The Justified & Stripped Tour

The Justified & Stripped Tour
Continental tour by Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera
LocationNorth America
Associated albums
Start dateJune 4, 2003 (2003-06-04)
End dateSeptember 2, 2003 (2003-09-02)
No. of shows45
Supporting act(s)Black Eyed Peas
Attendance546,483
Box officeUS$30,261,670
Justin Timberlake tour chronology
The Justified World Tour
(2003–04) 		The Justified & Stripped Tour
(2003) 		FutureSex/
LoveShow
(2007)
Christina Aguilera tour chronology
Christina Aguilera in Concert
(2000–01) 		The Justified & Stripped Tour
(2003) 		The Stripped Tour
(2003)

The Justified & Stripped Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American recording artists Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. It was launched in support of Timberlake's debut studio album, Justified (2002), and Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped (2002). Timberlake announced that he would go on a co-headlining tour at the 2003 American Music Awards on January 13, 2003, and it was officially announced the following day that Aguilera would be the co-headlined artist of the tour. Tour dates were revealed on February 21, 2003; it kicked off on June 4, 2003 in Phoenix, Arizona and visited 45 cities in North America. The Black Eyed Peas were serviced as the tour's supporting act.[1]

The set list was composed generally from Timberlake's Justified and Aguilera's Stripped. However, both artists also added material from their early works, including Timberlake's work with NSYNC and Aguilera's self-titled debut album; she also performed two of Etta James's songs: "At Last" and "I Prefer You". The Justified and Stripped Tour was divided into five segments, two for Aguilera and three for Timberlake, with each segment being followed by an interlude to the next segment, and it ended with an encore, lasting for a total of 160 minutes.

The tour was met with mixed reviews from most contemporary music critics. Some praised the maturities of the two artists, while others criticized their vocal abilities during the tour. They also believed that Aguilera's image during the tour resembled that of American recording artist Cher, and her part concentrated too much on her vocal abilities, while Timberlake's part worked his considerable sex appeal. However, the tour was a commercial success, garnering more than US$30 million and becoming the fifth-highest-grossing tour in 2003.[2] It also became the third-highest-grossing co-headlining tour of the year. In late 2003, the tour's extension, The Stripped Tour was held to promote Aguilera's Stripped without Timberlake's act. An extended play, entitled Justin & Christina, was released exclusively at Target Stores to support the tour.

Development

[edit]

When she was asked why they decided to go on tour together, Aguilera replied, "We both put out records around the same time that kind of introduced ourselves to the world as new artists, in a way. So it was just a good time. And I've known Justin since the Mickey Mouse Club days, since we were twelve or thirteen, so we go back in our friendship, and it kind of works."[3]

Concert synopsis

[edit]
During the tour, Aguilera paid tribute to her idol Etta James by channeling her in a red silk dress and performing two of her songs, "At Last" and "I Prefer You".

The concert began with the video introduction of "Stripped Intro", featuring Aguilera handcuffed, blindfolded and sitting in a chair as the words "scandal", "gossip" and "lies" flashed across the screen.[4] Backed by a five-piece band and eight back-up dancers, Aguilera strutted out singing "Dirrty" and "Get Mine, Get Yours", with curly black hair, a black and "hot-pink halter with belly-baring plunging neckline", pants and spiked heels.[5] She performed "The Voice Within" as the follow-up, with a long black dress. During the acoustic version of "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)", she gave a speech, "Thank you so much for coming ... I'm getting that feeling again and it's a blessing. Yes, I've grown up a little bit. Now I'm 22... I'm so happy you've grown with me".[5] Aguilera went onstage again, performing the "Egyptian-turned-metal" version "Genie in a Bottle", where she rolled on a giant "X" which portrayed her then newly established alter ego "Xtina".[5][6] Wearing "hot pink straps attached to her outfit", she slowly unraveled herself as the "genie" in the song, provocatively dancing her way out of the bottle.[5] The performance of "Can't Hold Us Down" featured a pink "spark-shooting" motorcycle.[6] Then, she belted out "Make Over" with the "rhythmic trot of a Spanish spaghetti Western",[7] featuring "chain-link fence".[6]

