point.

But, you know, whatever.

Because sometimes the whole of one's cool is greater than the sum of any cheesy parts. When Timberlake launched into an extended, dance-tastic remix of "SexyBack," the result was, as the kids say, off the hook.

Best of all, this generation's King of Pop - smiling and clearly basking in the glow of such frenzied adoration - genuinely seemed to be enjoying himself.

Sure, Timberlake probably says it to all the cities, but when he said, "I just might have to come back to Sacramento tomorrow night," we felt the love.

And that's cool.