Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids

On May 5, 2013, Timberlake announced that he would embark on The 20/20 Experience World Tour, his second concert tour on a global scale. Promoted primarily by Live Nation, the tour would debut on October 31, 2013, in Montreal, just two months after the Legends of the Summer tour concluded. Twenty-two additional dates were also announced across Canada and the United States, ending on February 10, 2014, in Omaha, Nebraska. Several dates were made available for pre-sale for members of The Tennessee Kids, Timberlake's official fan club. Timberlake's official website noted that, while unannounced, additional dates in Europe, South America, and Australia would follow.^[1] In his autobiography Hindsight (2018), Timberlake wrote that he ended the tour early after learning that his wife, Jessica Biel, was pregnant. The tour concluded with a performance at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on January 2, 2015.^[2]

Demme initially contacted Timberlake after seeing his performance in The Social Network (2010); in the meeting they discussed Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense (1984), directed by Demme and an influence for the singer in his live performances.^[3] The performance captured in Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids was filmed over two nights, January 1–2, 2015. Demme used 14 operated cameras that Declan Quinn, the director of photography, and he deployed over many pre-filming engagements, including two other free-floating cameras in the audience and one cameraman onstage with Timberlake.^[4] Timberlake dedicated the film to Prince, who died during post-production. "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."^[5]

Summarize Timeline Fact Check

Netflix announced its acquisition of Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids shortly before its September 13, 2015 premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film premiered worldwide on Netflix on October 12, 2016.^[7] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10.^[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[9]

Noel Murray of The A.V. Club gave Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids an "A-" grade, and said that "Timberlake himself is a stunner, whether he's smoothly pirouetting his way through 'Suit & Tie' or he's choking back tears during his stirring set closer 'Mirrors.' But his team is well-matched by Demme's."^[10] Ethan Vestby of The Film Stage gave it a "B-" grade, and said it's "hard not to detect the film as a for-hire work from Demme, perhaps just because its subject seems so in-control — not so much in the terms of him as author, but the whole project as a form of brand management for one of the world's biggest pop stars."^[11] Nigel M. Smith from The Guardian gave it four out of five stars, and noted: "As Jonathan Demme's concert documentary Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids indisputably shows, Timberlake is only truly in his element when on stage being a showman."^[12]

David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids a "B" grade, and said, "If nothing else, this loving — borderline fetishistic — concert movie makes a compelling case for the musicianship, artistry, and sheer athleticism of pop music. Well, good pop music, anyway."^[13] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave the film three-and-a-half out of four stars, and wrote: "Demme's concert films aren't just recordings of events—they're cinematic embodiments of their musicians, capturing in a moment an energy that transcends time."^[14] Andrew Barker of Variety said that "Demme proves he's still a wily master of the craft, and the director's work here makes this more than just a fans-only proposition."^[15] Adam Chitwood of Collider gave it an "A-" grade, and said: "In less talented hands this could have been one long promo for Justin Timberlake: The Brand. In the hands of Demme, it's pure art."^[16]

Set list adapted from What's on Netflix.^[17]

1. "Pusher Love Girl"
2. "Gimme What I Don't Know (I Want)" / "Rock Your Body"
3. "Don't Hold the Wall" / "FutureSex/LoveSound"
4. "Like I Love You"
5. "My Love"
6. "LoveStoned"
7. "Until the End of Time"
8. "Holy Grail" / "Cry Me a River"
9. "Only When I Walk Away"
10. "Drink You Away"
11. "Let the Groove Get In"
12. "Human Nature"
13. "What Goes Around... Comes Around"
14. "Take Back the Night"
15. "Poison"
16. "Suit & Tie"
17. "SexyBack"
18. "Mirrors"