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This weekend, millions of Americans observed Valentine’s Day, Presidents’ Day, and yes even National Ferris Wheel Day! For tens of thousands of folks in frigid snowy Chicago, the weekend was capped off with a trip to the United Center (the house that Michael Jordan built) to see Justin Timberlake and his 20/20 Experience World Tour, and Justin did not disappoint.
As Timberlake’s World Tour continues to travel the globe, here’s a quick review of the highlights from his show in Chicago (and there were many), plus some tips and tricks for those of you planning to attend a future show of the tour.
The basics
The scheduled show time was 8pm CST for the Sunday February 16th, 2014 show. Early on the rumor was that JT would take the stage sharply at 9pm giving fans an hour to hit the concession stands, bars, restrooms, and of course buy some Tour memorabilia, where T-shirts were selling for approximately $40 and programs were $20. Note:, there is no opening act, and Justin was very punctual hitting the stage at 9pm sharp.
The show ran just under 2 hours and 40 minutes long including a ten minute intermission.
Below is the official posted set list from the Chicago Tour.
Opening Set
- Pusher Love Girl
- Gimme What I Don’t Know (I Want)
- Rock Your Body
- Don’t Hold the Wall
- FutureSex/LoveSound
- Like I Love You
- My Love
- TKO
- Summer Love
- LoveStoned
- Until the End of Time
- Holy Grail (Intro)
- Cry Me a River
Post-Intermission
- Only When I Walk Away
- Drink You Away
- Tunnel Vision
- Señorita
- Let the Groove Get In
- That Girl
- Heartbreak Hotel (Elvis Presley cover)
- Not a Bad Thing
- Human Nature (Michael Jackson cover)
- What Goes Around… Comes Around
- Cabaret
- Take Back the Night
- Jungle Boogie (Kool & The Gang cover)
- Murder
- Poison (Bell Biv DeVoe cover)
- Suit & Tie
Encore
- SexyBack
- Mirrors
The experience
Having seen Justin Timberlake close out the iHeart Radio Festival in Las Vegas just this past September, I thought I had a good idea of what to expect in terms of the look and feel of the concert. I was wrong. The audio and visual experience was bigger and better than JT’s iHeart Performance. His set on this tour rivals the likes of Lady Gaga and the horn section was reminiscent of Bruno Mars. The set designers have done a fantastic job mixing in the big band sound of the Tennessee Kids with a futuristic visual light show that makes you feel like you’re experiencing an old school horn section amidst the set of Michael Jackson and Janet Jacksons’ Scream video.
That experience was taken to the next level when a section of the stage was lifted up on moving hydraulic lifts and rolled across the stadium to give fans in the back sections of the venue as well as the upper levels, and of course the VIP floor seats, an up close look at the superstar.
Justin Timberlake and his teams of musicians, singers, and dancers spent much of the post-intermission set performing on the elevated catwalk at the back half of the venue. He then walked down the staircase attached to the catwalk down to the VIP “pens” on the floor which had their own bars and bartenders. Justin interacted with the VIP fans and walked atop the bars while belting out tributes to Elvis Presley (Heartbreak Hotel) and Michael Jackson (Human Nature) and leading into “What goes around…”
The catwalk returned to the front of the stage for the final numbers of the evening, which included a rendition of Bell Biv Devoe’s “Poison” that had the whole stadium singing along. The second set of the concert ended with “Suit and Tie” and left the crowd on its feet, screaming for more.
In response to the thunderous applause and cheers, Timberlake returned for “Sexy Back” and “Mirrors.” Even though I had seen his closing rendition of “Mirrors” before at the iHeart Radio Festival, the “Mirrors” finale in Chicago was not to be missed. The entire stadium sang the majority of the song, as Justin sat back and admired his fans’ passion and appreciation. There is no doubt that Justin Timberlake, similar to 30 Seconds to Mars, Pit Bull, Lady Gaga, and Bruno Mars, is incredible at connecting with his fans, involving them in the show, and creating a “shared experience” (as Jimmy Fallon would say) for the tens of thousands in attendance.
