Justin Timberlake with Colorful Best of in Vienna

Right at the beginning, Timberlake presented one of his most beautiful songs: "Mirrors," a touching ballad from 2013 about first love and life's twilight. Even after more than 25 years, Timberlake has many admirers. While there were once fans who swooned over him, they are now often around his age. Lines like "dirty babe" and "I got sexy ladies all over the floor" may seem less uncritical today than they did in the 2000s.

Justin Timberlake in Vienna: "Oldtimers" and a "Boy from Tennessee"

Perhaps that's why the evening was more leisurely and a bit lukewarm compared to twenty years ago. The hearts no longer blaze, they have cooled a bit. "You newcomers, welcome to the party," Timberlake remarked, "and you oldtimers, thank you for making the dream of a boy from Tennessee come true."

The world may have changed over the decades (Timberlake's first solo album "Justified" was released in 2002), but not this "boy from Tennessee." The hip swing is still there. Uh-hu. He has charisma and cheekiness and darts across the stage as if his white sneakers are walking on a cloud. His authentic falsetto is intact - just like back then as the boy band prince of *NSYNC.

Both Timberlake and the fans are happy to overlook his eventful past ("Nipplegate," Britney Spears, and a not very flattering mugshot due to drunk driving), as most of the songs take them back to their own youth. Everyone has certain memories of classics like "Summer Love," "Rock Your Body," and "Señorita." Synth sounds merge into a funky triple hit of "LoveStoned," "Like I Love You," and "My Love," crowned by an electric guitar solo.

Slick Show Without Fuss by Justin Timberlake in Vienna

For two hours, Timberlake delivered a slick show - without much fuss and with only three songs from his new album "Everything I Thought It Was," with which he went on tour in 2024. There was even time for a selfie with a ten-year-old and an autograph for a woman who survived a heart attack (it was written on her homemade sign). His longtime producer Timbaland stopped by for "SexyBack."

Not a futuristic high-tech spectacle, as was the case with his "Forget Tomorrow" tour that ended in February, but a stripped-down version was offered on this warm summer evening. Behind the top-notch Tennessee Kids, a huge screen stretched with blue, retro-futuristic elements and deep orange and red tones of a desert landscape.

The show was so scaled down that it might have been better suited to a smaller venue. Timberlake doesn't need much. Just a guitar, which he brought out for a version of "What Goes Around...Comes Around" and "Selfish." At the anticlimactic end ("Until The End Of Time"), after two hours, you were back in the present.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.