Reykjavík Grapevine - 29.08.2014, Qupperneq 34

34 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 13 — 2014MUSIC
Reported from the
heart of darkness
Though it was very dark and full of
expensive yet paradoxically cheap beer,
the night I finally saw Justin Timberlake
perform live in concert was young and
beautiful. It started at the unearthly hour
of 19:30, but I guess it was probably a
school night. Gusgus opened the show,
and after having fought my way down
the stairs and to the main floor, I could
gaze in appreciation at the large screen
alternately featuring Högni Egilsson’s
and Daníel Ágúst’s faces as they sang
in their angelic
voices. Perhaps the
highlight of their
performance was
Högni’s fantastic
hair and beard
combo, which, as I
tore my eyes away
from the screen, I
could see was also
entrancing everyone
around me.
But this review
isn’t about Gusgus,
fantastic musicians
though they are. It’s
about Justin, whom I
love. Next up was DJ
Freestyle Steve, whom I hate. There is a
time and a place for DJ Freestyle Steve,
and that’s a Bar Mitzvah, or perhaps a
middle school dance. In 2009. Freestyle
Steve played that really annoying Alicia
Keys song about New York and Rihanna’s
song about yellow diamonds in the sky.
That was about the point I stopped paying
attention to any of the audio and went to
buy myself the abovementioned way-
too-expensive beer, which did nothing to
soothe the pain imposed by DJ Freestyle
Steve. The only reason I can think that
DJ Freestyle Steve was booked to play
instead of any of the good local DJs (of
which there are many) is because they
needed a palate cleanser in between
the glory that is Justin and Gusgus. The
two playing one right after the other
would be like eating an entire gallon of
Häagen-Dazs butter pecan and then a
whole pound of really good cheesecake:
too much of a good thing. You have to at
least take a breather
for a disappointing
egg salad sandwich
from a gas station to
work up an appetite
for good food again.
Thankfully, I
didn’t have long to
wait before Justin
Timberlake and his
band, The Tennessee
Kids, came on. The
stage was decked
out to look like a
speakeasy glamour
stage, a la the
musical ‘Chicago,’
with Justin as the
crown jewel in the centre. He’s come a
long way since the days of ramen hair and
horrible tinted oval sunglasses. His suit
was sharp, his sneakers a dazzling white,
his hair styled impeccably under his hat.
Not to sound obsessed, but he glided
across the stage, a vision in top hat, white
sneakers glowing and drawing the eye
to his flawless footwork. He performed a
few classics, like “Rock Your Body” and
“Señorita,” which of course the crowd
went wild for. I was personally thrilled at
the stunning boudoir-infused rendition
of the number “My Love.” Another of my
favourites was “What Goes Around…”,
the sequel to 2002’s critically acclaimed
single “Cry Me A River” (which he also
played). It started with Justin on the
acoustic guitar and crooning softly to an
unnamed woman who broke his heart
(Britney?!!?!) for a good few minutes
before getting to the sexy part where he
belts his anguish, abandoning all acoustic
pretences. A man in pain is really the
only way good art can be created, so I
guess we have to thank everyone who
has caused that anguish, Britney (??)
included.
The set was really long, including
songs from his two new albums, which
are objectively good but don’t pull at
my heartstrings like his classics do. He
performed the obligatory “Sexy Back,”
which the eight-to-twelve-year-olds in
the crowd went wild for. It was only a
little bit awkward when they really got
grooving to the lines “Baby I’m your slave,
I’ll let you whip me if I misbehave,” and
“Let me see what you’re twerkin’ with.”
We can only assume (hope) he didn’t
have eight-to-twelve-year-olds in mind
when he wrote the song. I was really
gunning for him to sing “Dick In A Box,”
or even “Mother Lover,” but he ended up
closing with “Mirrors,” a single off the
new album.
In summary: Justin really brought
it, and the concert was a total success,
despite the tragedy that was DJ Freestyle
Steve.
Eight million sweating preteens were packed into Kórinn Sports Hall in Kópavogur on
Sunday, August 24, all for one purpose: Justin Timberlake. Also in attendance were
those who were alive to have experienced him firsthand in his original incarnation as
a tortured child artist on Disney’s 'Mickey Mouse Club,' and then for his subsequent
reinvention as the only member of 'N SYNC anyone cared about. Full disclosure: I be-
long to the latter group.
Photos
Alisa Kalyanova
Words
Rebecca Scott Lord
He glided across the
stage, a vision in top
hat, white sneakers
glowing and drawing
the eye to his flawless
footwork.
www.thjodminjasafn.is
Suðurgata 41 / 101 Reykjavík
Along with the permanent exhibition
that features Iceland’s history from
settlement to present day the
museum offers a variety of exhibitions
during the year, e.g. on Icelandic
silver and photography.
The National
Museum of
Iceland
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JVT
^^ ̂PJLSHUKVMMLYZJVT
Justin Timberlake,
A Review
Justin Timberlake performed at Kópavogur’s Kórinn stadium
on Sunday August 24, with support from Gusgus.
www.justintimberlake.com
www.gusgus.com
Sunday, August 24Kórinn, KópavogiJustin Timberlake