# The Justified & Stripped Tour

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.
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. 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

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."

## Concert synopsis

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. 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. 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". 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". 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. The performance of "Can't Hold Us Down" featured a pink "spark-shooting" motorcycle. Then, she belted out "Make Over" with the "rhythmic trot of a Spanish spaghetti Western", featuring "chain-link fence".
Following the video interlude of "Loving Me 4 Me", she performed the ballad "Impossible". 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". 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. 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. Later, she "saucily" replied, "Just because my album name is Stripped, doesn't mean you can take my clothes off". She continued with the "gorgeous ache" of "Walk Away". The performance of "Fighter" "had more feelings and excitements", 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. Aguilera ended her part with "Beautiful", wearing jeans and a T-shirt which emblazoned with the words "God sees no color".
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". Timberlake showed real depth in his craft, playing a variety of instruments and really showing his dancing chops; princible choreography (Marty Kudelka and Blake Anthony).[4][5]

## Justin & Christina

Justin & Christina is an extended play (EP) by Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera released on July 1, 2003 by RCA, Jive, and BMG Records. The EP was released exclusively at the American retail chain Target. Timberlake and Aguilera both contributed three songs to the six-track EP, which consists of one new original composition from each artist alongside remixes of previous singles from Aguilera's Stripped and Timberlake's Justified albums.

### Track listing
## Reception

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." 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." Meanwhile, he criticized Timberlake's part and compared him to George Michael. Darryl Morder from The Hollywood Reporter was not impressed with either artist, naming the tour "more a case of egofied and cluttered." Morder further said that Aguilera's numbers were "too often swathed in bloated arrangements", while Timberlake's voice was "whiny and thin."
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. 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". In 2003, the tour was the sixteenth-highest-grossing tour of the year, with a total gross of US$30,261,670. 546,483 tickets were sold out of 592,360 available (approximately 92%), including 23 sellout shows out of 45 (approximately 51%). 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.

## Accolades

| Year | Ceremony | Category | Result |
| 2003 | Pollstar Awards | Most Creative Tour Package | Nominated |
| 2003 | Pollstar Awards | Most Creative Stage Production | Nominated |
| 2003 | Teen Choice Awards | Teen Choice Award for Choice Music – Tour | Won |
| 2003 | Teen People Choice Awards | Best Tour | Won |
| 2004 | Rolling Stone Music Awards | Best Tour – Public's Choice | Won |

## Set lists

* "Stripped Intro" (Video Introduction)
* "Dirrty"
* "Get Mine, Get Yours"
* "The Voice Within"
* "Genie in a Bottle"
* "Can't Hold Us Down"
* "Make Over"
* "Contigo en la Distancia" / "Falsas Esperanzas"
* "Infatuation"
* "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)"
* "Loving Me 4 Me" (Video Interlude)
* "Impossible"
* "At Last"
* "I Prefer You"
* "Lady Marmalade"
* "Walk Away"
* "Fighter"
* "What a Girl Wants"
Encore
* "Beautiful"
* "Ghetto Blaster" (contains elements of "Like I Love You", "Girlfriend" and "Rock Your Body") (Video Introduction)
* "Rock Your Body"
* "Right For Me"
* "Gone" / "Girlfriend" / "Señorita"
* "Still On My Brain"
* "Nothin' Else"
* "Tap Dance" (Dance Interlude)
* "Cry Me a River"
* "Let's Take A Ride"
* "Beat Box" (Dance Interlude)
* "Last Night"
* "Take It From Here"
Encore
* "Like I Love You"

