Common Kings/DJ Freestyle
Perth Arena
Wednesday, October 8th, 2014
It’s been seven years since Justin Timberlake last toured Australia. Now back in the music industry Timberlake released two studio albums last year and is currently on a massive world tour in support of The 20/20 Experience. The shows in Perth are the last on the Australian leg, with a strong presence of 12,000 attending the first of two shows at Perth Arena.
The evening kicked off with Californian R&B group Common Kings, who warmed up the crowd performing on the B stage at the back of the venue. With many fans wanting to get up close to the front of the stage, some people decided to stand close to the B stage where the group were performing. Following their set, DJ Freestyle entertained the crowd moments before the show started.
Dressed in a black suit and white sneakers, Justin Timberlake appeared on stage and opened with Pusher Love Girl. Timberlake wasted no time making up for a seven year absence as he welcomed the crowd before kicking into Rock Your Body. Timberlake’s band, The Tennessee Kids, and dancers were smooth and flawless matching the same energy Timberlake brought to the stage all night. The show featured a massive stage production providing an extra element to the extravagant show. The first set consisted of hits such as FutureSex/Lovesound, My Love, TKO, Summer Love and LoveStoned before closing off with Cry Me A River.
After a short break, Timberlake returned for another set opening with Only When I Walk Away. Timberlake had a moment with the audience when one fan was overwhelmed when he performed an impromptu Happy Birthday to celebrate her 18th birthday. During Let The Groove Get In, part of the stage shifted to the back of the arena as Timberlake and his backup singers went over the top of the standing crowd below. Once on the B-stage, Timberlake went for a walk to see what was happening in the VIP area before taking a tequila shot and chant ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.’ He went on to perform fitting tributes to Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson. Timberlake returned to the main stage performing Take Back The Night followed by Murder with a mash up of Kool & The Gang’s Jungle Boogie and Bell Biv DeVoe’s Poison before closing the second set with Suit And Tie.
It was no surprise the audience wanted more, and within minutes Timberlake returned for an encore performing Sexy Back and Mirrors. We can only hope it doesn’t take another seven years till the next tour.
LUKE REYNOLDS
