Larry Rodgers The Arizona Republic
'N Sync has been promising a spectacle on its PopOdyssey tour, and the supergroup delivered Wednesday night in a way that would make the Ringling Bros. circus folks proud.
Pulling out all the stops - including fireworks, flames, "flights" above the crowd and even mechanical bulls - the multiplatinum quintet met the challenge of performing pop music in Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, which is much more suited to baseball and monster trucks than concerts.
In between the special effects and several clever video sketches shown on a large screen, the Florida-based band managed to deliver its music, including a generous sneak preview of its upcoming Celebrity release.
The larger-than-life show, which lasted one hour and 35 minutes, clearly pleased the screaming crowd that filled about two-thirds of the stadium. Although the overall noise level was not overpowering in the cavernous stadium, the female-heavy audience still assaulted an eardrum or two when Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez and Lance Bass took solo turns.
Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick also drew friendly reactions, but their three bandmates took higher profiles this time around.
The group, which has taken the lead in defending modern pop music against critics who term it shallow and disposable, wasted no time in letting its Phoenix fans know that what Timberlake calls "dirty pop" isn't going away anytime soon.
Emerging from a glass pyramid on a satellite stage amid the field-level seats, 'N Sync opened the show with an aggressive version of its latest single, "Pop." After making their way to the main stage via a runway that allowed fans to shake hands with band members at times, the five singers threw down some well-choreographed dance moves as fireworks and flames erupted.
The group started the show in patchwork jackets and jeans before going through several costume changes. Timberlake's crewcut leaves him without the flowing locks he sported in Phoenix last year, while Chasez has longer hair this time around.
Chasez shared the spotlight with Timberlake - who gets extra media attention for his relationship with Britney Spears - on strong versions of the 'N Sync classics "God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You" and "This I Promise You."
For much of the evening, the sound mix was heavy on bass and drums, reflecting the more urban sound of the group's new album, which will be released Tuesday. Celebrity's title track benefited from this treatment. During the song, 'N Sync and its five female dancers paraded around, dressing like beautiful people, as 20 girls selected from the crowd came onstage to take pictures.
Another new tune, "Game Over," was a run-of-the-mill dance number that was rescued by a creative video-game stage concept featuring a space alien, lasers and the band and dancers dressed like cohorts of Lara Croft.
The group's decision to perform two new ballads, "Falling" and "Selfish," back-to-back left parts of the crowd - which included plenty of preteens but also lots of fans ages 14-17 - looking a bit restless. Both songs are R&B influenced but flavored with some extra syrup.
However, this show had lots to grab the crowd's attention, including a cool conveyor-belt routine during the new "See Right Through You" that ended with the band disappearing in a cloud of smoke. A goofy cowboy video led into a circus-like version of "Space Cowboy" that featured the guys in sequined chaps suspended over the crowd on cables.
The one complaint that some longtime listeners might have was that older tunes such as "Tearin' Up My Heart" and "It's Gonna Be Me" lost some of their melody as the bass and drums took center stage. The stadium sound mix also left some of the vocals muddied.
Despite all the special effects, 'N Sync still enjoys using some old-school entertainment, such as between-song sketches. One especially well-done bit was a silent-movie style clip of Timberlake looking like Charlie Chaplin as a lead-in to the new ballad "Gone." The live video shot of the band, which had changed into old-timey costumes, also was in black and white, with "scratches" like in old films.
Although 'N Sync may have gone a bit overboard in pushing its new album's unheard songs in concert, this stadium show remained more about visuals than music and when those sights include five heartthrobs, you won't hear many complaints from this group's fanatical fans.
Among the three opening acts, Samantha Mumba stood out, hitting a nice groove with songs like her hit, "Gotta Tell You." The TV-created group Eden's Crush, which includes Valley resident Ana Maria Lombo, was sent onstage before the concert's advertised start time of 7:30 p.m., so much of the audience missed that act.
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