## Shows

List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, opening acts, tickets sold, number of available tickets and gross revenue :
| Date (2003) | City | Country | Venue | Opening act | Attendance | Revenue |
| June 4 | Phoenix | United States | America West Arena | The Black Eyed Peas | 12,584 / 12,988 | $672,922 |
| June 6 | Oakland | United States | The Arena in Oakland | The Black Eyed Peas | 12,194 / 14,200 | $699,827 |
| June 8 | Tacoma | United States | Tacoma Dome | The Black Eyed Peas | 13,063 / 15,763 | $657,736 |
| June 10 | Portland | United States | Rose Garden | The Black Eyed Peas | 9,764 / 12,400 | $494,872 |
| June 13 | Sacramento | United States | ARCO Arena | The Black Eyed Peas | 10,653 / 12,200 | $552,815 |
| June 14 | San Jose | United States | HP Pavilion | The Black Eyed Peas | 13,934 / 13,934 | $733,800 |
| June 16 | Los Angeles | United States | Staples Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 44,188 / 44,589 | $2,708,186 |
| June 17 | Los Angeles | United States | Staples Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 44,188 / 44,589 | $2,708,186 |
| June 20 | Los Angeles | United States | Staples Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 44,188 / 44,589 | $2,708,186 |
| June 21 | Las Vegas | United States | MGM Grand Garden Arena | The Black Eyed Peas | 12,030 / 12,030 | $1,036,214 |
| June 23 | Denver | United States | Pepsi Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 10,838 / 12,428 | $513,210 |
| June 25 | Oklahoma City | United States | Ford Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 12,050 / 13,300 | $633,787 |
| June 26 | Dallas | United States | American Airlines Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 12,613 / 13,025 | $717,161 |
| June 28 | San Antonio | United States | SBC Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 11,002 / 12,800 | $507,977 |
| June 29 | Houston | United States | Compaq Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 10,980 / 11,347 | $659,540 |
| July 5 | St. Louis | United States | Savvis Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 12,304 / 12,304 | $569,852 |
| July 6 | North Little Rock | United States | Alltel Arena | The Black Eyed Peas | 7,669 / 10,100 | $336,645 |
| July 8 | New Orleans | United States | New Orleans Arena | The Black Eyed Peas | 11,139 / 11,139 | $512,733 |
| July 9 | Bossier City | United States | CenturyTel Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 10,646 / 10,646 | $450,945 |
| July 11 | Memphis | United States | Pyramid Arena | The Black Eyed Peas | 12,753 / 12,753 | $448,175 |
| July 12 | Atlanta | United States | Philips Arena | The Black Eyed Peas | 13,352 / 13,352 | $784,320 |
| July 14 | Tampa | United States | St. Pete Times Forum | The Black Eyed Peas | 12,679 / 12,679 | $633,787 |
| July 15 | Orlando | United States | TD Waterhouse Centre | The Black Eyed Peas | — | — |
| July 16 | Sunrise | United States | Office Depot Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 11,831 / 11,831 | $718,146 |
| July 22 | Rosemont | United States | Allstate Arena | The Black Eyed Peas | 13,732 / 13,732 | $822,466 |
| July 23 | Chicago | United States | United Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 13,422 / 13,422 | $846,143 |
| July 25 | Auburn Hills | United States | The Palace of Auburn Hills | The Black Eyed Peas | 15,316 / 15,316 | $897,043 |
| July 26 | Cincinnati | United States | U.S. Bank Arena | The Black Eyed Peas | — | — |
| July 28 | Pittsburgh | United States | Mellon Arena | The Black Eyed Peas | 12,349 / 12,349 | $639,450 |
| July 29 | Toronto | Canada | Air Canada Centre | The Black Eyed Peas | 42,073 / 42,073 | $3,938,460 |
| July 31 | Toronto | Canada | Air Canada Centre | The Black Eyed Peas | 42,073 / 42,073 | $3,938,460 |
| August 1 | Buffalo | United States | HSBC Arena | The Black Eyed Peas | 10,964 / 10,964 | $620,630 |
| August 3 | Columbus | United States | Value City Arena | The Black Eyed Peas | 11,657 / 11,657 | $642,398 |
| August 5 | Boston | United States | FleetCenter | The Black Eyed Peas | 26,877 / 27,149 | $1,694,442 |
| August 6 | Boston | United States | FleetCenter | The Black Eyed Peas | 26,877 / 27,149 | $1,694,442 |
| August 8 | Philadelphia | United States | First Union Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 15,269 / 15,269 | $1,004,555 |
| August 18 | Uniondale | United States | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum | The Black Eyed Peas | 23,304 / 23,688 | $1,464,069 |
| August 19 | Uniondale | United States | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum | The Black Eyed Peas | 23,304 / 23,688 | $1,464,069 |
| August 20 | East Rutherford | United States | Continental Airlines Arena | The Black Eyed Peas | 15,391 / 15,391 | $913,208 |
| August 22 | Hartford | United States | Hartford Civic Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 10,848 / 11,884 | $572,185 |
| August 23 | Albany | United States | Pepsi Arena | The Black Eyed Peas | 5,417 / 7,407 | $345,235 |
| August 25 | Washington, D.C. | United States | MCI Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 12,921 / 12,921 | $789,050 |
| August 31 | Indianapolis | United States | Conseco Fieldhouse | The Black Eyed Peas | 9,357 / 14,951 | $480,706 |
| September 1 | Milwaukee | United States | Bradley Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 9,909 / 15,179 | $572,185 |
| September 2 | Saint Paul | United States | Xcel Energy Center | The Black Eyed Peas | 12,016 / 12,016 | $762,307 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 539,088 / 571,176 (94.38%) | $32,047,182 |

## Cancelled shows

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 |
| August 9 | Atlantic City | United States | Boardwalk Hall | Lighting grid collapse |