Review: 'N Sync At Pyramid Arena, Memphis, Tenn.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- For Justin Timberlake of 'N Sync, Friday's (5/12) show at Memphis' Pyramid Arena was an educational experience. He didn't learn a new way to beat the rush of girls out of an arena, or how to slip through the back door of a hotel. The 19-year-old singer finally received his high school diploma.
Brenda Crenshaw, a teacher from his Memphis-area high school, stepped out on stage after the ballad "I Drive Myself Crazy" to remind the singer that "we have not graduated you with a ceremony yet.
"I've chased you all over and I finally found you in your wonderful hometown of Memphis," she said.
So, with cap and gown in hand, she and fellow teacher Chuck Yeager handed Timberlake his diploma. Yeager ended the declaration by saying, "There's no strings attached to your potential."
"It's great to have a ceremony like that in my hometown of Memphis," Timberlake added. "I feel like I had 20,000 people at my graduation. I'm the only person I know who got to wear a bandana under his cap. So I'm coo'."
As if the crowd didn't think he was cool. Whenever Timberlake appeared on the massive video screen, his vocals were drowned out by high-pitched wailing.
'N Sync's high-flying performance showed an edgier side of the group than tours past. Clinched fists, tight choreography and aggressive dance moves were coupled with enough pyrotechnics to make Metallica jealous. The crowd fed off of that aggression. When 'N Sync sang "Bye Bye Bye," the audience danced along with such force that the building vibrated with each chorus.
Though the quintent did enter PG-land by bumping and grinding its way across the stage, the show was still geared toward younger fans. Lance Bass answered a Pokemon question during a spoof of his appearance on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." During "Tearin' up My Heart," the group paid homage to MTV's "Total Request Live" with "TNL"--"Total 'N Sync Live"--complete with messages across the bottom of the screen.
In 90 minutes, 'N Sync blasted through 13 songs, offering a cross-section of hits from its 1998 self-titled debut, as well as the record-setting "No Strings Attached." The a cappella ballad "I Thought She Knew" was near perfect; the jumpin' cover of "Just Got Paid" showed that Timberlake, Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez and Joey Fatone are the quintessential showmen.
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