Following the video interlude of "Loving Me 4 Me", she performed the ballad "Impossible".[8] She later changed into a "silky empire-waisted" red dress to channel her favorite singer, Etta James, and performed two of James' hits, "At Last" and "I Prefer You".[5] The rendition of "Lady Marmalade" from the soundtrack Moulin Rouge! was described as "a playful romp" between four male dancers dressed as sailors and four female members of the troupe in lingerie.[5][9] During the medley of two Spanish songs from Mi Reflejo, "Contigo en la Distancia" and "Falsas Esperanzas", a male dancer ripped off the skirt she wore, revealing tiny denim boy-cut shorts underneath.[9] Later, she "saucily" replied, "Just because my album name is Stripped, doesn't mean you can take my clothes off".[5][9] She continued with the "gorgeous ache" of "Walk Away".[7] The performance of "Fighter" "had more feelings and excitements",[10] and the performance version of "What a Girl Wants" was provided with some "well-deserved" dance moves, in which she wore a purple shirt and shorts.[8] Aguilera ended her part with "Beautiful",[8] wearing jeans and a T-shirt which emblazoned with the words "God sees no color".[5]

Timberlake's part began with a video interlude of "Ghetto Blaster", followed by the performance of "Rock Your Body". He yelled, "Scream!", "What's up?", "We got some crazy people in the crowd tonight", he responded. "I'll be your host for this evening. I'm gonna test your knowledge a little bit with this one. Let's see if you can spot this one".[4][5]

Justin & Christina

[edit]
Justin & Christina
EP by
Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera
ReleasedJuly 1, 2003
Genre
Label
Justin Timberlake chronology
Justified
(2002) 		Justin & Christina
(2003) 		FutureSex/
LoveSounds
(2006)
Christina Aguilera chronology
Stripped
(2002) 		Justin & Christina
(2003) 		Back to Basics
(2006)

Aguilera and Timberlake released a promotional limited edition extended play (EP) titled Justin & Christina. It was released on July 1, 2003 by RCA, Jive and BMG Records. The EP was released exclusively held at the American retail chain Target. The material featured in the EP included one original composition from each artist, "That's What Love Can Do" by Aguilera and "Why, When, How" by Timberlake, as well as four remixes of two of Aguilera and Timberlake's own songs.[11]

Track listing

[edit]
Justin & Christina
No.TitleWriter(s)PerformerLength
1."That's What Love Can Do"
Aguilera3:44
2."Why, When, How"
Timberlake4:01
3."Beautiful" (Valentin Club Mix)Linda PerryAguilera5:56
4."Rock Your Body" (Paul Oakenfold Mix)
Timberlake5:38
5."Fighter" (Hellraiser Remix)
Aguilera5:13
6."Cry Me a River" (Bill Hamel Justinough Vocal Mix)
Timberlake7:44
Total length:32:16

Reception

[edit]

The Justified and Stripped Tour garnered mixed reviews from contemporary critics. Longtime critic Robert Hilburn for the Los Angeles Times called Aguilera's part "tedious" and her stage persona "uncertain", while praising Timberlake's act, considering him "born for the stage (with) the savvy instincts to put together a show that works. Rather than make himself the constant center of attention, he was comfortable enough at times simply to be part of a talented ensemble."[12] By contrast, the Orange County Register's Ben Wener complimented Aguilera's performance, writing "I'd favor Aguilera's sex-appeal feast over Timberlake's club jam... Christina is simply a more well-rounded entertainer."[12] Meanwhile, he criticized Timberlake's part and compared him to George Michael.[12] Darryl Morder from The Hollywood Reporter was not impressed with either artist, naming the tour "more a case of egofied and cluttered."[12] Morder further said that Aguilera's numbers were "too often swathed in bloated arrangements", while Timberlake's voice was "whiny and thin."[12]

Multiple critics also believed that Aguilera's image during the tour resembled Cher's look during the 1980s. Christina Fuoco from MTV News drew similarities between the two artists: big curly black locks, a black and hot-pink halter with belly-baring plunging neckline, pants, and spiked heels.[5] Writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, Neva Chonin also compared Aguilera to Cher, with "a torso-baring black ensemble, a shock of dark hair exploding from the back of her head".[5] In 2003, the tour was the sixteenth-highest-grossing tour of the year, with a total gross of US$30,261,670.[2] 546,483 tickets were sold out of 592,360 available (approximately 92%), including 23 sellout shows out of 45 (approximately 51%).[2] It was also the third-top-grossing co-headlining tour of the year, only behind Face to Face by Billy Joel and Elton John, and Rocksimus Maximus by Aerosmith and Kiss.[2]

Accolades

[edit]
Year Ceremony Category Result Ref.
2003 Pollstar Awards Most Creative Tour Package Nominated [13]
Most Creative Stage Production Nominated
2003 Teen Choice Awards Teen Choice Award for Choice Music – Tour Won [14]
2003 Teen People Choice Awards Best Tour Won [15]
2004 Rolling Stone Music Awards Best Tour – Public's Choice Won [16]

