Jay-Z Holy Grail (Ft. Justin Timberlake)

Last weekend I caught one of Justin Timberlake's Chicago stops on his 20/20 Experience World Tour: a sold-out two night stand at the United Center that commanded top dollar for higher tier tickets. The minimum million-per-show profits are clearly not wasted as the sleek stage set up featured state of the art jumbo screens, immersive lasers, and even a floating bridge stage.

From the first moments, his 15-strong brass band, The Tennessee Kids, and Timberlake's suave cuff-fixing entrance to "Pusher Love Girl" erased any memory of his N*Sync days. Of course there wasn't even a single song from his former boy band in the set, boasting a more complete catalogue since returning with his third and fourth studio albums. The show would have collapsed without the support of those 20/20 Experience songs, including the pulsating laser lights during "Only When I Walk Away," and suave dance steps behind "Suit & Tie." The show also included an acoustic portion that highlighted his recent folk sensibilities highlighted in the Coen brother's excellent Inside Llewyn Davis.

The real highlight came a few songs into the second set, when the front strip of JT's stage rose about 20 feet over the audience and glided to the opposite set of the arena, where it parked for some 30 minutes of the show. Crooning in the VIP section, an acoustic portion near the middle of the crowd included an Elvis Presley cover complete with the King of Rock's signature hip shake.

Paying homage to Michael Jordan has become required for artists playing the United Center, with both Kanye and Jay Z recently shouting out #23 during their shows, and Timberlake was no different. He also paid homage to both of those rappers, playing his Jay Z collaboration "Holy Grail," and tossing in a few Yeezus lines, most notably the croissant line from' "I Am A God." Other covers included Kool & The Gang's "Jungle Boogie" and Bell Biv DeVoe's "Poision."

Justin Timberlake's 20/20 Experience will continue racking up cash in the coming months as it carries through Europe, including stops in Moscow, Russia, and even Israel, before coming back stateside in July. The itinerary schedule has many guessing Timberlake will return to Chicago headline this year's Lollapalooza and especially after seeing his floating stage, I think the festival would be lucky to have him.