No Strings Attached Tour

The **No Strings Attached Tour** was the third concert tour by American boy band, NSYNC. Primarily visiting North America, the tour supported the band's second studio album *No Strings Attached*. Beginning in May 2000, the tour sold out all dates within the first day of the ticket sale. Additional dates, also in North America, were added for the Fall of 2000. When the tour ended in December 2000, it became the second highest-grossing tour in North America, earning more than $70 million.

The concerts at Madison Square Garden were filmed for a HBO special.

## Background

The tour was initially announced during an AOL chat with bandmember JC Chasez in 1999. The band were on tour and promoting their latest single, "Bye Bye Bye" when Chasez announced they were rehearing their upcoming tour. It was officially announced on March 21, 2000, the same day as their album was released. The outing was sponsored by MCY Music and Nabisco. It was also produced by SFX Touring. The tour became an instant success, with all 50 initial dates being sold out, selling one million tickets within the first day. This was followed with the album selling over two million copies within the first week. Several tickets for the concert at Madison Square Garden and the Staples Center were auctioned off through Yahoo! Auctions. Proceeds went to the "Justin Timberlake Foundation" and the "Challenge for the Children Foundation".

Rehearsals began in April 2000 at the Lakeland Center in Lakeland, Florida. Due to the closeness of their previous tour, the stage for this outing was very similar. However, the stage included new elements including pyrotechnics, stage lifts and aerial suspension. These elements were the reason why the band opted to perform in stadiums and arenas instead of outdoor amphitheaters. Describing the stage, Lance Bass stated, "It's amazing with the pyro and different things. I can't really reveal a lot of the gags that we are going to do, but it's going to be very entertaining and we are going to get very close to everybody in the audience". Due to the limited number of dates performed, the stadium dates were centralized regionally, in order to give each fan a chance to see them.

During an appearance on TRL, the band announced Destiny's Child would join them on tour, however the R&B group backed out and joined Christina Aguilera on her debut tour. Later in the tour, Sisqó dropped out of the tour to film his role in the film *Get Over It*. When the tour kicked off, Justin Timberlake received his high school diploma onstage at the Pyramid Arena. Another honor was received when the band were given the key to the city by Orlando mayor Glenda Hood. The band also opened a Ronald McDonald House, where a room was named in their honor.

The success of the tour prompted the band to add an additional leg of dates in the United States. In response to the additional dates, Joey Fatone stated,

The band also announced they would join Britney Spears on a co-headlining tour of Europe in October. However, the tour was dropped due to legal actions and Spears toured the region solo. As the second North American leg came to a close, the band announced they would star in their first feature concert film. The film was released exclusively through IMAX theaters for six months. Additionally, the band partnered with MSN to give fans exclusive access to newsletters, photos and video footage. Known as "NSYNC@MSN", the service provided web and email access along with MSN Messenger and Windows Media Player.

The show began NSYNC revealed as marionettes dropping 40 feet above the stage featuring a small sample of *I Got No Strings*. When they land, the group cuts the strings and unhooked themselves before heading into two dance-oriented performances of *No Strings Attached* and *I Want You Back*. This was followed by Lance Bass welcoming the crowd before slowing things down with a performance of *(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You* which the group rose 30 feet above the stage on 5 small platforms.

After the group left the stage, there was a video interlude hosted by television persona Ananda Lewis called *Total \*NSYNC Live* (parody of *Total Request Live*) which fans were given 4 selections of possible songs that \*NSYNC would sing next. The first 3-song choices (*Yankee Doodle Dandy*, *Three Blind Mice*, and *Twinkle Twinkle Little Star*) always ended up getting jeers and a laugh from the crowd. By the time Lewis says the 4th option *Tearin' Up My Heart*, the crowd goes wild, it gets selected as the chosen song, and the group returns to the stage dressed in freestyle clothing (almost like their previous wardrobe from their last tour) to perform the song.

The show then continues with Justin Timberlake returning the stage showcasing some his freestyle Beatbox skills before the group's drummer begins to upstage him and calling him out, Timberlake challenges the drummer to a battle which ends in victory for Timberlake. The rest of the group returns to the stage in urban attire to perform *It's Gonna Be Me*. This was followed by the group putting together a living room setting to slow things down again with 2 ballads *I Drive Myself Crazy* and *I Thought She Knew*.

After the group leaves the stage again, another interlude is shown featuring the group heading into their quick-change room featuring circus people, an arcade, and a movie theatre (which includes the group watching Lance Bass in the finals of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire where he fictionally wins $1 million). They then return to the stage dressed in club attire all designed with money on it for a performance of "Just Got Paid". During the song, pre-selected fans were chosen to go up on stage and dance with the group with confetti dropping everywhere. They also introduce their band members before all leaving the stage again.

#### **Concert synopsis**

The show continues with a futuristic interlude which included a laser light show and the face of the *No Strings Attached*clown mascot (with a robot voice) appearing out of a virtual head giving the audience riddles. NSYNC then rises out of the floor dressed in midwestern futuristic attire for a performance of *Space Cowboy* featuring an extended dance break. At the end of the song, the group goes back down into the ground with the band playing an extended instrumental interlude of the chorus. It ends abruptly with the sound of a car crashing, a woman screaming, a man yelling "Someone's hurt", and the sound of an ambulance siren. NSYNC returns to the stage in a little brief hospital skit dressed in doctor lab coats taking care of an injured Timberlake before heading into *It Makes Me Ill*. This was followed by the group bringing out stools to slow things down for another song. However, Chasez comes up with an idea to go more closer to the crowd. The group brings out the stools before the centerpiece of the stage breaks. The stage piece (on a track) brings the members out to the center of the arena getting closer to the crowd ending the main setlist with *This I Promise You*. The stage piece goes back to where it was, the group takes their bows and leaves the stage.

The show continues with a large video screen that says "\*NSYNC" appeared on the set while the band dressed on a futuristic space with Digital Get Down while NSYNC disappeared on a video screen wall and then we concludes the encore set with *Bye Bye Bye*, As the guys walks over the platform stage, they say goodbye and walks over the main stage while JC walks over and introduced to the musicians. The group then disappears through a geyser as fireworks go off at the same time.

## Personnel

### **NSYNC**

* JC Chasez – Lead Vocals
* Justin Timberlake – Lead Vocals
* Chris Kirkpatrick – Backing Vocals
* Lance Bass – Backing Vocals
* Joey Fatone – Backing Vocals

## Setlist

1. "Intro" (contains excerpts from "I've Got No Strings" along with elements of "Digital Get Down" and "I'll Never Stop") (dance introduction)
2. "No Strings Attached" (contains elements of "Prologue" from *West Side Story*)
3. "I Want You Back"
4. "(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You"
5. "TNL: Total NSYNC Live" (featuring Ananda Lewis) (video interlude)
6. "Tearin' Up My Heart"
7. "Justin's Beat Box" (contains elements of "It Ain't My Fault") (performance interlude)
8. "It's Gonna Be Me"
9. "Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)"
10. "I Thought She Knew"
11. "NTV: 'NSYNC TV" (contains elements of "Frolic" and "It's Gonna Be Me") (video interlude)
12. "Just Got Paid"
13. "Space Circus Clown" (video interlude)
14. "Space Cowboy (Yippie-Yi-Yay)"
15. "It Makes Me Ill" (contains elements of "Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk)
16. "This I Promise You"
17. "Video Interlude"
18. "Digital Get Down"
19. "Bye Bye Bye"
20. "Outro" (contains elements of "Tom Sawyer")