Tips and tricks
Here are a few suggestions that I hope you’ll find helpful if you’re attending the 20/20 Experience World Tour in the near future.
- Don’t bring the kids. Justin Timberlake’s show is long, and this one ended just before midnight. Also there are times when foul language is used and suggestive visuals are put up on the massive video screens. As much as parents may want to bring their kids along (and to my surprise there were a number of children in the audience at the February 16, 2014 show) it probably is not a good idea. Besides, the children I saw tended to be tired and bored as the night wore on.
- Ladies, expect huge lines in the restrooms. This is Justin Timberlake after all, so it should come to no surprise that the majority of the fans in attendance were women. That was most abundantly clear during the intermission when the men’s restrooms had little to no lines, while the ladies’ restrooms had lines that were several hundred people long. I saw a large number of women running into the men’s restroom, rather than wait in line for the ladies’ room.
- The intermission is short. At the end of the opening set, a ten minute intermission is announced, and if you’re trying to hit the concession stands and/or the restrooms those ten minutes will go by fast.
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When the stage is elevated and moved to the back of the venue, your view of the show is going to change dramatically. Keep that in mind when you pick your seats.
- For those with floor seats near the stage, you will find yourself looking up at the screens, or turning around and craning your neck to see most of the second half of the show.
- For those in the VIP sections, early on you’ll be looking up and over the sea of floor seats ahead of you (especially since most fans on the floor will be standing throughout the show), but when the stage moves, JT will be either directly above you or just inches away from you as part of the second half is performed from the bar-tops of the VIP bars.
- If you’re on the sides of the venue, you’re going to get an opportunity to see JT up close because the elevated stage has stairs leading up over the side sections of the venue. However if you’re in the lower rows of these side sections you may be looking straight up through the cat walk, as the stairs to the sides stop about half way up the sections. Also if you’re on the sides of the venue you may not get to fully experience the amazing visuals and intricate lighting that are setup behind the stage.
- If you’re dead center in the venue you’re going to thoroughly enjoy the light show. The use of video screens, spot lights, and laser lights, is a visual feast. However, when the elevated stage comes to the back of the venue, if you’re in the lower rows of the center sections, you might have your view partially blocked by the scaffolding of the catwalk.
- For tickets to the sold out tour, monitor the resale websites like Stub Hub closely. In the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, the February 16th tickets were selling for double to quadruple face value depending on the section (face value for the Chicago concerts was approximately $170 for 100 level seats and $100 for 300 level seats). However, on February 16th many of the prices dropped and you could get good seats for face value. For example 100 level center seats could be purchase for approximately $200 a ticket. VIP tickets were available for under $400 a ticket, and 300 level tickets were available for approximately $150 to $180 a ticket. Since JT doesn’t take the stage till about an hour after the listed show time, you might be able to wait out the sellers and get good seats and a good price.
The wrap up
Justin Timberlake is a Superstar and a wonderful live performer. There’s little more to say about this concert than it lives up to his reputation. He delivers a high energy show that the fans are going to love. Yes, a good number of the songs are off the new album and you may wish he played more of his older hits, but the show does not disappoint at all.
Justin also took a moment to personalize the show for the Chicago fans, as he does in every city, paying homage to Michael Jordan, Chicago-style Pizza and Hot Dogs, Ferris Bueller, and even Chicago musicians such as R. Kelly. To the audience’s delight, JT even declared that while he loves his hometown and will “rep Memphis” till he dies, Chicago is his favorite city.
I would also be remiss not to give a resounding round of applause to Justin’s band, the Tennessee Kids, his backup singers and dancers, and the light and sound technicians as the show is not just a great concert, but also an audio and visual experience that’s worth every dollar you may have spent on the tickets.
Future dates
The 20/20 World Tour will have another show in Chicago, tonight, February 17, 2014 with future stops in Madison Square Garden, Buffalo, and Washington DC. Check out future tour dates and more information at: http://twentytwenty.justintimberlake.com/
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