Was this show as good as their concert last year at the Allstate Arena? No. Chicago area fans snapped up more than 45,000 tickets for the Joliet show in 45 minutes. They’ve consistently sold out every venue they’ve headlined in the last few years, including this one. 1 on the album charts, and with 2.4 million copies sold in a week, ‘N Sync also broke the record for fastest-selling album in music history. With “No Strings Attached,” the group’s 15 minutes of fame has extended to an hour. The weather cooperated Tuesday night as the band’s explosive show made the 45,000-plus fans forget about the humidity.Īfter three anemic opening acts, including a decent set by Pink, ‘N Sync made a dramatic entrance suspended above the stage by giant marionette strings, a concept from the cover of their latest album, “No Strings Attached.”Īre the guys puppets in a boy band machine? They may have started that way, but they’ve taken on lives of their own. Originally scheduled in June, the show was postponed when heavy winds struck the raceway and damaged their stage. This concert, which is the last date on this leg of their tour, has been a long time coming. But the members–particularly lead singers and heartthrobs Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez–are such seasoned showmen that they lend an air of spontaneity to their meticulously rehearsed act. Tuesday night, the five-man boy band performed a theatrical concert that was choreographed down to the tiniest step. But once or twice a year, when the Sun-Times sends me out to review their concerts, darned if I don’t end up having a good time. Nor do I own any of their collectible dolls, T-shirts or posters. I do not listen to their records at home. Let’s get this out in the open now: I am three times older and twice as tall as many of the ‘N Sync fans who attended the band’s sold-out show Tuesday night at the Route 66 Raceway in Joliet.