It was the most popular ticket on the town – and Chelmsford was not ready for the sheer variety of followers who arrived. The Chelmsford Metropolis Stay pageant kicked off for the primary time ever on Friday – and Justin Timberlake was the right showman. Nevertheless, crowds queued for over an hour and a half to board the specifically designated shuttle buses from a rural racecourse surrounded by fields again to the town’s practice station.
With just some minutes to spare till the time of the ultimate bus at 12.30am, there was nonetheless a line of a whole bunch snaking by way of the automotive park – and tensions ran excessive. Boos rang out as determined festival-goers tried to leap the queue and have been met with forceful resistance from others within the crowd. Safety have been compelled to leap in as round half a dozen individuals bodily clashed and aimed blows at one another, with one ending up on the bottom as he was restrained and urged to “relax”.
We solely simply managed to board the bus, regardless of becoming a member of the queue straight after the present completed – and one couple instructed us they anticipated they’d be tenting out in a station in a single day after lacking their final practice.
The bus firm seemingly struggled to supply sufficient buses for everybody who’d bought tickets, which had value £14.25 every – together with an compulsory Ticketmaster payment – for only a 10-mile journey.
Transport chaos apart, I might should price the gig itself a ten out of ten, with Tennessee-native Justin clearly in excessive spirits for the July 4 celebrations marking US Independence Day.
First he noticed a glittery-haired nine-year-old within the crowd brandishing a USA flag and gave a shoutout to her.
Moments later, viewers members exclaimed “What a pleasant man!” as he halted the present in his eagerness to signal a banner belonging to a pregnant lady.
“You are eight months pregnant and also you got here all the best way out right here to see me?” he requested incredulously, earlier than pulling out all of the stops to make her really feel particular.
Nevertheless, one signal was likely extra complicated to him because it featured the Essex slang phrase “reem”.
Justin delivered flawless variations of all his classics, from Senorita to SexyBack, with followers making the racecourse a dancefloor, and pausing solely when he slowed down the tempo for the occasional tender ballad like Finish Of Time.
Chelmsford Metropolis Stay is model new as a pageant and remains to be discovering its ft – however do not let its teething issues deter you.
All Justin’s songs have added depth when carried out reside and his musicians and backing dancers accompany him completely.
The one factor I might do in a different way subsequent time is plan to share a automotive or taxi slightly than threat the general public transport chaos once more.
