The 20/20 Experience World Tour was the fifth

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...

by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. It was launched in support of his third and fourth studio albums, '' The 20/20 Experience'' (2013) and '' The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2'' (2013). The tour began on November 6, 2013 in New York City, and concluded on January 2, 2015 in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. The 20/20 Experience World Tour grossed $231.6 million from 128 shows becoming the second highest-grossing tour of 2014, behind

One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...

's Where We Are Tour and one of the highest-grossing tours of the decade. This made Timberlake the highest-grossing solo touring artist of the year. It is also Timberlake's most successful tour to date. Directed by Jonathan Demme, the concert film—titled '' Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids''—premiered on September 13 at the

2016 Toronto International Film Festival The 41st annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 8 to 18 September 2016. The first announcement of films to be screened at the festival took place on 26 July. Almost 400 films were shown. Awards The festival's final awards were ...

. It showcases the final date of the 20/20 tour at Las Vegas’

MGM Grand Garden Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. Sporting events From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...

. The streaming service

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

announced its acquisition ahead of the film's debut at film festival and released it on October 12, 2016. It was the final film to be directed by Demme before his death in April 2017.

Critical response

Since its debut, The 20/20 Experience World Tour has received acclaim from critics. Writing for the '' New York Daily News'', Jim Farber reviewed the opening show at Barclays Center. Farber described the concert as a "study in suave ease. Starting with ' Pusher Love Girl,' Timberlake exuded a sweatless charm." Hillary Rea for ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'', who attended the tour at the Wells Fargo Center, noted that Timberlake's performance "kept the audience not just alert, but hypnotized and hooked throughout a 30-song spectacle that ended just before midnight." Fionnuala Bourke in a review for ''

Birmingham Mail The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts of Warwickshire, Worcestershire a ...

'' opined that Justin "managed to completely keep his cool amid all the screams" and he "proved his position as the President of Pop." ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

s Emily Zemler, described him as a performer who is "genuinely having fun", adding he "knows he's got the looks, but he is also skilled at delivering something that isn't all surface", about the concert at The Forum, Los Angeles. She added: "Onstage, the pop star and actor moves with the sort of confidence that comes only from this knowledge, where it manifests not as ego but as absolute self-assurance. Jon Pareles of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' also gave a positive review noting that he "reveals something darker" and "something more fiery and intense" while performing post-breakup revenge songs such as " Cry Me a River" and " What Goes Around... Comes Around."

Costumes

Timberlake worked with

Tom Ford Thomas Carlyle Ford (born August 27, 1961) is an American fashion designer and filmmaker. He launched his eponymous luxury brand in 2005, having previously served as the creative director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. Ford wrote and direct ...

for the tour's costumes. During their collaboration they have created more than 600 costumes for Timberlake and his team. Most of Timberlake's costumes are black and white colored suits.

Broadcast & recordings

The concert film '' Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids'' premiered on

on October 12, 2016. Prior to premiering at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

, Timberlake dedicated the film to

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

. "His influence is all over everyone's music and there's so much that I feel like I've maybe consciously and unconsciously borrowed from him that it felt right", he told E! "It just feels right to dedicate the film to him." The concert film showcases the final date of the 20/20 tour at Las Vegas'

. Demme and Timberlake first met when the director wanted to work with him after watching his work in ''

The Social Network ''The Social Network'' is a 2010 American biographical drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, based on the 2009 book ''The Accidental Billionaires'' by Ben Mezrich. It portrays the founding of social networking websi ...

'' (2010); in the meeting they discussed

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...

' concert film ''

Stop Making Sense ''Stop Making Sense'' is a 1984 American concert film featuring a live performance by the American rock band Talking Heads. Directed by Jonathan Demme, it was shot over the course of three nights at Hollywood's Pantages Theater in December 198 ...

'', directed by Demme and an influence for the singer in his live performances. For ''Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids'', Demme used 14 operated cameras that

Declan Quinn Declan Quinn (born 1957) is an American cinematographer. He is a three-time winner of the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography. Early life Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Quinn is one of four children. His mother, Teresa, was a ...

, the director of photography, and he deployed over many pre-filming engagements, two other free-floating cameras in the audience and one cameraman onstage with Timberlake. Reviewing the concert film, critic David Rooney from '' Billboard'' wrote:

It's noteworthy that after two years and 134 dates on the 20/20 Experience World Tour, the act is drilled to perfection but never robotic. All six dancers combine precision with a personal signature, as do the musicians and singers who frequently step out from behind their 1940s big band-style JT music stands to cut loose. Timberlake is a magnetic performer who moves with twitchy sensuality in his Tom Ford tux. But I could just as easily have watched bespectacled vocalist Jack E. King III get his groove on all night, since there's nothing quite so ecstatically graceful as a heavy-set dude with funk in his bones.

