Everything is *NSYNC
Young, screaming fans prove they're ready to Pop as boy band wows sell-out crowd
SkyDome, Toronto
Tuesday, June 19, 2001
Justin Timberlake is hardly in a coma.
In fact, *NSYNC's 20-year-old star had young female hormones racing wildly at the Florida band's show at SkyDome last night when he performed some extended gyrations while lying on his back during the new song, "Gone".
Last week, two Texas radio deejays sparked fear in pop fans with a hoax claiming Timberlake lie comatose while girlfriend Britney Spears had been killed in a car accident.
In fact, Spears is recording a new album and Timberlake is in the midst of *NSYNC's new PopOdyssey tour, which brought him and band members Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, Lance Bass and Joey Fatone to Toronto.
The event, one of the biggest concerts of the summer, brought out 40,000 fans, who were treated to more than 90 minutes of singing, dancing, explosions, fire bursts, and other stadium-worthy "toys" displayed on a five-storey-high stage with three video screens, state-of-the-art circular speakers and lights straight out of Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.
Seemingly wanting to make the live experience as interesting for themselves as their fans, *NSYNC found themselves wearing sequined chaps -- yikes!-- during "Space Cowboy" and strung up on pulleys 80 feet high that allowed them to fly over the audience.
The non-stop display of spectacle aside -- there were also levitating platforms, Velcro suits, moving sidewalks, fans taking pictures of the group on stage and the band's final disappearing magic act -- the crowd erupted into ear-piercing screams whenever *NSYNC performed their neo-Chippendale dance manoeuvres. Even Kirkpatrick went into a comedic strip-tease at one point during the show. "I'm going to get rid of these chaps," he announced. "I'm not from Dallas!"
The audience seemed oblivious to the fact that some of the band's moves were recycled from last year's No Strings Attached tour. Or maybe they just didn't notice in the heat of the moment.
Cheesy too was the dreaded "let's divide the audience in half and see who can scream louder," bit; band intros when, frankly, no one seemed to even notice the eight-piece outfit on stage; and that odd, intense man dressed in head-to-toe silver who appeared during the encore. He was half-deejay, half-illusionist, 100% fashion victim.
After a one-minute countdown that got the crowd shrieking and twirling their blue-and-green, glow-in-the dark sticks, *NSYNC first emerged from a glass pyramid on a smaller satellite stage in the centre of the floor.
Performing their new single, "Pop", they eventually made their way to the larger stage via a long catwalk, that saw plenty of action during the night.
Some might think the band is taking a big chance by performing so many songs from their new album Celebrity -- 10 of them made up the 18-song set list -- but I suspect the advance exposure of more dance-oriented tunes like "Pop", "Just The Two Of Us", "See Right Through You", "Up Against The Wall", the title track and "Game Over" -- will only help to spur sales.
*NSYNC are staying in town today to take part in interviews leading up to the July 24 release of Celebrity.
They'll stop by MuchMusic between 4-5 p.m. for a live chat.
Set List (* refers to songs from the band's new album, Celebrity, in stores July 24; titles subject to change)Pop* Tearin' Up My Heart I Want You Back God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You Just The Two Of Us* Space Cowboy (Yippie-Yi-Yay) This I Promise You Gone* It's Gonna Be Me See Right Through You* Up Against The Wall* Celebrity* Something Like You* Falling* Selfish* No Strings Attached
Encores: Game Over* Bye, Bye, Bye
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