Over the weekend, Ariana Grande’s social media activity sparked rumors that NSYNC would somehow be involved with her Coachella set. She posted an old video of an NSYNC concert that shows her in the crowd as a child, singing along to “I Drive Myself Crazy,” tagging her mother and Justin Timberlake in the video. She also posted another video of herself singing along to “Tearin’ Up My Heart,” and additionally, TMZ reported that “Coachella sources” said some sort of Grande/NSYNC collaboration was happening. Sure enough, it happened last night.
To close out the first act of her set, Grande was joined by NSYNC (minus Timberlake) on “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored,” which contains elements of the group’s “It Makes Me Ill.” They then teamed for a rendition of NSYNC’s classic “Tearin’ Up My Heart,” and it was a perfect dose of 2000’s nostalgia.
Given that Timberlake wasn’t present, there was bound to be at least some controversy surrounding the performance, even though it was well-received. Timberlake had good reason for skipping out, though: He just wrapped up his Man Of The Woods tour in Connecticut on Saturday, so having him make a quick cross-country trip and be prepared for a Coachella performance is asking a lot given how busy he’s been lately. Still, there are fans who were upset that he wasn’t there, and to some of them, it wasn’t a true NSYNC reunion without JT:
WHERE WAS JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE?!
— Marcia Vergara (@MiszMarcy) April 15, 2019
nsync without jt is not nsync, lol
— (~")~ (@IongIiveperona) April 15, 2019
Waiting for that “sorry I couldn’t be there” tweet from Justin Timberlake like… #coachella #ArianaCoachella #nsync(ish) pic.twitter.com/C0osQqy6dP
— Emily Longeretta (@emilylongeretta) April 15, 2019
I have to say this. It isn’t NSYNC w/ out JT 🤷🏻♀️
Also annoyed he wasn’t there. He was done w/ the tour. 😑— Lizzzz 🌹 (@MisslizRedLips) April 15, 2019
https://twitter.com/dan_geiger/status/1117762218995716096
https://twitter.com/lormora/status/1117760946766798848
However, there were also plenty of fans who are into the four-piece version of the group:
I never thought I'd say this but I'd pay to see #NSYNC without JT
— ash (@ash_wonderland6) April 15, 2019
https://twitter.com/WTFJON/status/1117671256197701632
Cryinggggggg!!! who needs JT, @NSYNC is perfect without his conceited ass. #NSYNCHELLA #giveusaTOUR #NSYNCForever
— Alexx (@alex_lorraine) April 15, 2019
We want NSYNC concert!!! No JT?! Even better
— Che Bello (@1rahel) April 13, 2019
Elsewhere during the set, Grande was also joined by Nicki Minaj for performance of “Side To Side” and “Bang Bang,” and Diddy partnered with Grande to perform The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Mo Money Mo Problems.”
Read our review of Grande’s Coachella performance here, find the full setlist here, and watch clips of her performing with NSYNC (again, minus Timberlake) above.