Set lists

[edit]
Christina Aguilera[5][6]
  1. "Stripped Intro" (Video Introduction)
  2. "Dirrty"
  3. "Get Mine, Get Yours"
  4. "The Voice Within"
  5. "Genie in a Bottle"
  6. "Can't Hold Us Down"
  7. "Make Over"
  8. "Contigo en la Distancia" / "Falsas Esperanzas"
  9. "Infatuation"
  10. "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)"
  11. "Loving Me 4 Me" (Video Interlude)
  12. "Impossible"
  13. "At Last"
  14. "I Prefer You"
  15. "Lady Marmalade"
  16. "Walk Away"
  17. "Fighter"
  18. "What a Girl Wants"

Encore

  2. "Beautiful"
Justin Timberlake[5][6]
  1. "Ghetto Blaster" (contains elements of "Like I Love You", "Girlfriend" and "Rock Your Body") (Video Introduction)
  2. "Rock Your Body"
  3. "Right For Me"
  4. "Gone" / "Girlfriend" / "Señorita"
  5. "Still On My Brain"
  6. "Nothin' Else"
  7. "Tap Dance" (Dance Interlude)
  8. "Cry Me a River"
  9. "Let's Take A Ride"
  10. "Beat Box" (Dance Interlude)
  11. "Last Night"
  12. "Take It From Here"

Encore

  2. "Like I Love You"

Shows

[edit]
List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, opening acts, tickets sold, number of available tickets and gross revenue[17][18][19]
Date (2003) City Country Venue Opening act[20] Attendance[21] Revenue
June 4 Phoenix United States America West Arena The Black Eyed Peas 12,584 / 12,988 $672,922
June 6 Oakland The Arena in Oakland 12,194 / 14,200 $699,827
June 8 Tacoma Tacoma Dome 13,063 / 15,763 $657,736
June 10 Portland Rose Garden — —
June 13 Sacramento ARCO Arena 10,653 / 12,200 $552,815
June 14 San Jose HP Pavilion 13,934 / 13,934 $733,800
June 16 Los Angeles Staples Center 44,188 / 44,589 $2,708,186
June 17
June 20
June 21 Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena 12,030 / 12,030 $1,036,214
June 23 Denver Pepsi Center 10,838 / 12,428 $513,210
June 25 Oklahoma City Ford Center 12,050 / 13,300 $633,787
June 26 Dallas American Airlines Center 12,613 / 13,025 $717,161
June 28 San Antonio SBC Center 11,002 / 12,800 $507,977
June 29 Houston Compaq Center 10,980 / 11,347 $659,540
July 5 St. Louis Savvis Center — —
July 6 North Little Rock Alltel Arena
July 8 New Orleans New Orleans Arena
July 9 Bossier City CenturyTel Center
July 11 Memphis Pyramid Arena
July 12 Atlanta Philips Arena
July 14 Tampa St. Pete Times Forum
July 15 Orlando TD Waterhouse Centre
July 16 Sunrise Office Depot Center
July 22 Rosemont Allstate Arena 13,732 / 13,732 $822,466
July 23 Chicago United Center 13,422 / 13,422 $846,143
July 25 Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills 15,316 / 15,316 $897,043
July 26 Cincinnati U.S. Bank Arena — —
July 28 Pittsburgh Mellon Arena 12,349 / 12,349 $639,450
July 29[a] Toronto Canada Air Canada Centre — —
July 31
August 1 Buffalo United States HSBC Arena
August 3 Columbus Value City Arena
August 5 Boston FleetCenter 26,877 / 27,149 $1,694,442
August 6
August 8 Philadelphia First Union Center — —
August 18[b] Uniondale Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 23,304 / 23,688 $1,464,069
August 19[c]
August 20[d] East Rutherford Continental Airlines Arena 15,391 / 15,391 $913,208
August 22[e] Hartford Hartford Civic Center 10,848 / 11,884 $572,185
August 23[f] Albany Pepsi Arena — —
August 25[g] Washington, D.C. MCI Center 12,921 / 12,921 $789,050
August 31[h] Indianapolis Conseco Fieldhouse 9,357 / 14,951 $480,706
September 1[i] Milwaukee Bradley Center 9,909 / 15,179 $572,185
September 2[j] Saint Paul Xcel Energy Center 12,016 / 12,016 $762,307
Total 546,483/592,360 (92.25%) $30,261,670

