{"id":2443197,"date":"2019-04-19T09:48:50","date_gmt":"2019-04-19T15:48:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/?p=822850"},"modified":"2019-04-19T09:48:50","modified_gmt":"2019-04-19T15:48:50","slug":"nsync-should-tour-without-justin-timberlake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/music-news\/nsync-should-tour-without-justin-timberlake\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018NSync Should Tour Without Justin Timberlake"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Backstreet Boys did it. One Direction did it. Fifth Harmony did it. Spice Girls have done it a couple times, and will do it again this year. Pop\u2019s bestselling groups have toured \u2014 and even released music \u2014 without a key member. Judging by the response to \u2019N Sync\u2019s surprise, Justin Timberlake<\/a>-less reunion during Ariana Grande<\/a>\u2019s Coachella set, maybe it\u2019s time for one of the world\u2019s most famous (and best) boy bands of all time to do the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

A reunion for \u2019N Sync has been teased for nearly 15 years. The group officially went on hiatus in 2002 following the successful Celebrity<\/em>. That same year, Timberlake released his solo debut Justified<\/em>, one of the new millennium\u2019s most influential LPs. It immediately set him on a path towards massive solo success that would eventually lead to a reign as pop\u2019s prince. Two years later, \u2019N Sync officially called it quits during a band meeting \u2014 according to Lance Bass\u2019 memoir Out of Sync<\/em>, this came at Timberlake\u2019s insistence. What followed were a few years of spare appearances and some solo acting and music projects from the group, none of which measured up to the standards of success set by both the band and Timberlake.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nearly a decade after what seemed to be their final public appearance together, \u2019N Sync joined forces for a brief reunion at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, where Timberlake was the recipient of the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. In 2018, they made a another public appearance with the full, original line-up to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Unlike the expected narrative of long-disbanded groups, the quintet appears to have no ill will towards each other, and Timberlake even publicly congratulated his friends<\/span><\/a> after their appearance as a quartet this past weekend.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"INDIO,<\/p>\n

Ariana Grande (C) with members of NSYNC Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez<\/a> attend 2019 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival on April 14, 2019 in Indio, California. Photo credit: Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

For the most part, \u2019N Sync\u2019s public and, apparently, private discussions about a tour have been mostly apathetic, though with an occasional optimistic bent. \u201cWe\u2019re not opposed to anything,\u201d JC Chasez told Ryan Seacrest<\/span><\/a> last year, noting that they were not, at the time, thinking beyond their Walk of Fame induction. \u201cWe are always going to be open to anything, to any idea, as long as it\u2019s a good idea. For us it\u2019s got to be the right thing for the right reasons.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joey Fatone shared a similar sentiment earlier this year during an interview with Good Day New York<\/em><\/span><\/a>, noting that nothing was being discussed at the moment, but a tour without Timberlake had been a talking point. He didn\u2019t shut down the possibility: \u201cI would say \u2018Never say never.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Timberlake has remained famously mum about the end of the band as well as its future. He did, of course, set a precedent for how pop stars launched solo careers outside of their vocal groups by not only doing a full image revamp with Justified<\/em>, but nearly erasing the memory of his boy band past entirely for the beginning of his solo career. Since the VMA reunion, his public stance has softened, sharing photos of non-event reunions with his old friends. He has also jumped fully back into his recording career after a period spent focusing on acting; his 2013 double-LP The 20\/20 Experience<\/em> came seven years after the landmark FutureSex\/LoveSounds<\/em>, and earlier this month he finally wrapped his world tour in support of his 2018 release Man of the Woods. <\/em>Shying away from more stagetime with \u2018N Sync seems to be a function of his own schedule more than anything else. According to a TMZ report<\/a>, Timberlake only ditched out on Coachella because of how close it was to the end of his tour.<\/p>\n

Given the clear demand for more from the group, the members shouldn\u2019t have to wait until the timing works best for Timberlake. It\u2019s a perfect moment for \u2019N Sync to get back together: not only does their Coachella appearance prove they can still dominate a stage with their vocal harmonies and memorable dance moves, but nostalgia for their era is running rampant. Songs like Charli XCX\u2019s \u201c1999<\/a>\u201d and Anne-Marie\u2019s \u201c2002<\/a>\u201d are prime examples of how much people are looking back to that golden era than ever before. Grande\u2019s own sample of the group\u2019s deep cut \u201cIt Makes Me Ill<\/a>\u201d on her hit \u201cBreak Up With Your Girlfriend, I\u2019m Bored<\/a>\u201d is further proof that the market is still working in \u2019N Sync\u2019s favor. It would be a shame to pass up an opportunity like this one. <\/span><\/p>\n