BY JAMIE UMBACH – ROGERSPLACE.COM
EDMONTON, AB – Have you stopped dancing after Wednesday yet, Rogers Place?
The rhythm and energy from The Man of the Woods Tour vibrates into Thursday’s finale of the two-show run in Edmonton, after Justin Timberlake orchestrated a spectacle of a lifetime with the help of The Tennessee Kids and one of the music industry’s most elaborate stage shows.
The excitement never stopped from the moment DJ Freestyle spun the beats to hype up a crowd that never quit swaying side to side before Toronto-born singer Francesco Yates hit the stage to continue warming up the crowd.
It’s befitting that a Canadian, who’s had an EP produced by the likes of Pharrell Williams, would open for Timberlake for the tour’s Canadian stops. The 23-year-old’s vocals are very recognizable to most after being featured on Robin Schultz’s “Sugar”.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Man of the Woods tour,” said Yates, kicking off the Timberlake experience.
Concertgoers in attendance might not have expected JT to be a literal man of the woods with trees lining an intricate stage that weaved and winded its way around the floor, with pockets of fans packed tightly into its curves. But that much, along with the undeniable on-stage influence of a pop star like Justin Timberlake, should have been expected.
“Filthy”, the icon’s lead track of his fifth solo studio album, flexed the muscles of his on-stage arsenal with exceptional dancers and a light display that would challenge the world’s greatest laser shows. Timberlake, known for being an artist whose ability to dance matches his incredible vocals, didn’t shy away from showing off his moves early into his two-hour set.
