'Twas a Timbaland party!

MANILA, Philippines - Minutes before the start of the Changing Lives: Shock Value II concert, I heard a rumor that rapper and music producer Timbaland was not happy with people talking about his concert as though he was the guest performer, while Justin Timberlake was the star.

Indeed, a lot of people bought tickets to the show just to see JT. The promoters certainly emphasized the former N*Sync member’s participation by mentioning to the media and in their advertisements that Justin would be singing at least eight or nine songs.

It was no surprise then, when Timbaland opened his concert, not with a song, as many concerts do, but with complete silence. Standing onstage with his arms spread eagled, he gave off a definite show-me-some-love vibe. The crowd went wild, not because of any music or beat that was playing, but as a show of support to indulge the bigtime producer.

However, when Timbaland finally slipped on his headphones and hit the DJ table, he earned the early applause and cheering he got from the audience. Many people in the crowd may not have gone to the concert for him, but I’m sure everyone enjoyed his performance set. The guy definitely knows how to pump up an audience.

Everyone was jumping around and dancing to songs that Timbaland mixed on the spot. Familiar songs, like The Way I Are (featuring Keri Hilson), Scream (featuring Keri Hilson and Nicole Scherzinger), and Say Something (featuring Drake) were given a new spin. The songs didn’t seem incomplete without Timbaland’s collaborators — specially recorded videos of the featured artists were shown on the stage’s plasma screens. He also did some new songs off the Shock Value II CD that were not airwave favorites, but that I predict soon will be.

Watching the show was like watching Timbaland in the studio — he even said so himself. The mixing, beatboxing, and recording (yes, he recorded himself and the audience and funked it up) that happened onstage was just a livelier version of what he pours into his albums.

It was a concert experience like no other. The whole Mall of Asia concert grounds turned into one giant party place. The light effects used in the concert were great at setting up that party atmosphere. Of course, the fact that Timbaland’s songs are all danceable, upbeat, and totally party-ready helped in creating that festive vibe. That’s another thing that distinguishes this concert from others — there really weren’t a lot of slow songs, making the concert full of high-energy fun. It was exhausting, but like Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother said, “People often think a good mix should rise and fall, but people are wrong. It should be all rise, baby.”

Songs and lights aside, I think that what really made the concert such a party was Timbaland himself. He was leading the dancing with maskipaps moves like his Beyoncé-style booty shaking (and he could definitely keep up with Beyoncé — both in movement and butt size!). It was pure, high-energy entertainment.

The party continued in Justin’s part of the concert. I didn’t think the crowd could get any louder or wilder — it was already past 11 and Timbaland had a very energy-sapping set — but the minute JT ran onstage, there was a collective squeal of delight from the female members of the audience (myself included). In the words of the girl next to me, “Justin is sex. I think I need a pregnancy test just from watching him.” And that was just the reaction to Justin’s mere presence.

When he started performing, everyone (yes, even the guys) seemed to forget the tiredness that had settled in. He sang some of his biggest hits, including My Love, Cry Me a River, and LoveStoned.

Justin also sang the ballads, Until the End of Time, and What Goes Around Comes Around, complete with piano accompaniment. You could practically see the ladies melting into the ground as they watched him play the piano. These two songs were the only slow part of the concert, but girls’ heart rates still didn’t seem to be slowing down any.

JT and Timbaland ended the concert with a rocked-up version of the most famous of Justin’s songs, SexyBack. It was a really great finale, complete with fireworks in the sky. It was the type of ending that left fans wanting more, but realizing that anything after that would pale in comparison. Some members of the audience were actually in tears.

And much as Timbaland would hate to hear this, JT was the one who brought down the house. Timbaland’s funky dancing and cool mixes were really enjoyable, but Justin’s dancing, singing, and stage presence were what made the show exceptional.

The only sad part about this concert is Jojo’s participation. She looked amazing, and she was the only one who spoke some Filipino for the audience’s enjoyment and pleasure. I felt really sorry for her because she wasn’t given the stage time she deserved. She sang only two songs, and one of those was a duet with Timbaland! The other song aptly described the time she was given — Too Little, Too Late. It was like the organizers forgot she was part of the show, so they just squeezed her in between Timbaland and JT’s sets just so it could be said that she actually performed.

Jojo’s performance was little longer than the unannounced guest appearance of Timbaland’s little brother, Sebastian, who sang one of the songs off his upcoming album.

Disregarding what I consider to be an offense against Jojo and a few technical difficulties, the Changing Lives: Shock Value II concert deserves to be called the concert of the year (well, so far!). Not only was it a jam-packed event with an 80,000-strong crowd, but it also served as a fundraiser to help many youths and musical artists who were affected by Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.

The opening by the Philippine All-Stars set just the right tone for the whole event. Timbaland and Justin were amazing artists — not just performers. And Jojo, well, I bet she would have been amazing if she had had a greater opportunity to showcase her talents.