Justin Timberlake’s concert honestly wasn’t even on my radar. But when the dates aligned, I figured I’d take the chance. The festival was held in a small town about 1.5 hours outside of London.
I didn’t check out any of the opening acts beforehand. In fact, I only realized it was a full-on festival once I got there — which basically meant: there were going to be a lot of openers. And yep, that’s exactly what happened.
The first act was a classic boy band called Boyz Anılar. Then came Dagny, a solo act from Norway disguised as a band. To be honest, they sounded pretty solid — definitely potential for bigger things in the future.
Before Justin, Jess Glynne took the stage. I had never heard of her before, so I quickly checked her Spotify: 24 million monthly listeners. Turns out, she’s a pretty big deal in the UK. The crowd knew every single word, and sang along with her throughout her entire set.
Then finally… it was time for Justin. And just like that, the whole vibe shifted. There’s an unwritten rule: the headliner’s sound is always in a different league. As soon as he stepped on stage, the energy hit a whole new level.
We’re the old-school JT crowd. Rock Your Body, Cry Me a River, and Sexy Back — those were the big ones for me, and luckily they were still on the setlist. I had seen some setlists without Rock Your Body, so I was ready to be disappointed, but it made the cut!
I had this theory on the way to the festival: since the venue was far from central London, maybe Justin would come on earlier than usual. Nope. We were front row, standing in position, thinking “he’s coming any minute now”… and then one hour turned into four. We waited so long, we basically got stuck. We kept telling ourselves, “well, we’ve already waited this long, might as well keep waiting.” Before I knew it, four hours had passed — standing like idiots. 😄
Was it worth it? Honestly, yes. Would I do it again? No.
Let this be your lesson: stadium concerts are superior. At least you’ve got a seat, a row number, and no stress. Unless you’re getting VIP front row, there’s no point in buying general admission floor tickets and waiting for hours. That said… I have to give credit where it’s due: I saw 40–50-year-old women holding their ground in the front row for 5 hours — without even flinching. Respect.
Getting out after the concert? Absolute chaos. Transportation was a mess, and the organizers totally dropped the ball. If a venue isn’t connected to the underground, maybe it shouldn’t be hosting festivals.
Still — it was a great experience overall. I’ve always liked Justin Timberlake. I even enjoyed his acting in The Social Network and In Time. Talented guy.
Oh, and one last thing: the T-shirt. I watched the most nostalgic artist in the most nostalgic shirt I own. 😄 People at the venue kept complimenting it — channeling full Tommy Vercetti energy.