Nigel M. Smith from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' noted "his falsetto is on-point throughout, as are his smooth moves – like a blend of Frank Sinatra,

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

and Prince, to whom the film is dedicated. There's a sexy swagger to Timberlake's onstage personae that never reads as cocksure, largely because of the lavish attention he pays to his band and dancers... They all look like there's no place they’d rather be, despite it being the end of a grueling two year tour. In an era when machines are largely responsible for the beats that drive pop music, the reverence Timberlake shows for actual instruments is worth endearing. Still, there's no mistaking Timberlake as ring leader." Brian Tallerico of the Roger Ebert website gave the film three-and-a-half out of four stars, and wrote "Demme opens his fantastically entertaining oncert filmby introducing us to the backup players and musicians who have supported the pop star on this two-year tour, but make no mistake, this movie is about the entertainer at its center. While Demme's camera never forgets to allow the other partners in pop to share time, he always comes back to Timberlake, one of the most purely enjoyable musicians around which one could center a concert film. His energy is infectious and his joy about what he's been blessed to do for a living is contagious". On

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film has an approval rating of 100%, based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, the film has a score 81 out of 100, based on 6 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Set list

The following set list is representative of the show on November 6, 2013. It is not representative of all concerts for the duration of the tour. #" Pusher Love Girl" #" Gimme What I Don't Know (I Want)" / "

Rock Your Body "Rock Your Body" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake from his debut studio album, '' Justified'' (2002). The Neptunes (consisting of Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams) wrote and produced the song. The song features backgroun ...

" #" Don't Hold the Wall" #" FutureSex/LoveSound" #" Like I Love You" / "Let Me Talk to You (Prelude)" #" My Love" #" TKO" #" Strawberry Bubblegum" #" Summer Love" #" LoveStoned / I Think She Knows (Interlude)" #" Until the End of Time" #"

Holy Grail The Holy Grail (french: Saint Graal, br, Graal Santel, cy, Greal Sanctaidd, kw, Gral) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miracu ...

" / " Cry Me a River" #"Only When I Walk Away" #"True Blood" #"

Drink You Away "Drink You Away" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Justin Timberlake for his fourth studio album, '' The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2'' (2013). It was written and produced by Timberlake, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and Jerome " ...

" #"

Tunnel Vision Tunnel vision is the loss of peripheral vision with retention of central vision, resulting in a constricted circular tunnel-like field of vision. Causes Tunnel vision can be caused by: Eyeglass users Eyeglass users experience tunnel vision t ...

" #" Señorita" #" Let the Groove Get In" #"

Heartbreak Hotel "Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being ...

" #" Not a Bad Thing" #"

Human Nature Human nature is a concept that denotes the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or ...

" #" What Goes Around.../...Comes Around (Interlude)" #"

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...

" #" Take Back the Night" #"

Jungle Boogie "Jungle Boogie" is a funk song recorded by Kool & the Gang for their 1973 album '' Wild and Peaceful''. It reached number four as a single, and became very popular in nightclubs. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the number 12 song for 1974, despite ther ...

" / "Murder" / " Poison" #" Suit & Tie" #"

SexyBack "SexyBack" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his second studio album, ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' (2006). It was released on July 18, 2006, to US mainstream and rhythmic radio stationsRadio single releases . FMQ ...

" ;Encore #

" Mirrors"

Tour dates

Personnel

Credits and personnel are taken from the Justin Timberlake's official website. Lead Singer *Justin Timberlake Dancers *Dana Wilson *Ivan Koumaev *Lyle Beniga *Lindsay Richardson *Natalie Gilmore *Matt Aylward *Nick Bass Backup Singers *Zenya Bashford *Aaron Camper *Erin Stevenson *Jack E. King *Nicole Hurst Band *Adam Blackstone (Music Director, Bass) *Elliott Ives (Guitar) *Mike Scott (Guitar) *Eric Smith (Bass) *Charlie Orias (Bass/Backup) *Dontae Winslow (Trumpet) *Sean Erick (Trumpet, The Regiment Horns) *Justin Gilbert (Keyboard Player) *Brian Frasier-Moore (Drums) *Daniel Jones (Keyboard) *Kevin Williams (Trombone, flute, tuba, The Regiment Horns) *Terry Santiel (Percussionist) *Leon Silva (Saxophonist, The Regiment Horns) Engineers *Danny Cheung (Protools)

Notes

References

External links

* (Netflix) * {{DEFAULTSORT:20 20 Experience World Tour, The Justin Timberlake concert tours 2013 concert tours 2014 concert tours 2015 concert tours Netflix specials Films directed by Jonathan Demme Concert films