Cancelled shows

[edit]
List of cancelled concerts, showing date, city, country, venue and reason for cancellation
Date (2003) City Country Venue Reason
June 11 Vancouver Canada Pacific Coliseum Unable to cross the border[22]
August 9 Atlantic City United States Boardwalk Hall Lighting grid collapse[19]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The show on July 29, 2003 was originally scheduled to take place on August 3, 2003.
  2. ^ The show on August 18, 2003 was originally scheduled to take place on August 16, 2003, but was postponed due to a lighting grid collapse.
  3. ^ The show on August 19, 2003 was originally scheduled to take place on August 17, 2003, but was postponed due to a lighting grid collapse.
  4. ^ The show on August 20, 2003 was originally scheduled to take place on August 13, 2003, but was postponed due to a lighting grid collapse.
  5. ^ The show on August 22, 2003 was originally scheduled to take place on August 14, 2003, but was postponed due to a lighting grid collapse.
  6. ^ The show on August 23, 2003 was originally scheduled to take place on August 11, 2003, but was postponed due to a lighting grid collapse.
  7. ^ The show on August 25, 2003 was originally scheduled to take place on August 19, 2003, but was postponed due to a lighting grid collapse.
  8. ^ The show on August 31, 2003 was originally scheduled to take place on August 21, 2003, but was postponed due to a lighting grid collapse.
  9. ^ The show on September 1, 2003 was originally scheduled to take place on August 23, 2003, but was postponed due to a lighting grid collapse.
  10. ^ The show on September 2, 2003 was originally scheduled to take place on August 24, 2003, but was postponed due to a lighting grid collapse.

References

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  1. ^ "Black Eyed Peas Join Justin/Christina Tour". Billboard. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d "Billboard Boxscore Concert Grosses". Billboard. Vol. 115, no. 52. New York: VNU eMedia Inc. December 27, 2003. p. YE-48. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  3. ^ Dunn, Jancee (June 26, 2003). "Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera: Double Trouble". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  4. ^ a b A. Jasmin, Ernest (June 9, 2003). "Christina and Justin dazzle fans". The News Tribune. Archived from the original on March 19, 2005. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Fuoco, Christina (June 5, 2013). "Christina Does Her Cher Impression, Justin Fights The Screams At Tour Kickoff". MTV News. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on May 6, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e Chonin, Neva (June 9, 2013). "Aguilera, Timberlake aging well / Sexy, soulful show in Oakland". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  7. ^ a b Elfman, Doug (June 23, 2003). "Aguilera Skillfuly Blends Her Two Sides". Las Vegas Review-Journal. ISSN 1097-1645.
  8. ^ a b c Kroll, Katy (June 26, 2003). "Concert Review: Justin Timberlake / Christina Aguilera". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 11, 2003. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c Sitt, Pamela (June 9, 2003). "Aguilera gets down and 'Dirrty' in Tacoma". The Seattle Times. ISSN 0745-9696.
  10. ^ Strauss, Neil (June 6, 2003). "Pop Review: A Maturity In Being 22, As the Fans Come Along". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  11. ^ Justin & Christina - Justin & Christina, July 2003, retrieved 2022-08-20
  12. ^ a b c d e M. Silverman, Stephen (June 19, 2003). "Critics Dump on Justin and Christina". People. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
  13. ^ "Pollstar Awards: 2003". Pollstar. Archived from the original on April 21, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  14. ^ Worth 2015, p. 52.
  15. ^ "Fifth Annual Teen People Choice Awards". Teen People. No. 203. Time Inc. December 2003. p. 25. ISSN 1096-2832.
  16. ^ "Walk of Fame Stars: Christina Aguilera". Hollywood Walk of Fame. October 25, 2019. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  17. ^ Tour dates:
  18. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (August 11, 2003). "Justin And Christina's Tour Stripped Of Lights, Cameras, Action Due To Accident". MTV News. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  19. ^ a b Zahalway, Jon (2003-08-14). "Justin and Christina reschedule 'Justified & Stripped' tour dates". LiveDaily. Archived from the original on August 30, 2003. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
  20. ^ Hall, Rashaun (June 28, 2003). "Black Eyed Peas Get Some 'Love'". Billboard. Vol. 115, no. 26. p. 13. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  21. ^ North America box score:
  22. ^ "Loose Ends: Justin And Christina Justify Their Cancellation". Chart Attack. June 12, 2003. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

Bibliography

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