So, more than a year ago I wrote a blog about how I was back. I haven't updated my blog since then. Since I started this blog in 2011, I have managed to attend a live event every month, even if I have been too lazy to blog about it. The only problem with not blogging about these events is that I easily forget what I attended and when and memories start to fade.
So, without further adieu, I decided there's no better subject to restart my blog with than Justin Timberlake. First, a few words about Katherine. Kat has been one of my closest friends since we were 14 years old. She's the type of person that will take on almost any adventure I can come up with. When we realized last year that Justin Timberlake wouldn't be touring anywhere near either one of our cities, we made a snap decision to go on StubHub and purchase some really insanely-priced nosebleed tickets to see Justin and Jay-Z at Yankee Stadium. We made plans to stay with some of her friends in Jersey (thanks, Leonards!) and hit the road. We had an amazing day in NYC that ended with a concert that was more of an experience than a show. While I love Justin in a way that is probably unhealthy, being able to see Jay-Z in his hometown was a once in a lifetime experience. I also got to experience the joys of the NYC subway system in mid-July. When I hit the shower at 2 a.m. after 14 hours in the city, the dirt and grime came off of me in puddles.
Now here we are, almost a year later. Justin is still touring, a clear sign to me that his marriage is in trouble and it's only a matter of time until we are together forever. This time, our drive was only 20 minutes to the Hornets arena. We were joined by my friends Becca (who also is a little unhealthily obsessed with Justin) and Brittany. Here we are before the show started. (Side note: Kat recently got a Shailene-Woodley-eqsue haircut that looks amazing!)
Justin had no opening act because he doesn't need one. For almost three hours, he danced and sang his heart out. There was a brief 10 minute intermission, which I think Justin took just to get cleaned up because he was sweating like me on the subway in July. The stage setup was pretty simple, with plenty of room for Justin to dance around. His band, The Tennessee Kids, seems to have even more members than the Roots. One of their members, Max, is a Charlotte native and he received a warm reception from the audience. There was a great mix of old songs and new. There were a few of his older hits that we didn't get to hear in NYC, including Summer Love (very appropriate!) and Until the End of Time. There were a few times that Justin sat down at the piano or grabbed his guitar, but for the most part he was constantly dancing. Kat and I loved the fact that he was wearing white tennis shoes, making it easier for us to watch his feet move at a seemingly impossible pace.
Hands down, my absolute favorite moment of the evening started when Justin and some of his dancers stepped onto a catwalk that suddenly came apart from the stage and started to move. The catwalk slowly made its way further into the audience, going higher and higher. The audience squealed as Justin got closer and closer, making sure every section felt like they were included. Once the catwalk stopped, he hopped off onto a separate stage in the center of the arena. It felt like a completely different, more intimate concert. He did some Michael Jackson cover songs and then grabbed himself a shot of
Justin Timberlake 901 tequila and proposed a toast, which could be best be described as a tribute to Charlotte, his dedicated fans and Southern women. "There's nothing better than a woman from the South," he declared. (I'd like to take this moment to point out that Jessica Biel is from Minnesota and that JT was not wearing a wedding ring.)
Then he picked up his guitar and talked about how much Elvis' music means to him. And then he played Heartbreak Hotel and I could feel my heart breaking into a million pieces. It was my favorite thing that Justin Timberlake has ever done.
Early in the show, Justin thanked us all for being fans for so long and joked about how we'd all grown up together. Everyone laughed, but it's very true. Since the days of the Mickey Mouse Club, Justin's been one of my favorite parts of pop culture. I think he's managed to do something that many child celebrities seem to struggle with, become a successful adult without alienating his fan base.
According to my FitBit, we had over 70 active minutes that night, which can all be attributed to awkward white girl dancing. When Justin and his band brought down the house with a cover of Bell Biv DeVoe's Posion, our sweat barriers just broke and we gave up any attemps to not be disgusting. Before the encore, Kat and I jokingly stretched because we knew Sexy Back was yet to come and we'd need to be ready to dance. Towards the end of the song, Justin shouted out, "I still run this bitch!" Yes, yes, he does, and I look forward to dancing with Kat and JT when we are 42. We still plan on running this bitch.
