Meghan worded it perfectly, last week, when she said, “sometimes, the Gods align and give you almost everything you could ask for” – and boy, did those Gods deliver.
It’s. About. To. Go. Down.
It’s not often the in a nutshell clan gets to reunite, but almost as soon as pop icon Justin Timberlake and rap legend Jay Z announced that they’d be joining forces for their larger than life Legends of the Summer Tour, and that the first stop was in none other than Toronto, our wallets were out and the reunion was planned.
Most people – well, anyone that has seen my array of JT pajama tee’s – know that ever since the teen heartthrob turned solo artist/comedian/actor released his Future Sex Love Sounds album, my relationship with Justin Timberlake moved from puppy love to full blown infatuation.
However, what may come as more of a surprise is growing up in a bad ass dance troupe (seriously, we were baby gangsters), I often dropped it to Jay Z. Remixing a little Hova into our routines made it a lifelong dream to throw a diamond in the air at one of his live performances.
So my little heart beated erratically as I perused a leaked set list featuring 40 songs, multiple collaborations and almost every. single. JT and Jay Z hit you could name.
And as our group got ready for it to go down, it was interesting to hear what songs everyone was most excited for, who they were most excited to see and the relationship we’d all had with these two icons that have both been featured multiple times on the soundtrack of our young lives.
Turning to the nuts, here is a collaborative review of LOTS, which no matter which way you slice it, was a concert to remember:
Meghan says:
There are two sides to me when it comes to music. The side that appreciates a beautiful voice and the side that LOVES hip hop. That being said, the Legends of the Summer tour had me so excited that I didn’t even know if I would make it through the whole show without passing out. I’ve been obsessed with Jay Z since I was approximately 13 and I’ve loved JT since he first burst on to the scene with his wild hair during the NSYNC days. Who was I more excited for? Probably Mr. Carter, since I’d already seen JT live… (twice). But, what ensued was 3+ hours of musical genius. These two really showed off their talent as artists, not only on their own songs, but with their seamless collaborations. Highlights would have to be 99 Problems, Cry Me A River (with a surprise verse from Jay Z and Kanye’s Paris), Tom Ford, New York New York/Empire State of Mind and their final song, Forever Young. Needless to say, I left having screamed my lungs out and teared up twice. The only thing I wish was that the sound quality was a bit better because it was hard to hear what they were saying between songs – I wanted to hang on to every word, but I couldn’t make them out. Now that it’s over, I guess I’ll have to make due with my iPod, my concert tee and my memories from this unbelievable show.
Jess says:
In the weeks leading up to the Legends of the Summer Toronto show, the city was buzzing with chatter about what the show would hold and – most of all – who each attendee was most excited to see. Going into the show, I knew it was going to be an awesomely collaborative effort where the mash-ups would reign, but the superstars would respectively have their chance to shine – and I was oh-so-fine with that. On the other hand, I knew (as I have when I’ve seen him in the past) I was going to be blissfully flabbergasted every time King Hov took the stage. Naturally, I’d swoon a little at former Prince of Pop JT’s presence – especially since he ended up impressively showing his chops as hype-man and multi-instrumentalist. But, each time a smiling Hov effortlessly strut ‘n rhymed across the stage, banging out the classics and Magna Carta mediocres – I couldn’t help but clasp my hands, starry-eyed and worshipping his bow-down-worthy legacy. JT and his sparkling wedding ring were a treat, no doubt – but he made the unfortunate mistake of sitting down to his piano past the 2.5 hour mark for a slow ballad – killing the already expended audience energy and leaving me desperate for Jay’s next appearance. In a nutshell, the Legends of the Summer concept is genius – with their two new albums and superstar statuses – but while Justin is an excellent performer and entertainer, Jay Z is an icon. In my opinion, King trumps Prince.
Kate says:
Although I doubt there has recently been a greater partnership to take on a summer tour than JT and Jay Z, I must admit I would have paid equal dollars to see the legend that is HOVA perform solo. JT, for me was an afterthought when I decided to see the two star-studded performers last Wednesday, in Toronto. JT, yet again, proved to be the exceptional entertainer that he is – effortlessly gliding around the stage and adding some delicate crooning to an otherwise hard core performance. Enter HOVA: Aside from playing classics like 99 Problems, On to the Next One and I Just Wanna Love You, chills were sent down my spine when Hova took to the stage with Tom Ford, from his album Magna Carta Holy Grail. Jay held the mic up to the crowd and laughed in disbelief when the crowd knew the lyrics to his song that was released only a week prior to the show. Jay Z standout performance: Song Cry, one of his prettiest and completely unexpected ballads was performed shortly after Timberlake’s performance of Cry me a River. JT standout performance: Pusher Love Girl, a song that he was able to mould in a live performance to capture and woo the audience. Collabo standout: New York State of Mind, where JT performed Frank Sinatra’s New York New York (acapella, might I add), and Jay Z pounded out Empire State of Mind, pure genius.
Kaylee says:
Jay Z and Justin Timberlake blew us away, last week, with some major throwbacks and hits that filled the Rogers Centre. I’m sure this was the favourite moment of many in attendance, but a jaw-dropping moment was when JT impeccably sang “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra, which seamlessly became “Empire State of Mind” ft. Jay Z – it was one of those unique I’ll-only-see-this-once concert moments. Also – Justin played piano throughout the concert, giving us many shots of his wedding band on the large screens – SWOOOOOOOOOON.
… And what did I think?
As stated above, Justin Timberlake is my favourite performer. It’s not just his falsetto croons, that are equally as perfect live as on the album, but it’s his impeccable dancing, his ability to play upwards of five different instruments in every performance, that he doesn’t look out of place playing back-up hype-man to Jay Z and that with one pause or smirk at the audience he is able to make a crowd of thousands go wild. With that said, being able to see Hova in the flesh, spitting out rhymes I’ve memorized since high school and reminding us all why he is the king of the rap game, was an experience that left me speechless. As it was my third time seeing JT, and first seeing big Hov, I was most taken with their collaborations. I couldn’t help but feel like it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.
From the first note of Jay Z’s newest single Holy Grail, which already features JT, I was raptured. Another collaboration highlight was when Justin belted out Frank Sinatra’s New York New York acapella which glided seamlessly into Jay Z pumping out Empire State of Mind. Other concert bests were Justin’s performance of his newest single Pusher Love Girl, remixing a little “Paris” into Cry Me a River, a 99 Problems duet and Jay Z’s face lighting up to the audience knowing the words to his newly released Tom Ford.
But it was the encore collabo of Forever Young that was the cherry ontop of an already unbelievable concert.
When two of your favourite super stars sing the song that’s been on your heart as of late, while you get to sway back and forth with friends you’ve had since you first started making mix-tapes, well that’s a truly unforgettable moment.
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