The Mirage: Justin Timberlake Brings Tour So Massive To NYC We Were on Top of The World

Justin Timberlake’s Man Of The Woods Tour

On March 21st International Pop Star and only member of N’Sync anybody remembers Justin Timberlake took to Madison Square Garden in the heart of New York City. The Man of The Woods Tour is so big, photographers were offered prime seats at the top of Rockefeller Center.

As fans on the street lined-up at the most famous arena, 90’s kids wearing a mix of flannels and vintage Spice Girl shirts filled 7th Avenue. I spoke with various fans before the show the excitement could be felt throughout the cities blustery air. Justin’s celebrity guest included Oprah, Jay-Z & Beyonce, Britney Spears, and Prince’s hologram. I spoke with a fan named Stephanie and her husband Dan; she was especially excited as Dan managed to score great seats at the window on the second floor of Macy’s across from the Garden. She was worried they might end up like Debbie and her mother Eileen who were behind them on line, Debbie has tickets in the nosebleeds located at the top of the Empire State Building. She was unaware I’ve talked to Dan, and just before the first song he’s going to present her with matching jean outfits. We were there to see the spectacle.

With the ticket prices for the show being on the higher end, I imagined the event would be filled with fans in suits or designer wear. Instead I saw men and women in hunting gear and jean jackets; it was like the twilight zone. Even one dressed as JT via a wine bottle.

As fans filed into the show and took their seats at various department stores and sky rises, it was time for us “VIP’s” to head to our luxurious box seats in the sky about 20 blocks away to cover the show. We were hoping our point and shoot camera could cover this event properly but opted to keep it to a photoshoot with our iPhone, #twitfromthepit, and fun ensued

When I first arrived to my photography spot on top of Rockefeller Center, I was greeted by a wait staff offering me pig head, California gluten free wheat grass and a fine selection of seared fish eggs. Clearly Justin was trying to make this event a real life Man of The Woods experience.

As the clock hit 9pm, it was time Justin Timberlake made nature sexy again. Dressed in a frock of natural hemp and cowboy hat from the depths of the Alamo we were tensed for the shows start. The intro to the opening song of the set “Filthy” began and to my shock as well as my fellow photographers we were disappointed with the start of the show. Almost a full minute into our first of three songs that we’re allowed to shoot – we searched zoomed on our lenses and phone screens but couldn’t spot Justin anywhere. It seemed maybe the lighting malfunctioned or there was just too many obstructions from our seats. The pyro definitely got in the way. *Side note: the fried Pig head is delicious*. As the second song and fan favorite “Midnight Summer Jam” began there was still no sight of Justin, I even heard a photographer next to me whisper to his buddy he was confused why the tour was called Man of The Woods but there was no trees part of the stage show.

Setlist we wanted:

Excluded from the stellar setlist was fan favorites:

“Dick In A Box”

3-Way (The Golden Rule)

And ”Tearing up my Heart,” a lady in the crowd would not stop shouting for it and by the end of the night was hysterical on the floor.

Setlist we got:

An impressive rendition of “Welcome to Liquorville”, for this tour it was “Welcome to Lumberjack-ville.” We’re not permitted to share the video just yet, but it was filled with fresh polynesian trees, hand crafted, and rare axes made of the most precious material, and of course a full fluffy beard that has seen better days. It’s possibly coming to a SNL skit near you but here is the original.

Justin also brought his good friend and New Yorker Jimmy Fallon out to perform the hit song’s “The Wheels on the Bus” and “Oops I Did It Again”. Fans roared with excitement echoing all throughout the concrete jungle, and maybe even Jersey.

While so far from the stage it led for us to interact with more of the fans throughout the city…

Heard in the crowd – Many said Justin’s new look and persona was great, while others said feathers and flannel should be a no go for his wardrobe. Many fan’s had been expecting live zoo animals joining Justin on stage but only got taxidermy of deer and buffalo lining the entrance way to Madison Square and little to no nature near the rest of the seating sections across the city. A fan named Larry and his friend Josh were upset there was nothing show related by his seats at Victoria Secret, not even a hot dog cart. Overall the night was not what we expected but it sure was a blast covering Justin Timberlake from 22 blocks away, I highly recommend fans grab tickets asap and try to find a section in a nearby hotel or Starbucks as those are usually close to the venues.

The Man In the Woods experience is still happening across the US from Boston to Colorado and Germany.

Worth a shot trying to get tickets and if not you can always resort to landing a photopass and setting up shop a few blocks away to experience the amazingness that is his rabid fans, strange exotic foods of this tour, and of course Justin in camo hunting gear.