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Just
Strip Already! Stripped
& Justified
Christina Aguilera
& Justin Timberlake
By: Kelly
Bowen
From section 411 seat 1, the Office Depot Center looked like a giant,
tripped out fish bowl, which became the setting for this year's Justified
and Stripped Tour.
Coming from a big
Christina fan, I have to say that I was a little disappointed. Yes,
she was having fun, and she owned the stage, but I was expecting something
more heart-felt and personable from her: a concert more like the tone
and vibe of her album.
But what I got was
this "West Side Story" meets Breakin' (a break-dancing movie
of the 1980's) thing. Vocally, Christina's talent was unmatched. When
she sang Fighter, I felt so pumped and liberated. And when thousands
of people sang Beautiful a cappella, tears came to my eyes.
But the rest of the
concert felt more like a musical, and Christina was lost in a sea
of florescent orange and pink-outfitted dancers. At times I thought
she was a ripping off Madonna's
"Like A Virgin" tour, and other times I thought she was
still obsessed with the Moulin Rouge/Lady Marmalade days. She
was definitely trying to make a statement.
Attempting to shed
her "bubble gum" rep, she went to the extreme, putting on
a show full of attitude, sexuality and street dancing. In an attempt
to keep it real, she did everything but that. Next time I'd like to
see the real Christina: vulnerable, beautiful, and articulate, pouring
her heart out like she does in her album. In defense though, I must
say to all those haters out there that she did not look like a skank.
It's funny how these
two headliners are so similar. While I praise Christina for her sophisticated
lyrics, and criticize her for the Mickey Mouse stage performance,
the opposite holds true of Justin Timberlake. He put on a very mature
show, but he didn't prove that he has lyrically evolved past the N'SYNC
days.
Now don't get me
wrong. I am a Justin fan, but only because he's hot and encompasses
all the aspects of a boy band, and not because I love his music. I
heard his album and didn't opt to buy it. He doesn't have enough content,
and that was exactly my problem with his solo concert. Too much filler,
not enough guts.
He shed the N'SYNC
persona to take on a hip-hop edge, but was still performing his boy
band ballads. On top of that, he gave all his dancers time to take
center stage and show us their stuff. Like we're there to see your
dancers! Hello! I thought he was buying time. It was more like the
"Justin Timberlake Variety Show."
This catch-22 is
interesting because no other artist can go on stage, dance a little,
beat box a little, sing a few songs, do a few tricks, throw his hat
to the crowd and consistently send the place into mayhem! Talk about
ingenious management, or pathetic, love-smitten consumers!
In the end, Justin
does have an impressive repertoire. The man's got skills, but he hasn't
united them. He needs to develop a solid sound, write a few more hits
and maybe then I'll see him as more than a boy toy. That's the best
we can hope for. Perhaps I'm just like the rest, but Justin gave me
exactly what I expected…his face on a giant LCD screen.
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