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Timbaland may no longer be the go-to producer for pop’s hottest songs, but the man knows how to build a beat. On the Denver leg of his Shock Value II Tour, he treated fans crowded at the Gothic Theatre to his artistic magic.
Timbaland’s concert last Tuesday showcased his abilities as a super-producer. Although he was joined on stage by other musicians, he was never overshadowed. Timbaland’s band, as it was billed, was just that: his band. He orchestrated its flawless synchronization. Similarly, when opening performers Petey Pablo and Sebastian re-appeared in Timbaland’s set, the audience yelled for Timbaland’s return.
Fans’ anxiousness for his return had been building for a long time.
Since releasing Shock Value in 2007, Timbaland took a break from producing music. In 2009, Timbaland released the follow-up, Shock Value II.
For Shock Value II, Timbaland teamed up with Drake, The Fray, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Jet and others to create an album heavy on collaborations. This concert also was appropriately collaboration-based.
Nearly every song had a guest vocalist. Unfortunately, none of them were present to surprise the audience. Instead, screen images showed the performers singing their portions of the songs.
That being said, Timbaland and his group of musicians – including guest vocalists – had the audience dancing and singing throughout the entire show.
Like a sushi chef, Timbaland appropriately opened the concert behind a mixing deck, making the beat to “Timothy Where You Been?” in front of the audience. The song, which features Jet, showed a new side to Timbaland: rock music in a hip-hop format.
Taking this formula and perfecting it, the most energetic performance of the night came during Timbaland’s collaboration with Katy Perry, in the upbeat “If We Ever Meet Again.” Fans screamed, waved their hands in the air and danced as if Perry herself were commanding them from on screen.
Timbaland continued to make beats for other songs too. “Say Something,” featuring Drake, was initially unrecognizable, but after a minute of beats, the audience was cheering – and rapping – along.
Yet Timbaland’s medley of singles, including an abbreviated version of “The Way I Are” with Keri Hilson, barely did justice to his biggest hits.
After playing the Twilight-inspired, according to Timbaland himself, “Morning after Dark,” featuring SoShy, Timbaland stripped away guest vocals to instead celebrate the talents of the band. In a lengthy version of “Oh Timbaland,” his band took solo after solo to pump up the crowd.
“This is the funkiest we got,” said Timbaland to the audience of the impromptu jam session. “What makes that special is that we never rehearse. We so dope, we never mess up.”
