I was going to wait to make these observations with my proper writeup of Wednesday's show...

[aruan]

But this whole 'Justin's a heel for not going to either party' thing is just getting ridiculous.

The fact that JC had a bad sunburn was a quickly known fact after Skills on Saturday. There were people who saw it as he stretched on occasion. He's not getting some sort of nebulous benefit of the doubt - he was legitimately hurt and sucked it up admirably for Sunday's festivities. If you've ever had a sunburn as bad as he looked (and that was just his *face* we saw from the kickoff party pics) you'd know it takes a hell of a lot longer than a couple days to summon the will to continue living, much less play basketball.

Now, onto Justin. I was at the concert Wednesday night, and while no, I did not have front row seats, you didn't need them to notice he was a little off. The beginning of Rock Your Body especially, but he managed to get mostly back on top of things after that. His singing was also a bit high-pitched, somewhat like he'd swallowed some helium backstage before coming out. These are classic symptoms (at least for me) of someone who's beginning to lose their voice, so take that for what you will as far as backing the sinus infection rumor. Did you know that the remedy for a singer/speaker in such a condition is steroid shots to open up their throat so they can still perform? I'd imagine there could be physical side effects to that sort of drastic measures as well.

Now, let's all reflect for a moment on the fact that Justin not only performed ill (and ostensibly not just Wednesday night, as he'd had back-to-back shows in Orlando and Tampa on Tuesday and Monday respectively) but that he had a weekend of relatively strenuous physical competition to look forward to. Pardon him for not going to smoky, loud clubs that would further strain his vocal chords (is this the part where I also mention his next concert date was the 21st?), among other things. Personally, being as skinny and pale as he was on Saturday, I thought he kicked ass at his events and was certainly every bit the team player he signed on to be.

And if nothing else about his condition will get people to ease up, this was actually supposed to be a vacation for him, too. Justin hasn't really had a hiatus to goof like the other boys. Did we all see the same MTV specials during the fall and spring? Are we all aware of the magnitude of this tour he's doing? Boy's got a new girl and imagine if he wants to do things (like, oh, I don't know, relax for two seconds) other than be groped and fussed over (because most fans aren't nearly as considerate in their interactions as some of you lovely LJ lot).

I'm so done with all the stupid people, the rude signs, the inconsiderate slander (and what's with this 'they owe us' crap in the first place? The mind boggles.)

Argh.

Comments

[icebun.livejournal.com]

Whilst I totally agree with most of what you say, this I take umbrage with:

Justin hasn't really had a hiatus to goof like the other boys.

Joey goof? Hmmm he's done Rent and Fame and MBFGL. JC? He's been recording. Lance started off his hiatus training for space.

Chris maybe is the only one who's actually had a decent holiday and even he's been working on an album.

I wouldn't say that Justin's been the only one working. Yes, he's had the most grueeling schedule, but the others haven't exactly been sitting on their asses.

I get what you mean, but it's this division that people put between Justin and the others that really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

[gjstruthseeker.livejournal.com]

I stand properly, completely, and rightfully chastised. What I was thinking as far as Lance and Joey were events since January of this year (which right there neglects Lance's training and Joey's stint in Rent) and neglecting Chris' setting up his label (purportedly) and JC doing his album from January onward, while I obviously included all of that in Justin's timeline. *smacks head and stands corrected* I was trying to point out that the rest of them did have some sort of real off time though, if not the entire hiatus.

The division is totally bogus, man. Justin may have spoken ill of the 'pop' music on occasion, but never the group, and certainly never any of the boys. He's gone to see Joey in RENT, he's done nothing but speak well of JC and his solo endeavor, Chris went to the CD release party, and people tend to forget that Justin's close enough to Lance to tease him about space and not be considered rude or out of line. They're friends, often quotes as brothers, even.

Sigh. I just, this weekend was so much fun, and all this misplaced anger and strife is just not vibing with me.

[icebun.livejournal.com]

Sigh. I just, this weekend was so much fun, and all this misplaced anger and strife is just not vibing with me.

::nod::

I can totally understand that and it makes me want to beat people over the head for being ungrateful. I would've killed to be there and no matter what, I would've been *thankful* for what I got.

Oh well, there's always (hopefully) next year.

And yeah, the 'division' is a load of crap. The people who have created the so-called 'division' can kiss my ass, quite frankly. ;)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_dragon_/]

i agree completely. i mean, these guys are human beings just like us, after all. sunburns hurt like hell to move with even when they're light, and being sick and doing everything that Justin's been doing cannot be helping anything he's already got wrong with him. and that "they owe us" shit just don't fly with me. they've worked realy fucking hard for a really long fucking time almost non-stop since the friggin' beginning. i think they more than deserved the break. some fans out there are just so fucking incosiderate and stupid about these things and it really tweaks me to the breaking point. argh, indeed, hon. and a loud, resounding grr as well.

[trixiesfic.livejournal.com]

You're right that they've all had projects, many of which were intense and tiring. But those have been in shorter burst of time. Justin hasn't actually *stopped* since the Celebrity tour ended. He's had maybe a week or two off here and there. He went into the studio like 10 days after the end of the tour, spent most of last year in an *nsync-worthy promotion schedule, and most of this year touring heavily.

To say that Justin hasn't really had a hiatus like the rest of the boys, doesn't negate that they've all worked hard during this period. But let's be honest about how much more strenous his schedule has been.

[trixiesfic.livejournal.com]

Thanks for making this point and sharing your observations about how Justin looked. The boy needs soup and I haven't even seen him in person. *g*

People seem to demand more from him than he even demands from himself, and that's saying a lot.

[gjstruthseeker.livejournal.com]

I really, really feel like I should've jumped in with this account waaaaaaaay before last night, because I did notice he wasn't 100% on Wednesday night and know that, for Justin, it must be for a very real reason. Poor goober; I just wanted to sun, dine, and tuck him into bed. Everyone's commented on how skinny he looked, yet no one seems to consider that, oh, I don't know, there might be a legitimate reason for that, a reason which may also explain why he wasn't at the clubs.

People seem to demand more from him than he even demands from himself, and that's saying a lot.

Exactly. Perfectly put. It's absolutely absurd, how much the boy's already done, and this week may have been a vacation for us, but he had three shows in a row, Thursday off but with a kickoff party that night, scavenger hunt on Friday, Skills on Saturday, Challenge on Sunday, and a show on Monday night. All while being visibly ill. *shakes her head*

[gjstruthseeker.livejournal.com]

The boys, and especially Justin and JC, are such perfectionists, so for those two to be rendered into a situation where they have to visibly demonstrate limited capacity, you know there's got to be something major going on.

As far as this 'owing' business, I could see why people who spent $250 to see Justin (even though this was an *NSYNC event, for the record) would be disappointed, and somewhat rightfully so. But don't hold it against him once you find out the facts. Yes, we as fans may have made them the success that they are by buying the music and merchandise and going to the concerts, but that's an end they've always held up on their own - they put in the hard work, we do what it takes to enjoy it. I'd call that even.

[icebun.livejournal.com]

To say that Justin hasn't really had a hiatus like the rest of the boys, doesn't negate that they've all worked hard during this period. But let's be honest about how much more strenous his schedule has been.

Yes, and if you'll note, I did actually say that above.

"Yes he's had the most gruelling schedule."

My aim was to point out that yes, Justin has been working damn hard, but the intimation that the others have just been 'goofing off' isn't really fair either.

Maybe I was just being defensive. Oh well. ::shrugs::