Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Timberlake is solid, but Aguilera pretentious in twinbill

You know those two-for-one DVD deals you see occasionally in Costco? Where a really good movie is paired with, well, a not-so-good movie the company is having trouble moving off the shelves?

That about sums up "Justified and Stripped," the two-for-one concert tour featuring Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, arguably the country's hottest concert ticket of the moment. The do performed Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

It was painfully clear to see from this overblown, effects-laden show whose star is on the rise and who is grateful to be on the same bill to avoid professional extinction.

Aguilera's show screams desperation from the get-go, with a video of her strapped to a chair while the words "scandal," "gossip" and "paparazzi" flash across the screen. She breaks her bonds, the screen goes black and an explosion gives way to Aguilera's first number, a full-throttle version of "Dirrty."

Wearing a black leather outfit with what appeared to be pink duct tape stripped across her crotch and chest, Aguilera showed she still possesses an amazing voice.

What she lacks is a convincing stage presence.

The diva, who years before had the world spellbound with her waifishly thin physique and such singles as "Genie in a Bottle" and "What a Girl Wants," now wants the world to believe she was a victim who rose above it all, and who, at 22, wants to empower women the same way she's been empowered.

This seems to speak less to Aguilera's character and more to the marketing reality that performers need to keep things fresh and different to sell albums, a la Madonna.

Aguilera's unfocused delivery to the crowd didn't help sell the new image.

"How are you tonight ... Las Vegas," Aguilera said, seeming to momentarily forget where she was. "I'm a little tired."

She stumbled through a speech in which she said much but divulged nothing. "I've learned to trust my own instinct. I'm not 17 no more. I've had to learn the hard way."

Learn what? That fame carries a heavy burden? Hasn't she ever watched "Behind the Music"?

Aguilera told the crowd she wanted to talk "so you can know me a little bit better."

Uh, OK. For all her soul-searching posturing, Aguilera remained as aloof as ever.

She would later talk about the "double standards between men and women in society," and tell her male dancers, one of whom tore off her skirt, that it was her show, and they couldn't touch her again unless she requested it.

The heavy-going theme of women empowerment reached a nadir when, during the number "Fighter," all the women dancers pretended to knock out their male counterparts.

Exploding flashpots, laser shows, LED screens and no fewer than seven costume changes couldn't disguise the fact that Aguilera, whose hair is now black, is a great voice in search of an identity. Her musical stylings were all over the map, none of them particularly involving.

Her best moments came during a Spanish number -- the one rare time when the band wasn't completely drowning her out -- and two Etta James numbers, "At Last" and "I Prefer You."

The misfires included a stab at "Lady Marmalade," which was so truncated it wasn't even worth the production effort. Aguilera sang perfunctorily and then left the stage before the number was even finished.

She revisited her past with "What a Girl Wants" and "Come on Over," but it begged the question of why she would want to cover that ground again if she's trying to leave her past behind.

She provided a nice coda with the radio-friendly "Beautiful," wearing jeans and a T-shirt that read, "God Sees No Color." If only the rest of her set could have been as focused.

No such problem for Timberlake, whose arrival onstage had the capacity crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena -- mostly women -- shrieking in hysterics.

What Timberlake lacked in originality (his singing and dancing strongly mimic Michael Jackson) he made up for in attitude. He had the crowd mesmerized, confidently strutting the stage, smiling and pointing into the throng occasionally to make sure everyone was paying attention.

Were they ever. Timberlake's dance moves, an offshoot of his years with N'Sync, never missed a beat, and his singing, while whiny and nasal at times, had the women in the crowd screaming his name, waving their hands to get his attention.

Timberlake stuck mostly to material from "Justified," deviating only for N'Sync hits "Gone" and "Girlfriend." "Senorita" came off best, with Timberlake leading the audience in a call and response.

Timberlake's stylings, ranging from hip-hop to R&B to soft ballads, are strictly middle-of-the-road, and he proves a likable showman, aiming to please at every turn.

Timberlake showed a solid command of stage props as well, descending down a firepole, performing on a crane which took him out over the audience, jumping from a raised platform to the stage via a cable and, in a particularly stunning bit of magic, disappearing into a grand piano, on which he had just been dancing.

While Timberlake's musical future is uncertain (he's hinted he may continue recording with N'Sync), he left few patrons unsatisfied, and will likely remain a huge draw wherever he plays -- solo or accompanied.

Will he get recognition as a legitimate artist? Odds are his career will more take the path of David Cassidy than Michael Jackson, but worse things have happened to multimillionaires.

As for the possibility of a reunion with Britney Spears -- who frequents Las Vegas often -- sorry fans, it didn't happen, although there were several moments when young girls thought they saw Timberlake's former flame in the crowd and screamed her name.

archive