Justin Timberlake's 90-minute concert in Iceland Sunday at the Kórinn auditorium may have been shorter than his recent U.S. shows, but the "Suit & Tie" singer made up for it, delivering intense, high-level energy the entire night.
He showed his appreciation for the warm welcome, repeatedly acknowledging Reykjavik, the country's capital, and receiving props for his correct pronunciation. "This is one of the most beautiful places on Earth," he declared.
Below are highlights from JT's first concert in Iceland:
Timberlake made a slight variation to his look. He toned down his usual tuxedo jacket with a black fedora that he wore the entire night, covering his Mohawk 'do. He did remove his hat at the end of the night when thanking the concertgoers. Although he's been wearing a black shirt with lightning bolts on tour, recent volcanic activity in Iceland gave the fashion look more meaning Sunday.
Timberlake chose a different Michael Jackson tribute. Though he did not cover Elvis Presley and Bell Biv DeVoe songs as he has during his U.S. shows, he did pay homage to Michael Jackson. In Iceland, he picked up the pace with a rendition of a Jackson 5 party anthem "Shake Your Body," instead of the ballad "Human Nature" that he played in the States. Timberlake and his background dancers even mimicked Jackson's signature head-bobbing, finger-pointing moves. "Shake Your Body" followed Timberlake's "Take Back the Night," a song influenced by Jackson's music from the same era.
Timberlake displayed his musicianship. While Timberlake first played guitar Sunday on "Not a Bad Thing," his instrumentation was best received when he played an acoustic version of "What Goes Around." The crowd loved it. He also slowed things down momentarily, earlier in the show, when he sat down at the piano to belt "Until the End of Time."
Timberlake reflected on his childhood dream. After "Not a Bad Thing," Timberlake humbly expressed his gratitude, saying playing Iceland was beyond anything he could have imagined "when [he] was 8 years old, learning chords on a guitar." He added: "I mean, you write these songs in a small room and you just never know who's gonna hear them. So from the bottom of my heart, I just thank you. I love you so much."
Iceland knew every Timberlake lyric. The crowd sang along throughout the night. During "Summer Love," Timberlake engaged the audience in an a cappella, call-and-response singalong. Things got even better for the finale of "Mirrors" as Timberlake, emotionally moved by the audience's response, pointed the microphone to the crowd for much of the song, enjoying their impromptu singing.
